The Works of William Faulkner William Faulkner (1897-1962) was one of the leading authors of the 20th century. Many of his novels and short stories were based on an imaginary area in Mississippi called Yoknapatawpna county. Famous for his depiction of the depravity and downfall of the southern aristocratic society, many of these stories’s themes revolve around fallen southern families. His novel writing style is one that used literary devices, subthemes (such as women oppressed), and his main theme of the decline of the blue blood south. This writing manner was Faulkner’s greatest contribution to literature. A Rose for Emily is a gothic tale of a woma