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Shin, Young Hun. “The relationship between the subject and power centered on the motif of ‘the purloined letter.’” Studies in English Language & Literature. 36.3(2010): 69-88. This paper aims to interpret William Faulkner’s short story, “There Was a Queen,” in terms of Lacanian theory. Using Poe’s “The Purloined Letter,” Lacan asserts that the signifier is absolutely superior to the signified. According to him, the privileged signifer, or the letter constructs the subject, not vice versa. Faulkner dealt with a similar motif and topic in his story, where Narcissa Benbow, the heroine of the story was put in a cul-de-sac due to some purloined letters. These erotic, even obscene letters should have long been destroyed. Instead, she kept cherishing them for erotic gratification when they suddenly disappeared. The heroine had no choice but to pay for the recovery of the letters with her own body. That is, the letters had irresistible power over her. This paper compares how Faulkner and Lacan use the same motif of ‘the purloined letter’ to deliver their own messages effectively. (Hansung University)