JOURNAL ARTICLE

Hoofbeats, Groans, and Milk: Domesticated Animals and Gendered Bodies in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

  • Published In: Mississippi Quarterly, 2025, v. 77, n. 2. P. 205 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Romdhani, Mourad 3 of 3

Abstract

This study scrutinizes William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying (1930), foregrounding the concept of the "animetaphor"—a term that encapsulates the metaphorical deployment of animals as a prism through which gender identity is interrogated within the text. By unraveling Faulkner's intricate depictions of animals and their dynamic interplay with human characters, this essay seeks to uncover the symbolic weight these creatures carry as nonverbal signifiers that reflect and shape the (de)construction of gender identities in southern culture. Beyond the confines of verbal articulation, profound insights into the fluidity of sexual identity emerge through the gaze of a mule, the resonant hoofbeats and groans of a horse, and the plaintive moans of a cow burdened by its own milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Mississippi Quarterly. 2025/04, Vol. 77, Issue 2, p205
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0026-637X
  • DOI:10.1353/mss.2025.a962038
  • Accession Number:185967693
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Mississippi Quarterly is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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