Faulkner is often considered to be America's greatest writer. His fame rests largely on his novels, which examined Southern society more closely than it had ever been examined before, but also relied on radical advances in narrative and fictional techniques. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949, Faulkner was a profound influence not only in the United States but also in Latin America, where such writers as Gabriel García Marquez have expressed their feelings that Faulkner is unparalleled.

Although most critical writing on Faulkner is primarily concerned with his novels, Faulkner's short stories are also frequent subjects for analysis. "That Evening Sun," "A Rose for Emily," and "The Bear" are his most famous stories. "That Evening Sun" first appeared in 1931 in the magazine The American Mercury, a very important journal that was edited at one time by the critic and writer H. L. Mencken. Its appearance...