8/11/2019 Contextualizing Dry September

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Contextualizing Dry September

Glossary and Background Information

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Vitiated- !itiate" #o make faulty or defecti$e% impair& to debase in moral or aest'etic status ()iriam*

+ebster,

Barber- #'e barber is kno-n as .a-ks'a- by nickname% .enry Stribling by proper name% and appears

as part of t'e /efferson community in t'e famous s'ort story 0 ose for 2mily% as -ell as t'e 'apless

romantic lead in t'e lesser*kno-n s'ort story .air In t'e course of .air% .a-ks'a- falls in lo$e-it' a girl and marries 'er e$en after s'e 'as been publicly promiscuous% earning t'e public

disapprobation and ridicule of /efferson

Aint/cant/dont- #'ese are not typos 3aulkner ad'eres t'roug'out 'is -riting to a collo4uial

con$ention of lea$ing out t'e apostrop'es in 'is con5unctions% especially in -ritten dialogue

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This town-Dry September takes place entirely in 3aulkner7s ma5or to-n of /efferson% )ississippi%

modeled supposedly on 'is nati$e 8xford% )ississippi% part of 'is fictional 9oknapata-p'a County% in

turn modeled on :afayette County /efferson is 'ome to all or part of 'is most famous no$els% includingGo Down, Moses;As I Lay Dying;The Sound and the Fury&Light in August& andAbsalom, Absalom!

Drummer-In t'is context% a tra$eling salesman

The front in France- )c:endon presumably foug't on t'e 0llied side during +orld +ar I% -'ose

+estern 3ront in 3rance marked a line t'e 0llied troops -ere commanded to 'old from t'e German

troops #'is front infamously deadlocked for se$eral years% ratc'eting up a 'eretofore unkno-n total ofbodies from bot' sides 3aulkner7s first no$el Soldier's ayand 'is t'ird%Flags in the DustSartoris,

-ere bot' centered around returning soldiers from +orld +ar I% as -ere many of 'is s'ort stories

3aulkner 'imself 5oined t'e oyal 0ir 3orce during +orld +ar I but ne$er sa- combat

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Sheriff- #'e s'eriff in /efferson is an elected official in t'e familiar style of old +esterns% in c'arge of5ustice in to-n -it'out any kind of modern police force In 3aulkner7s 1 no$elIntruder in the Dust%

/efferson7s S'eriff .ampton is portrayed as sympat'etic and not ineffecti$e .ampton pro$es% 'o-e$er%

initially reluctant and apat'etic in t'e protection of an accused black murderer% :ucas Beauc'amp froman impending lync' mob 8utsider assistance in t'e form of citizens pre$ents a lync'ing and pro$es

:ucas7s innocence -it' t'eir in$estigation% but t'e implication is t'at e$en t'oug' S'eriff .ampton

secured :ucas in 'is 5ail% t'e la- -ould 'a$e not gi$en :ucas sufficient protection

Voile- !oile" 0 fine soft s'eer fabric used especially for -omen7s summer clot'ing and curtains&

3renc'% $eil% from 8ld 3renc' ()iriam*+ebster,

=

The first automobile in town- 0utomobiles are slo- to come to /efferson% -'ic' at one point

declares t'em formally illegal to dri$e -it'in city limits% a rule mounted on a pla4ue -'ic' ?ort'ernersare said to dri$e 'undreds of miles to come and mock #'e 'onor of o-ning t'e first automobile in

/efferson is a fre4uent 'onor -'ic' tends to signify encroac'ment of outside modernity and some kind

of degraded morals -it' it% also gi$en to Caddy Compson in The Sound and the Furyand )anfred De

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Spain in t'e Snopes #rilogy"

Whisky- Dry September% along -it' a large proportion of 3aulkner7s no$els% takes place during

@ro'ibition% -'ic' extended from 1,

$is sweaty reek- See 3aulknerEs ot'er -ork on t'e so*called natural Fstenc'E of ?egroes InIntruder

in the Dust% 'e describes t'is stereotypical smell" #'at unmistakable odor of ?egroes HJ really not

t'e odor of a race nor e$en actually of po$erty but per'aps of a condition" an idea" a belief" anacceptance% a passi$e acceptance by t'em t'emsel$es of t'e idea t'at being ?egroes t'ey -ere not

supposed to 'a$e facilities to -as' properly or often or e$en to -as' bat'e often e$en -it'out t'e

facilities to do it -it'& t'at in fact it -as a little to be preferred t'at t'ey did not (Intruder 11,

Dark !litter- Bot' men and -omen in /efferson 'a$e a pattern of displaying lasci$ious interest in

'orrible crimes% particularly t'ose in$ol$ing rape or race or bot'% e$en as t'ey profess rig'teousoutrage 3or example% see t'e community -is' of /efferson inLight in Augustt'at /oanna Burden 'a$e

been raped% as -ell as t'e salacious response to #emple Drake7s rape in San%tuary" Consistently% t'ey

betray a near*en$y t'at finds fulfillment in $icarious en5oyment of t'e crimes t'ey pretend to despise