Eudora Welty And Susan Donaldson: Female Characters In Southern Gothic Literature

Literature is defined as written works that hold a certain amount of merit. It takes form in different genres. In “Making a Spectacle: Welty, Faulkner, and Sothern gothic” the author, Susan Donaldson, mainly focuses on southern gothic literature and Southern Gothic authors. In her article Donaldson talks about female characters in Southern Gothic literature, as presented in the works of famous authors such as Eudora Welty and William Faulkner. The author gives specific examples of how female character are portrayed in Southern Gothic literature. Donaldson also goes into detail about each authors, Welty and Faulkner, writing styles and include work from other Southern authors.

Southern Gothic literature is a form of Southern writing. Southern writing is American

Eudora Welty is another American author well-known for her short stories. Even though many classified her writing as Southern gothic, she refused to be put in that category. When asked about being a Southern Gothic writer, during an interview with Alice Walker, she stated “They better not call me that!" (Donaldson). Welty utilizes many characteristics of Southern Gothic literature. Many of her short stories feature grotesque themes and demented characters. However, Welty’s female characters were not dominated or suffering. Her short stories blurred the lines of gender roles in Southern Gothic literature. A Curtain of Green is a perfect example of a short story by Eudora Welty. A curtain of Green is about a woman, Mrs. Larkin, who uses her garden as a way to cope with her husband’s death. Mrs. Larkin does not fit the mold of normal Southern Gothic female characters. Because of her husband’s death, Mrs. Larkin no longer depended on her husband or felt pressured by her community. Mrs. Larkin also went against Southern Gothic norm by not killing her garden helper. In Southern Gothic literature the female characters are usually killed not the