Lie Down in Darkness

E796376

Lie Down in Darkness is William Styron’s acclaimed 1951 debut novel, a Southern Gothic tragedy exploring the psychological disintegration of a dysfunctional Virginia family.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Lie Down in Darkness canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Southern Gothic novel
novel
adaptationStatus optioned for film multiple times
author William Styron
awarded Prix de Rome in Literature (helped Styron win)
linked to: Rome Prize
containsMotif decay
guilt
memory
religious imagery
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception acclaimed
firstEditionFormat hardcover
genre Southern Gothic
tragedy
hasForeshadowingOf themes in Styron’s later works
hasInfluenceOn reputation of William Styron as major American novelist
hasSubject class and status in the American South
father–daughter relationship
marital conflict
religious fanaticism
literaryMovement Southern literature
literaryPeriod post-World War II American literature
mainCharacter Helen Loftis
Maudie Loftis
Milton Loftis
Peyton Loftis
narrativeForm third-person narration
notableFor dark portrayal of Southern family life
lyrical prose style
psychological depth
originalLanguage English
originalTitleLanguage English
pageCountApproximate 400
publicationYear 1951
publisher Bobbs-Merrill Company
setIn Virginia
setInRegion American South
structure nonlinear narrative
theme Southern social mores
alcoholism
family dysfunction
mental illness
psychological disintegration
religious hypocrisy
suicide
timePeriodOfSetting 20th century

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

William Styron notableWork Lie Down in Darkness
William Styron title Lie Down in Darkness