Emily's Rose of Love: A Postscript

EMILY'S ROSE OF LOVE: A POSTSCRIPT Helen E. Nebeker (Professor Nebeker offers the following emendation to her earlier article, "Emily's Rose of Love," which appeared in the March, 1970 issue of the Bulletin.) Regarding my article, "Emily's Rose of Love: Thematic Implications of Point of View in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily,'" March 1970, I must submit, with an admixture of delight at discovery and chagrin at original obtuseness, a slight emendation in the chronology offered at the end of the article, pp. 11-12. This correction eliminates the only real discrepancy in the time sequence—that is, that the date of Emily's death, approximately 1937, is some seven years after the date of the first publication of the story in 1930. I, as well as other critics, have passed over this discrepancy as part of the license permitted any story-teller, whether Faulkner or his narrator. Closer contextual analysis discloses, however, that we need not grant Faulkner even this much license in this carefully constructed story. The fact is that we err in assuming that the date of 1894, mentioned so casually in the third paragraph of the story, refers to the date of the death of Emily's father, who died, we know, when Emily was about thirty. It simply does not! Rather it specifically refers to the date when Colonel Sartoris "remitted her taxes, the dispensation dating from the death of her father on into perpetuity." That the death and the remission of taxes are not coincident becomes obvious in Section IV when we are told in the seventh paragraph that at the age of about forty, for six or seven years, Emily gave china-painting lessons to the daughters and granddaughters of Colonel Sartoris who "were sent to her with the same regularity and in the same spirit that they were sent to church on Sunday with a twenty-five-cent piece for the collection plate." The following—and last—line of the paragraph reads: "Meanwhile [italics added] her taxes had been remitted." Since "meanwhile" by definition means "in or during the intervening time" or "at the same time," the date of 1894 obviously refers to that period when Emily is in her forties and so destitute, having been left nothing by her father but the house, that she must take in day-pupils. At this time, Colonel Sartoris, who could not insult a lady by offering her charity, abrogates her taxes which have undoubtedly been accruing for some ten years. Now, using 1894 as a date when Emily is in her forties, her birth date must be advanced to approximately 1854 and all other dates changed accordingly . Emily died around 1928 and Faulkner's narrator is still relating his shocking story two years later in general accord with the publication date, not from some point in the future. In view of this basic correction, I offer the following amended chronology: 190 Emily's Rose of Love: A Postscript191 1854 (ca.) Emily is bom. 1884Emily's father dies. 1886Homer disappears; the smell develops; the room is sealed. 1894Emily gives painting lessons. During this time, Colonel Sartoris remits her taxes. 1906Colonel Sartoris dies. 1916The city fathers call on her personally about her taxes, thirty years after their fathers had dealt with the problem of the smell (1886). "Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost ten years." (Section I) 1928 (ca.) Emily dies. No one has seen the inside of the house for at least ten years. (Section I) 1930Story written and published in 1930. Section I clearly indicates that Emily had died sometime previous to the time of narration. FROM THE SECRETARIAT As newly elected Executive Secretary of the RMMLA I cannot appropriately begin my term of office without expressing my deep appreciation for the efforts of those who have preceded me. I am particularly grateful to Professors Henry Pettit and Edward Nolan; their past aid has helped me immeasurably during my interim appointment and their future counsel will be no less welcome and valuable. In past years the RMMLA has developed from a small and relatively informal organization into an association which—both in size and diversityhas come to represent fully the...