William Faulkner- American Author Challenge

"William Cuthbert Faulkner (born Falkner, September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962), was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of written media, including novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays. He is primarily known and acclaimed for his novels and short stories, many of which are set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a setting Faulkner created based on Lafayette County, where he spent most of his life, and Holly Springs/Marshall County.
Faulkner is one of the most important writers in both American literature generally and Southern literature specifically. Though his work was published as early as 1919, and largely during the 1920s and 1930s, Faulkner was relatively unknown until receiving the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature."

**This is part of our American Author Challenge 2014. The general discussion thread can be found right here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/162960

I have previously read 3 novels by Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying and the Reivers. I remember enjoying those titles but that was 20 plus years ago. I will now attempt Light in August:



What is your Faulkner history? I know there are Faulkner haters out there, so let's keep this thread G-Rated, okay?

I'm going to read The Hamlet per Linda's (laytonwoman3rd) suggestion. I remember reading some of the Snope short stories in high school.

My history goes back to early college days (if you don't count the Bowdlerized version of the short story "Two Soldiers" assigned to us in high school). I was dating a sophomore, when I was a freshman, and his freshman comp. professor had given them two recommendations for summer reading: The Hamlet by William Faulkner, and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. He had followed the advice, and enthusiastically passed it on to me. Talk about a significant moment. There should have been marching bands, fireworks, and photo ops. I had no choice but to marry the guy.

The Hamlet was my first true exposure to Faulkner, and I loved it. I wish I'd kept track of how many times I've read it since 1969. It never gets old for me. It's a perfect introduction to Faulkner's county, his characters, his language and his sense of humor. Moving on to the heavier and more difficult stuff makes much more sense if you've acclimated yourself a bit first. It has long been my opinion that teachers and professors of English do Faulkner a disservice by introducing students to him through his so-called "masterpieces"--The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom! and As I Lay Dying. Those works are structurally daunting, and plunging into them cold is like trying to appreciate Bach's Goldberg variations without first being familiar with the lovely melodic themes of "Sheep May Safely Graze", or "Ave Maria".
I took an excellent American Literature survey course (2 semesters long) in college, in which we read both Light in August and Absalom, Absalom!. I'm sure I appreciated them more because I had already met some of the characters, or their relatives, and knew a bit about the Place.

I love Light in August. This is less "experimental" than Faulkner's earlier novels, The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying, more linear, more "comprehensible", perhaps. The story is told mainly by an omniscient narrator, rather than through the stream of consciousness, internal monologues of his tormented characters. Faulkner may have considered himself a "failed poet", but I believe his only failure was in not realizing that his poetry was never meant to be confined to traditional forms. The writing here is often profoundly poetic. The story is grim, being primarily concerned with the fate of an orphan and eventual murderer named Joe Christmas, who believes himself to be carrying the "taint" of Negro blood. As a child, he is abandoned by his family, tormented by other children, harrassed by staff members at the orphanage, and eventually brought up under rigid religious constraints by his adoptive parents. None of this can come to good, of course. Although he could "pass" for white (and he may be white for all the factual evidence we are given to the contrary), he chooses to wave his assumed racial identity like a red flag in the face of everyone with whom he becomes close. He hates himself, he hates the rest of the human race, and in his view there is no salvation possible. His violent death is a foregone conclusion. Framing this tragic tale is the almost innocent "love story" of Lena Grove and Byron Bunch, while underlying it all are the back stories and obsessions of Christmas's victim, Joanna Burden, and his would-be savior, the Rev. Gail Hightower. An argument has been made that every principal character in this novel is pathological. There are certainly more archetypical outcasts in this story than you are likely to find in any other single work. It has also been said that the novel suffers from not having any "normal" people in it to provide contrast. Well…that's sort of true… it's often grotesque, in retrospect. But it doesn't feel that way in the reading.

Absalom, Absalom! is definitely one of Faulkner's masterpieces. Of all his work, it is the one I admire the most. It has all the elements he is known for, and they are honed to a fine point. It is quintessentially Southern, quintessentially Faulkner, and a tough nut to crack. But it's worth the effort.

Even if you're already comfortable with modernism, stream of consciousness, time and perspective shifts, and such, it doesn't hurt to get your bearings in Yoknapatawpha County before plunging into the dark recesses of its primeval forests. Besides The Hamlet, other good starting places are The Unvanquished (a Civil War story), Sartoris or Intruder in the Dust. (William Faulkner rarely gives us a character easily described as “admirable”. But in Intruder in the Dust, we meet Lucas Beauchamp, a black man whose integrity, strength and moral soundness we simply must admire. He is the focus of the mystery that forms what plot there is in this novel. For anyone who questions Faulkner’s stance on race relations in Southern society, this book has many of the answers. Like all of his work, it gets better every time I read it.)

Or pick up a copy of his collected stories, and read "Barn Burning", "Wash", "A Bear Hunt". Grab Knight's Gambit and sample "Tomorrow", or "Smoke". You'll either be hooked, as I have been for 45 years, or you'll know he's not for you. In which case, you can say you gave him a fair trial, and leave him alone with a clear conscience.

Wow, you make Faulkner sound approachable and even enjoyable (in a Faulkner kind of way). Thank you so much for this!

I don't get the "Faulkner haters" (ref. post >2 msf59:), I really don't, unless it's all about being politically correct. And when was art ever politically correct? If you don't like his stuff, then leave it alone. Period.

I absolutely agree with >4 laytonwoman3rd: that Absolom, Absolom!, while being "difficult" (probably a huge understatement--ha!) is also worth the effort, but don't even bother if you're not willing to work at it. I would push the "worth the effort" statement a little bit and say that it's worth any amount of effort that a person is willing to put into it. It's hands down my favorite Faulkner.

When you've read it for yourself once, then I recommend you go back and read it again, using a book by Joseph Urgo: Reading Faulkner: Absalom, Absalom!. But don't use the Urgo book until you've read it once on your own.

> Oh, yes, by all means --- all of his work benefits from a second (third, fourth) reading. In fact, somebody, I forget who just now, said "Faulkner cannot be read. He can only be re-read." Or words to that effect. I don't know the Urgo. I love Cleanth Brooks, and Noel Polk for analysis and criticism of Faulkner. Olga Vickery is useful too.

>6 labwriter:. Oh, I love that. So true.

>4 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: It's such a pleasure to experience smart people talking (or typing, as the case may be) on a subject about which they clearly know a lot and about which they are clearly very passionate. So thanks for that. Loved it!

>9 scaifea: Aww...aren't you nice.

I agree with Amber, your book breakdown helps me to see Mr. Faulkner a little more clearly.
I wouldn't say that I'm a Faulkner hater, it's just that we didn't enjoy our first meeting last year when I tried to read The Sound and the Fury. Political correctness means very little to me, it was his heavy use of southern dialect that made it difficult for me to follow.
But, I'm putting the past behind us and giving him another try with As I Lay Dying which according to your breakdown, probably isn't the best choice but it's the one I own.

Well, Lynda, there's a world of difference between a motivated experienced reader like yourself, and a high school kid laboring with a literature assignment that might not be up his alley. Faulkner's genius for drawing character is highly evident in As I Lay Dying. The humor is black as night; fire, flood and frantic horses figure prominently, as do unscrupulous minor characters, and bull-headed men. There's some surreal stuff in there ("My mother is a fish"), too. I understand the difficulty with dialect. My husband has trouble with that; in college we used to read out loud to each other, and that is a big help. Even if you don't sound like you're from rural Mississippi, speaking the dialog out loud really helps to get the sense and feel sometimes.

I will be reading The Hamlet. Wanna know why? Cause Roberta told me to.... :)

She said she had gotten the suggestion for reading it first from someone who really knew her Faulkner... want to take one guess who that must have been???

After reading Linda's post in #4 I can say I'm perfectly comfortable in following someone who is so obviously passionate and knowledgeable!

I'm getting scared, now. All you people will probably want to lynch me in late February!

I'm going to read The Hamlet as I do want to eventually read more Faulkner and if this is the best way to do it I'm in.

I wouldn't call myself a Fallkner-hater because I haven't read any of his books, I'm a Faulkner-scaredy cat.

>10 laytonwoman3rd:: On occasion I've been known to be, yes. *ahem*

I was assigned As I Lay Dying (the only Faulkner I've read so far, although I've more of him coming up on some of my lists) in a college lit course. Loved it, although I knew at the time that I was surely missing nuances. I just hadn't lived enough to understand his view of life, I think. Or something like that. The professor was amazing, though, in that he did read chunks of it aloud (and as you say, Linda, that really does help) and was an excellent reader - I can still hear his voice saying, "that god-damned adze!" Ha!

I don't know if I'll get to more Faulkner even this year at all, but I am interested in him, so I'll be following this thread and those of you reading his stuff.

My first experience with Faulkner was a year or two ago. I read about 20 - 25 pages of The Sound and the Fury and didn't understand one word of it. I don't like to "work" while reading, so sounds like Absalom, Absalom is out, too. I was going to read Light in August as I was told it's his most accessible book but it's 500 pages long! I'm willing to give him another try; however, I'm not a masochist. Perhaps a book of short stories?

As I was browsing the Faulkner listings over at Amazon, I noticed a number of the novels were listed as "Title (Corrected Text)". What does that mean? The book description doesn't say anything.

I highly recommend the "Corrected Text" editions, Julia. They are, for the most part, edited by Noel Polk, who was one of the foremost critics of Faulkner's work until his death in 2012, and they restore the novels to the form most clearly intended by Faulkner himself before their original publication. There was a fair amount of editorial "fiddling" done with some of his work originally, and these corrected texts are generally favored by most modern scholars as reflecting what Faulkner wanted you to read. Those of us reading from the Library of America editions are reading the corrected texts.

Morphy, see if you can get a copy of Knight's Gambit; it's a collection of short fiction featuring Gavin Stevens, one of Faulkner's recurring characters. Although they're billed as "mystery stories", their strength is not in the plots, but rather in the atmosphere and the characters.

Thanks, Linda. That's reassuring, as I was afraid they were "corrected" the way Huckleberry Finn was "corrected" to remove the non-PC language. I hate when they do that!

Oh, lord...I hate that too. No, it might be the opposite with Faulkner!

I found a single-volume Modern Library edition of The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. It doesn't say whether it is the corrected text, but the publication date is 2011 so I hope they are.

>22 rosalita: I know Polk worked with Random House (Faulkner's primary publisher) on the corrected editions, and the Modern Library is a Random House imprint, so I think you're right.

I love all the Faulkner attention going on over here and nary a negative word.

Linda- You should have hosted this thread! Your knowledge and enthusiasm for All-Things-Faulkner is invaluable. Like Cather, I really NEED to read something else by him this year.

Labwriter- I am with you! If you don't like an author don't READ him. Boy, that was simple.

I should not be goofing around on the internet right now, but I couldn't resist this.

Linda you are the best! And I love the Faulkner connection with your husband!

I suppose I'll descibe my Faulkner history. Other than the short story "Barn Burning" (which is wonderful, by the way), I was never subjected to him in a classroom setting. I started reading him in the early 2000s on a whim and went through a big Faulkner period. I haven't read him in a while and think I'll go with Intruder in the Dust and The Hamlet for Faulkner February.

I started with As I Lay Dying and was, quite frankly, kind of underwhelmed (I do need to reread this), but curious to read more. Next, I read The Sound and the Fury and fell in love. It is a difficult novel and I'm trying to remember why I wasn't completely lost, not being what you would call particularly brilliant. Maybe my edition had a good introduction? Also, I have a Faulkner glossary that's incredibly helpful in terms of character relationships, etc., so that could have something to do with it too. Also, I read a bit of lit crit on it immediately after, so that probably helped as well. So I guess it was a bit of a project, but a truly rewarding one. I think I read Absalom, Absalom! next (I've read it at least twice) and it remains my favorite, along with The Sound and the Fury.

Others I've read:

*Light in August - Loved! I agree with Linda that it's a good choice for the worried.
*The Unvanquished - Liked - A Civil War thing, if that interests you. Fairly straightforward, if I remember correctly, at least by Faulkner standards.
*The Reivers - Meh. Don't rememeber much. I think this is the one that won the Pulitzer Prize (?!)
*Sanctuary - I'm conflicted about this one. It's really quite trashy (by design, I believe), but perhaps not a bad choice if you're not in the mood for one of the more challenging selections. I wonder if Linda agrees. I can't say it isn't engaging. Fair warning: It is rather disturbing and offensive.
*Requiem for a Nun - Follow-up to Sanctuary. Not as good. Partly written as a play, if I remember correctly.

I agree with you on almost everything, Kerri. I have a deep fondness for The Reivers as Story, although I'm not entirely enraptured by it as a reading experience. It's the product of the man's later years, meant to be his farewell to Yoknapatawpha County, and I think he could have made it better if not hampered by illness, alcoholism, and family concerns. (Those things always featured in his life, but sometimes they informed his writing and sometimes they just got in the way.) It's a fairly straightforward read, though. Have you ever seen the movie with Steve McQueen, Will Geer and Rupert Crosse (the first Africa n American actor to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, btw)? It's a delightful picaresque romp, and the light wins out in the end. Faulkner did win the Pulitzer for this one, but he had already won it for A Fable in 1955. (I've started that one twice, and never been able to get into it. A goal for my retired years!)

As for Sanctuary, it sure was written to be a grim, sensational, trashy pot-boiler, but was then almost completely re-written so that it came out a bit more than that. Still grim, still sensational, and one I'll probably never read again. In Faulkner's lifetime, it was what he was most publicly known for, I'm afraid. Still, it's part of the canon, he wrote it, and I don't disparage it. It is what it is, and as trash goes, you can't beat it!

Yes, I was able to request Knight's Gambit from the library and it's half the size of Light in August! Whoo hoo!

Blessings on your library, Morphy!

Faulkner history:

I read A Rose for Emily sometime in high school in an anthology of American short stories. I would like to re-read it, as I remember liking it but I can't remember anything about it now.

In college, I read a Faulkner for a class on Political Thought in Literature but I can't remember for the life of me what the book was! I remember almost everything else I read for that class. And it's not because I didn't like this mysterious Faulkner, it's just a giant blank in my brain.

Anyway, I am planning to read Go Down Moses for this month - I have not seen it mentioned here. Any thoughts, Linda? Anyone? Bueller? I'm only thinking of that one because it is what I have on my shelves. I think I also have The Portable Faulkner, so I could read a selection of things from that, I guess...

I had to stop somewhere, Katie! Go Down, Moses is powerful, beautiful, heartbreaking stuff. It's deep background, you might say, on the history of Yoknapatawpha County, with reference to its original native settlers, and the origins of some of his founding families, the McCaslins and the Edmondses. It explores racial issues, as there are both black and white McCaslins. It is episodic, rather than novelistic, and parts of it were (and still sometimes are) published alone as short stories, most famously, "The Bear". It's a tale of hunters and hunting, which may put some readers off. It also contains one of my favorite Faulkner quotes: "...you always wear out life long before you have exhausted the possibilities of living." There are a few passages in it that I have never completely conquered; Faulkner had a talent for setting out complicated legal transactions that made sense to the parties involved, but I'm convinced that sometimes HE didn't even understand what he was saying! Witness the infamous transaction with the goats and the promissory notes and sewing machines in The Hamlet---those of you reading that one, please chime in if the math ever makes sense to you!

I was just browsing my book lists, as I am wont to do on occasion, and saw that I've got Sanctuary coming up soon...

I received a lovely paperback copy of Light in August from Amazon, paid for by my Christmas haul of Amazon gift cards.

Ah, Karen...Christmas shopping for yourself with Amazon gift cards....what could be better!

>24 msf59: Thanks, Mark. My "hosting" history isn't so great, though. I took over admin of the Faulkner Group a while back, and it has never really taken off. I don't think there's been any activity over there except for my putting up a message about the American Authors Challenge, in ages. Maybe Faulkner February will spark some more interest? I know labwriter was a participant there, and some others of this group as well. There was some good discussion on the question of where to start over there in this thread.

Katie, if you're going to read Go Down, Moses, you might like this McCaslin genealogy from the Ole Miss website. Lots of good Faulkner stuff there if you browse around.

And, btw, I looked it up, and shame on me...it was another of my favorite American authors, Jay Parini, who said 'Faulkner can't be read, he can only be re-read". His biography is a good one.

#26 - It is what it is, and as trash goes, you can't beat it! That pretty much sums up Sanctuary. Ha! And I still sort of think it's a decent choice for Faulkner February for those staying away from "the big ones," as long as people know what they're getting into. However, on the other hand, it would be sad if that's the only Faulkner a person ever reads.

Thanks for providing a bit of context for The Reivers. I actually do need to read a Faulkner biography. Is there one you recommend? I have not seen the movie version of it, and would probably be more interested in the movie version of As I Lay Dying, which I believe we discussed on your thread.

I like Parini's One Matchless Time, because it's a very comfortable length, and talks about each book in a chronological time frame. He tries a little too hard to make Faulkner a proponent of diversity, I think, and Parini's admiration sometimes overwhelms his subject, but you get a good overview of the man, his works and his life from it, without investing the time Blotner's 2000-page Faulkner: A Biography (which is The Best) requires.

>36 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks for the tip about the Blotner biog. I've read others, but I've heard that this one is the one to read. I just bought a reasonably priced used copy.

Faulkner a "proponent of diversity"? Oh, how I would love to hear him expound on our PC culture. snark

I bought the Blotner biography at the Walden Book Store at the Royal Oak Mall in Gretna, Louisiana, in 1974. It was gorgeous, massive, a two-volume set in a slipcase (first edition), and it took my breath away. I knew I had to have it, but it was $25.00 (imagine!) and that was a lot of money to spend on something non-essential in those days. I don't think our weekly food budget was $25.00 at the time. But somehow I managed it, and I don't think we went hungry because of it! (Thus has it always been with me and book purchases. *sigh*) It still holds a place of honor standing alone on top of our living room bookshelves.

Well, even if you did go hungry you're still here so it couldn't have been too severe! There are certain books that seem to have an aura of magic about them when you own them.

Thank you all (especially laytonwoman3rd) for the fantastic information and the inspiration to approach Faulkner unafraid with the comforting feeling that my questions will be answered even as I choose to read one of his less threatening writings. Probably Knight's Gambit? I read Faulkner many, many years ago The Sound and the Fury Absalom, Absalom and As I Lay Dying and I think the fact that I didn't realize the complexities of the text left me free to just enjoy it. Oh, for the innocence of youth!

Such great discussions here! I'm wondering if Linda (laytonwoman) is going to be up for all the PMs I may be sending her in February when/if I have Faulkner questions??!!??

I have no history with Faulkner. I'm sure I was required to read him (The Sound and the Fury?) in college but I have minimal memory. I read and loved Light in August last year. I plan to read Absalom, Absalom! in February.

It would be interesting to read a bio of him and One Matchless Time sounds like a low commitment choice. Maybe I'll see if they have it on the shelves at Powell's when we're there on the very first day of Faulkner February.

>41 TinaV95: Bring 'em on! I am so thrilled that so many people want to try or try again with Faulkner, I can't wait for some discussion when the reading actually begins.

I can't believe I'm admitting this but I am actually beginning to look forward to Faulkner in February!

>44 Carmenere: *applause!*

I remember nothing about The Sound and the Fury from when I read it in college many years ago, but from the discussion above, I am going to read The Hamlet in February. Thanks!

34-This isn't about Faulkner, but because Linda mentioned Jay Parini's quote I wanted to give a plug to his book about Walter Benjamin trying to escape the Nazis, called Benjamin's Crossing. It is really an exciting and touching book.) If any of you have read Varian's War it includes those people who tried to cross into France from Spain like Franz Werfel and the ubiquitous Alma (played by Lynn Redgrave in the movie. Walter Benjamin was an interesting critic and philosopher.

Hello, Miriam! Glad to see you here. I have Benjamin's Crossing on my To-read list. I do enjoy Parini's works.

#36 - Thank you, Linda! I'll put both on the wishlist. I have a fair amount of Faulkner lit crit, but not a definitive biography.

Really enjoying the Faulkner chat here. His work rates high on my list of favorites. In reading his books, I've found that just plunging in and going with the flow is an effective way to get started. He does have that reputation of being "difficult", but...while no one can say he's an easy read, I think some of that reputation is undeserved.

Example: I left my copt of The Sound and the Fury lying around the house years ago. My daughter, then aged 13, picked it up and read it with complete fascination. Of course a lot of it went right over her head, but she still considers it a transformative experience in her reading life, and to this day (she's now 46) hates Jason with a "burning, white-hot hatred", as she told me over the holidays.

Just sayin'.

I love that story about your daughter, Gail. Too much information can be a real impediment, sometimes. And I totally agree that just floating along with the current is a terrific way to "get" Faulkner. Sometimes, all at once, you discover you know exactly where you're headed after all.

Neither lover nor hater of Faulkner. I just don't consider his writing anything special and fail to see what is so great about it. Wish I could.

I've read:
As I Lay Dying really enjoyed this one
Light in August meh - it was ok
The Sound and The Fury didn't appeal to me - surely could have used some punctuation!

I will probably read The Hamlet as I am a glutton for punishment and may be surprised to like it. If I do, there are related books to pursue. If I don't, ah well. I will just move on.

I am fascinated by all this and it reminds me of why I did not take literature classes while at university. I truly thought most of the conversation was beyond my understanding. I read books now because I like language used well, and I like good stories, and interesting characters. I do have opinions but I will not call myself capable of literary criticism; nor do I like to read literary criticism.

Ha! I am finished with my Willa Cather book, my January F2F book group book (The Good Earth), and a book and a half in the World War I reading: Maisie Dobbs. So, it is February for me, so I'll start with Light in August made more comfortable with a side dish of Redwall (for the F2F group) and listening to Guns of August. What am I doing with all these August books?

So, I'm starting now.

I've never attempted Faulkner before, but I have As I Lay Dying on my shelves. I will read it with Linda's advice in the back of my head, and move on to The Hamlet if I can't get through AILD.

I am a few chapters in and for the most part I'm enjoying the read. There are moments when a paragraph or two seem to be like a riff and I'm not sure I have any handle on what is meant. There are words there but they don't seem to have a relationship to each other in the sentences.

It's funny, I've only read the first few pages and I already like the tone of AILD more than LiA. Maybe, I can actually make it through this one :0)

This was just posted to my face book page thought you'd like to read this interview with our star of the month http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4954/the-art-of-fiction-no-12-william-f...

That's a wonderful interview, Lynda...full of classic Faulkner quotes.

"If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is worth any number of old ladies."

And he parodies himself brilliantly: "Between Scotch and nothing, I will take Scotch."

I'm beginning to like this guy more all the time!

I'll be reading Light in August. The first and last time I read Faulkner was in college---The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying. Being forced to read Faulkner can never be a good thing. I expect to have a much better experience this time.

^ "I expect to have a much better experience this time."

With this crew, it seems very likely, Bonnie! :-)

>>38 laytonwoman3rd: - I just requested the London Library acquire the Blotner biography Linda. They don't have it, shame on them!*

Hmm, the more I am reading in here, the more I suspect I may read more than one Faulkner in February (that has a ring to it). I've previously read As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury both of which I loved.

The Hamlet is my choice for this challenge, because it is on my shelves (as is Absalom, Absalom!).

You also recommended somewhere else Cleanth Brooks' William Faulkner: The Yoknapatawpha Country which I now have on the shelf, so maybe that is a February read too.

OK, maybe I am running away with Faulkner a bit here - we will see what I manage.

ETA:* OK, they did have it, it just didn't come up when I did a search! They are holding it for me - so I suppose now I am going to have to read it hahaha! VERY slowly me thinks!

>62 Caroline_McElwee: Run with it, Caroline! It's OK, really.

>60 brenzi: "I expect to have a much better experience this time." Oh, I hope so. High school is no place to meet Faulkner for the first time, unless the teacher and the student are most wonderfully unusual.

I bought my copy of Absalom, Absalom! today. :-)

>64 EBT1002:. *happy dance*

I'm getting very excited about Faulkner February! I'm determined to read Mosquitoes (just for completion---I'm sure it isn't going to impress me), and then maybe I'll re-visit The Sound and the Fury by reading from my Folio Society edition, which is printed in multiple colors of ink, as Faulkner himself originally envisioned it. He could not persuade his publishers to do that because of the cost, but the Folio Society, with the able assistance of the late Noel Polk finally brought it about last year.

Thanks again, Lynda, for posting the link to the Paris Review interview with Mr. Bill. Reading it has made my husband, Flamingrabbit , who introduced me to Faulkner in 1969 or thereabouts, and then left me pretty much on my own with the man for decades, think he might want to read The Sound and the Fury again himself. I will be delighted if that happens.

I'll be reading Light in August, partly because I have it, and partly because it seems like a good entry point to Faulkner.

I tried, several decades ago, to read The Sound and the Fury and gave up. I wouldn't say I'm a Faulker hater though--just a little intimidated.

I just received in the mail a very nice used copy of the one-volume edition of Blotner's Faulkner: A Biography. Literary biography is almost a hobby, I read so many of them. This one looks excellent. It will take me awhile to get through, but I'm looking forward to reading this one.

It took me months to get through it back in the '70's, and I wasn't working at the time, and didn't have a child to care for or anything! It was good reading, though.

I will be reading Selected Short Stories.

>69 laytonwoman3rd:. Wow, that must have been a real doorstop. This Blotner biog is a "revised, updated, and condensed" version, revised into one volume and updated (as of 1984--although the NYT obituary says he published the updated version in 1991?) with new material by or about Faulkner that had come to light since the publishing of the original 2-volume version in 1974. I didn't set out to get this version, but I bought this one used online, and sometimes it isn't clear what version is being sold. I had the impression that this one was the entire two-volume edition included in one volume. One fact that may have hugely influenced his writing of this new version is that Mrs. Faulkner had died, so Blotner wouldn't have had her reading over his shoulder, so to speak.

I don't believe in "definitive" biographies--I don't believe such a thing exists--but if I did, I would say that Joseph Blotner has come close to that in his work on Faulkner. He had access to Faulkner's papers, granted by the family. He also knew Faulkner, having helped bring him to the U of Virginia as a writer-in-residence in 1957. One issue with Blotner, if his obituary is correct, is that he "worshipped" Faulkner, so he is said to have given Faulkner's infidelities and "nearly suicidal drinking bouts" somewhat short shrift. However, I'm of the opinion that it helps if the person writing the first major biography of an author (and I'm mainly speaking of literary biographies here) is someone who has a sympathetic understanding of their subject. Otherwise, a biography can be a disaster. For example, has anyone read anything by Sinclair Lewis? He simply isn't taught anymore, and one of the reasons for that is the 1961 biography written by Mark Shorer: Sinclair Lewis: An American Life. Shorer's biography was a major factor in destroying Lewis's literary reputation--and it really has never recovered.

I'm OK with this edition. Blotner explains some of the updates in his Forward. Judging from the first chapter, the book seems very readable. I'm looking forward to it.

ETA touchstone for this edition: Faulkner: Biog-1 Vol Ed. OK, so that didn't work. How about: Faulkner: A Biography. The 1984 publication date for the hardcover edition of this book is correct.

ETA also that maybe Lewis's reputation is "recovering." You can now find his work in good Library of America editions: a 2-novel volume of Main Street and Babbitt, and also an edition of three novels, Arrowsmith, Elmer Gantry, Dodsworth. I recommend him for the group of people who are focusing on AmLit this year.

okay, there is way to much faulkner worship. He has a talent for captivating mortal imagery. Unfortunately he is limited.

>72 xenonariel:. Your comment (assertion) is unfortunately limited. Care to expand on it?

>72 xenonariel: Who isn't limited? If you're interested in some good discussion of the man's talents, strengths and weaknesses, stick around. Read along with us. I guarantee there's going to be thoughtful exploration of his work. "Worship" isn't quite the word for what goes on here, but I wouldn't expect you to realize that on your first day aboard.

Faulkner passion--I like that. "Worship" seems a bit pejorative.

>75 labwriter: Yes...I like passion.

I don't worship Faulkner nor his work, but I have to admit having a true passion for his books. He's one author, at least, who generously rewards readers. And re-readers.

I am another reader who has never experienced Faulkner. I plan on reading The Sound and the Fury for the February challenge because that is the title by Faulkner which is on my "List of Recommended Reading for College Bound Students". I am 20 years past college but still trying to get through this list!

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and comments so far. The context on Faulkner is very helpful. I will admit to being scared that I am trying to read a book that is too hard for me. I am going to approach TS&TF the way Gail's daughter did...by just reading the thing without trying too hard.

Oh and I picked up a copy of TS&TF at my local library yesterday....I am the first person to borrow the volume since 1993!

>77 Matke:. He's one author, at least, who generously rewards readers. And re-readers.

Well said!

>78 Cobscook:: Even though The Sound and the Fury is recommended for college-bound students and is, I think, the most recognizable of his titles, I encourage you to start with something less intimidating. I have been intimidated by Faulkner and I'm glad I read Light in August last August. It felt like a good introduction and I could appreciate his talent. On the other hand, reading The Sound and the Fury in the company of this good group may help. And in any case, reading with a bit of a "let it flow over you" attitude will be good! :-)

I'm planning to start Absalom, Absalom! next week.

>77 Matke:, 79, 80 Yep, ladies, you're singing my song! In three part harmony. With feeling.

It's a good thing you don't know how off-key I generally sing. :-)

I picked up my copy of Faulkner's Selected Short Stories (Modern Library) at the library yesterday and started reading it. It's been a long time since I have read any of his works. I had forgotten that he is the master of the run-on sentence. I wish that I remembered how to diagram a sentence because some of his would fill a page! I had also forgotten that most of his short stories do not "conclude" - they just stop,leaving the reader to imagine the conclusion.

I picked up The Hamlet from the library and brought it home. That's a big step for me and a Faulkner book. LOL
I'm not starting it quite yet... have to get psyched up and block out some time to give it a chance. Hoo-boy! *deep breath* ha!

The book that started it all for me....this very copy. Couldn't tell you how many times it's been read:

>85 laytonwoman3rd:. I have some like that. What a great copy.

>84 -Cee-: - LOL, Cee. Yup, I also brought my copyof The Hamlet home from the library yesterday and feel very proud of myself.

That's the one I'll be reading! Although in an e-version.

OK. Good news. I started The Hamlet and as of page 10 I'm still ok with it :-D
Well.... it's not Feb yet. But I was feeling brave *smirk*

Not to push too hard, I am saving round two for tomorrow. At 10 pages a day, it'll take me the entire month to finish.

Finished Selected Short Stories by William Faulkner **

I'm glad I chose the short story collection. When you finished one story, you could always hope that the next one would b better.

I purchased an e-anthology of the Snopes trilogy — The Hamlet, The Town, The Mansion. Looking forward to diving in!

I'm reading a Faulkner novel I'd never even known existed before! Mosquitoes, his second novel. After the, well let's be honest, disappointment of Soldiers' Pay, I'm keeping my expectations modest. Still, it's very exciting to find a book by a dead favorite author that's completely outside my experience!

I found the Collected Stories of William Faulkner available for free download thanks to the Open Culture website, so that's gonna be my Faulkner undertaking for the month. It's a bit of a hefty collection, so it doesn't look like I'll get it completely finished this month unless I give up all other reading and that's not gonna happen, lol. I've been thinking about taking on one story a day, maybe two. Through the same site, I found a book of poetry by him as well that seems a little more...digestible...so I might start with that instead.

Richard, Mosquitoes is one I haven't read. I believe I'll give it a try this month myself. (Haven't read Soldiers' Pay either, but may never do so.)

>93 HuntingtonParanormal: OMG, please don't start with Faulkner's poetry. It isn't worth reading, trust me. The only reason to do so is if you're a completist, or an academic. He had no use for his own poetry and gave it up very early on.

For those of you trying Faulkner for the first time, or trying to overcome a bad first impression of his work, this article may be helpful.

Thanks for the link, Linda. A tip for anyone else who is annoyed by endless pop-ups and ads that cover the text you are trying to read: Click the Print button and read it there. No ads, no pop-ups, no annoyance.

Or use AdBlock software! Chrome users, it's a free extension. Works like a champ.

Linda3rd, are you going to group-thread the books or keep us all in a tight little pod?

Richard, AdBlock is in fact great, but I have it installed and it didn't stop the Oprah site from first dumping me into a separate advertising tab when I clicked the Next Page button, and then having an ad unscroll down across the text while I was trying to read it.

Yuck! Have you updated your download? When that happens, I go and re-download my extension and *pff* problem solved for a year or so.

#95: Thanks for the heads up about the poetry! I'm not a complete Faulkner noob...I read the Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying in high school and college respectively. I didn't HATE them, but since I was forced to read them it wasn't as a pleasurable experience as it could have been.

One day I'll get around to the poetry (maybe) but your opinion has definitely led me to choose the short story collection as fulfillment for the author's challenge. Hehe, quite honestly, I only considered the poetry download because it was SO much shorter, lol.

Thanks, Julia. I use Adblock with Firefox, and I didn't get the pop-ups.

Richard, it's really Mark's show...my inclination would be to keep everything in this thread, unless it gets cumbersome. There are threads for some of the novels in the Faulkner group...maybe people would like to branch out there if the discussions really take off.

I read the first fifth of As I Lay Dying this morning, and I love it so far. The stream-of-consciousness narrative is right up my alley, and already I find the voices of the many characters distinct. I can't wait to continue with it!

I've never read Faulkner before (somehow missed every class he was taught in in college - and I'm an English major!), and was thinking about giving this month a pass simply because I've got 4 books that I "have to" read this month already. But then yesterday at work I ran into my favorite high school teacher, English teacher of course, and he suggested that I start with The Reivers, so I grabbed it before I came home.

All of the Faulkner love on this thread is making me less scared!

The Reivers is a nice choice for firsts, Laura. I always suggest Light in August because I like it so much, but it can be a little too long for some readers not in the mood for such expansive storyless narration.

I hope Faulkner's comedic sense comes through to you!

I'm going to try The Reivers too, Laura. My mom thought it looked like a good one, so I got it for her on our shared Kindle account. It'll probably be mid-month before I start it though. If I like it, I'll have to take Richard's advice and dive into Light in August.

As a native of Mississippi, I agree that The Reivers is a good choice for a first Faulkner. We went to his home at least three or four times during the four years I was in high school. I've been since then too. I remember that one of the tour guides was encouraging a group that had asked which one to read first to read The Reivers.

I'm hugely enjoying the Joseph Blotner biog of Faulkner--Faulkner: A Biography. Mine is the revised, updated, and condensed 1-volume version. It's 718 pages long plus notes, small font, a very "heavy" volume.

I just read chapter 1 of Intruder in the Dust and his writing style is annoying. Struggling to keep track of who is saying what is going to try to distract me. But the imagery of the smell, and the pride, and the existence of the Negroes is great. That will keep me reading.

Laura, don't try too hard...just let it flow over you. Your brain will do a lot of sorting without conscious effort.

I've gone waist deep in the big muddy, as Pete Seeger would sing. In the midst of Faulkner's Old Man.


.

>111 RBeffa: Love it. I have a few of those Signet paperbacks. That one's not bad, but some of them have pretty lurid covers.

I wish I had more of the early Signets. Only have a few earlier ones. I keep an eye out for them now. The cover here bears a resemblance to the story at least!

Just picked up my library copy of The Hamlet this afternoon.... Soon as I finish my current book, I'll pick it up and start!

I just read that long Paris Review article... thanks for posting that, Lynda!

This isn't much of a review, more an impression of reading "Old Man" by Faulkner:

As far as I can recall I never read a Faulkner novel before. I have read a short story or two such as "Two Soldiers" which I remember liking well enough. I could never get very far into "The Sound and the Fury."

"Old Man" is not going to make me a Faulkner fan. He starts off, on page one, with one of my big pet peeves. The neverending sentence. Like the yard that went on forever. I had to go back just now and count the words in the second sentence of this novel ... 309 words. I didn't count twice so don't quote me. My brain doesn't read that way. Of course, this would not be the only sentence to run on a bit.

This story did, however, soon come to fascinate me. Reading this is hard work in several places. Still, I can admire this book - it is a good story. The prose isn't too dense most of the time, but at times I was re-reading trying to make sense of scene shifts and losing track of, literally, who what when where and why. The story itself is set in May 1927, with a massive flooding of the Mississippi river. I wondered if Faulkner was throwing this confusion at me the reader to emulate the confusion of the main character who is caught up in the flood and twisted around night and day. He didn't know where he was or where he was going because it constantly wasn't what he thought. He would try to get a handle on things and then be thrown again into chaos.

For a short novel this is a powerful work. But it is a roiling work and I'm not going to try and describe it further. That can be left to scholars. Honestly, though, the prose is too much for me. I thought about re-reading it when I finished to try and clear some confusion from the story, but I decided that wouldn't help me personally. I had already re-read confusing passages within the novel and remained confused.

So then I went here: http://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/display/wfaudio16_1 and listened for about half an hour to Mr. Faulkner himself read quickly from the end of the story to a Freshman English class in May 1957. He then fields questions from them. So Faulkner tells us that this story is the counterpoint to another. He wrote a chapter of one story and then he wrote a chapter of this story. The people in this story do the exact opposite of the other story. The two stories were originally together in "The Wild Palms". Alternating chapters.

Mr. Faulkner points out that it is NOT "The Old Man". In his words: "No. It's—it's not "The Old Man," it's "Old Man." That's what the—the Negroes along the river call the river. They never call it the Mississippi nor the river. It's just Old Man. And this had to have some title and so that struck me as being a good title for it. That refers simply to the river."

The extra background from the Q&A with Faulkner added a lot. But since I don't have the point to counterpoint to ...

I don't think the other part of the story would help me understand what happened in this story.

*waves* Starting Absalom,Absalom today.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Mosquitoes, and it isn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. It's much different than his later works, but the beginnings of his style are there, and some of the descriptive prose is as good as anything he ever wrote. On the other hand, some of it is downright purple, and ought to have been ruthlessly red-lined.

>115 RBeffa: RBeffa Thank you for the great post!

When I read the first sentence of The Hamlet, I had a flash back to eighth grade English sentence diagraming and I had a momentary compulsion to whip out a pencil and give it a try. (I didn't.)

Diagramming sentences was the first thing that came to my mind when I started reading Faulkner's Selected Short Stories for this challenge.

Diagramming sentences was the first thing that came to my mind when I started reading Faulkner's Selected Short Stories for this challenge.

I feel your pain. One sentence the length of a whole page, yikes!

I started Absalom, Absalom last week, felt like I didn't understand a word but somehow liked the rhythm of the language and felt it should be listened to rather than eye-read, so I bought the audio book additionally. Now I am already 3.5 hours in (about 28%) and quite enjoy it. Very interesting writing technique. It's like an onion being skinned slowly, showing ever more layers. In just a couple of sentences you learn the basic story of the main family and than the events are looked at more closely, from different angles, with countless repetitions and interconnections.

One of the online resources about The Hamlet pointed out that the story is steeped in the tradition of southern tall tale telling. I just finished the section titled 'Eula' and was really struck by its use there.

And the stretched truth/ tall tales seem to me only a step away from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism in A Hundred Years of Solitude - (the only Marquez I've attempted). I remember reading that Marquez said his writing style was informed by the way his grandmother told stories.

> Deern In just a couple of sentences you learn the basic story of the main family and than the events are looked at more closely, from different angles, with countless repetitions and interconnections

Exactly! Seeing that with The Hamlet, too.

The audiobook is an interesting idea. Someone above (can't find the post, sorry) suggested just letting the words wash over your brain -- an audiobook would do that.

>122 streamsong:. The audiobook is an interesting idea. Someone above (can't find the post, sorry) suggested just letting the words wash over your brain -- an audiobook would do that.

This is in reference to Absalom, Absalom!. That would certainly be one strategy for getting through the book, although I don't think it would have worked for me. What I did instead was to take my copy of the book and mark it up. I used colored highlighter markers to help me keep track of the different narrators or narrative voices. If your response to this strategy is "Oh horrors!" then by all means, read the book however you want to.

The narrative voices include a 3rd person narrator (center of consciousness); Quentin Compson; Rosa Coldfield; Mr. Compson; and Shreve McCannon. Then there are also comments about what General Compson (Quentin's grandfather) knew or didn't know. I approached the book like a puzzle, trying to figure out whose head Faulkner was in at every particular instance, and I loved it. It's one of my all-time favorite books.

This is just a suggestion for those who might have tried "just let the words wash over you" and found that strategy somewhat lacking. Everyone approaches these things differently.

I'm 50 pages into The Hamlet and my boat's beginning to float on the language and rhythm.

Well, it appears I've been neglecting my Faulkner thread. Call me shirker. Call me inconsiderate. The good news is, I started Light in August. I was amazed at how it easy it flowed. The first 50-60 pages flowed like butter-scotch. Strong, vivid writing. I think I made a good choice.

How is everyone else coming along with Mr. Faulkner?

>124 Caroline_McElwee:, 125 I love how you've both used liquid metaphor to describe how he's carrying you along.

I started Flags in the Dust yesterday. It's more of a horseback ride...

I am reading The Hamlet and loving it so far. I really enjoy Faulkner's sense of humor. Janet (#122), I love the men who sit on the porch of the store all day and listen to each other's stories. I don't mind the long sentences, although sometimes I have to read them twice. I have found that Faulkner is best read early in the day when I am more alert.

I remember very clearly being a high school student and picking up my mother's copy of one of Faulkner's books, although I can't remember now if it was "The Sound..." or "Absalom..."but I had no choice but to let it just wash over me as it was so unusual in my reading experience, at the time. I think that made it sheer pleasure for me, instead of a struggle. That said, I also love to approach some books the way labwriter suggested,and highlight, creating a sort of reference file to look back at. It helps me to keep theflow of the story, although it may seem it would have the opposite effect. I wish i could go back to those days when I approached reading with less expectation, more faith in the author being able to carry me along awash in his intentions. That is always my fond memory of reading Faulkner. I remember too, that I read two or three of his books and then was stumped by one. I think it was "Absalom..." I'm a bit late in getting started, due to having to move this month, so in the interests of time I am going to use an audiobook to read As I Lay Dying. I also just found a copy of it as I was going through my books to discard. (Sniffle, sniffle) I listened to and read My Antonia last month, too. ...that's a nice story to have read to you. It has just snowed a couple of inches here and my husband had to sweep off the satellite dish. While he was down there he got me a nice bowl of mini-wheats. He's still the best friend I ever had, after 29 years of marriage, and 30 years of friendship.

I know exactly what you mean about less expectation, Mary Beth. Too much positive reaction, even from the wonderful LT'ers I trust, will make me hesitate to read a book for a long time. I'm afraid it won't work for me. I value recommendations and reviews, and choose a lot of my reading because of them, but I also simply love coming across a book I've never heard of, and giving it a chance. When THAT works out, it's one of the best reading experiences there can be.

I started Intruder in the Dust. I'm on page 40 or so and loving it so far. It's been a while since I've read Faulkner and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be magically affected in the same way I once was (you know, people change, tastes change, etc.) Gladly, that has not been the case and I find myself absorbed in the wonderful, page-long, comma-free sentences; the discomforting insights; and the gorgeous language. So that's good.

>130 DorsVenabili:. I wish LT had a "like" button for these posts. I would like yours (or, well, I do like yours--ha).

>131 labwriter: Me too.

I feel like I'm missing the Faulkner gene or something!

I'm about 40 pages into As I Lay Dying. So far so good!

>133 RBeffa: Maybe there IS a Faulkner gene!

#121 events are looked at more closely, from different angles, with countless repetitions and interconnections

I feel like this is the style of The Sound and the Fury as well. I am only on p.88 but there is a certain repetition to the story. Its actually comforting because it makes me feel like I am not meant to understand everything in a linear fashion.

#123 I take it Absalom, Absalom is connected to TS&TF? I am on the chapter "June Second, 1910" in TS&TF and the narrator is Quentin Compton.

I can't believe how distinct some of the narrative voices are without the benefit of distinguishing punctuation, etc.

“Perhaps they were right in putting love into books,' he thought quietly. 'Perhaps it could not live anywhere else.”

“It does not take long. Soon the fine galloping language, the gutless swooning full of sapless trees and dehydrated lusts begins to swim smooth and swift and peaceful. It is better than praying without having to bother to think aloud. It is like listening in a cathedral to a eunuch chanting in a language which he does not even need to not understand.”

― Light in August

If anyone finds the Faulkner Gene, please call: 1-800-HELPMEPLEASE

I think I must have the Faulkner gene. I just finished The Hamlet and liked it very much. It is the first book in a trilogy. It looks like I will be adding The Town and The Mansion to my library and reading them this year. The Snopes Family keeps expanding and living up to their white trash image! No one could call them boring.

I added my review of The Hamlet to the book's main page. Not because it is that inspiring, but because I think it's a travesty that there were only seven reviews of this fine book.

“Knowing not grieving remembers a thousand savage and lonely streets.”

"Like a long sighing of wind in trees it begins, then they sweep into sight, borne now upon a cloud of phantom dust. They rush past, forwardleaning in the saddles, with brandished arms, beneath whipping ribbons from slanted and eager lances; with tumult and soundless yelling they sweep past like a tide whose crest is jagged with the wild heads of horses and the brandished arms of men like the crater of the world in explosion."

-Light in August

Yes, I finished Mr. Darkness. Mr. Savage. Yes, he could have used a few more hugs as a child but boy, could this man write. It's not always easy and not always smooth but the depth and celestial heights of his storytelling is truly remarkable. Like Cather accomplished in January, Faulkner has really inspired me to explore more of his work. AAC is really getting the job done. I am batting a thousand.

Wonderful summary, Mark! But, unlike you, I am willing to let Faulkner go for a bit while I explore elsewhere.

One of my favorite quotes from The Hamlet:

"I wasn't protecting Snopes from Snopeses. I wasn't even protecting a people from a Snopes. I was protecting something that wasn't even a people, that wasn't nothing but something that don't want nothing but to walk and feel the sun and wouldn't know how to hurt no man even if it would and wouldn't want to even if it could, just like I wouldn't stand by and see you steal a meat-bone from a dog".

I must be missing the Faulkner gene. I'm trying. I really am!

I'm midway through The Hamlet but it may take me all month. I am another one who gets lost in the monstrously long sentences.

I am listening to Light in August on audio. I definitely appreciate the writing, though some things are hard to hear. Perhaps I needed a transitional audio between Jane Austen and Mr. Faulkner!

I've never tried an audio book for any Faulkner...I think some of them would be good that way, and others simply awful. Parts of The Hamlet and many other novels would certainly lend themselves to an oral story-telling style of narration, but it would take a special reader. Who is doing the Light in August you're listening to, Anne?

I'm 3/4's through As I Lay Dying and it's a hoot. Hmmm, perhaps the precursor to the Beverly Hillbillies?
Once I got through the dialect/slang I found it a pretty good read.

>147 Carmenere: Yes! The dark side of the Beverly Hillbillies!

His acceptance speech ' I Decline To Accept The End Of Man' Is one the most profound pieces I've ever read.

>146 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, the narrator for Light in August is Scott Brick. I've never heard him narrate anything before, but I understand he's quite prolific and popular. He has a very measured, very grave, Voice-of-God kind of delivery that can also just drip with malice. The sections devoted to Joe Christmas are unnerving me!

I am not very far into The Hamlet but I am enjoying it so far.

>150 AMQS: "The sections devoted to Joe Christmas are unnerving me" I can imagine.

I would think Light in August would work well on audio. It's fairly straightforward. If I ever try Faulkner on audio, I'll make sure I have the print book at hand too!

I've listened to Scott Brick. He's pretty decent. Not a big range or a wide palette. I know others here, dislike him.

I finished and REVIEWED Light in August. Wonderful!

Thumbed that review, Bonnie! I'm so glad you loved it.

Great review, Bonnie! Glad this one put you track with Mr. Faulkner.

I am afraid I'm going to have to give up on finishing Light in August. There were times when I was enjoying the book, and the longer I could read it at a sitting, the better. But unfortunately my new eyes (cataract surgery on both eyes) were not cooperating. I have an appointment with the eye doc; I want my reading eyes back, please! Maybe glasses that are not bifocals, just for reading. Only. Dedicated to reading alone. I must have my reading pleasures back. I must.

I hope I'll be able to do some of the March reading.

*smooch* Mr. Faulkner and I have become friends!

>157 maggie1944: Sorry about your eyes, Karen. That's serious stuff, not being able to read unhindered. I'm sure the professionals can sort it out. Fingers crossed for and easy solution.

>158 Carmenere: Yes! *fist pump*

I finished The Sound and The Fury and here is what I wrote about it on my thread:

I have been avoiding reading The Sound and the Fury for a very long time. It is on the list of classics that I have been trying to complete since high school. It is one of the classics that intimidate the heck out of me. So it was with quite a lot of trepidation that I started this book a few weeks ago. To my surprise, I actually liked the book very much! To me, the narrative is like a puzzle. The same narrative ground gets covered from multiple viewpoints, and each time the story gets told, the reader fills in a few more blanks. I enjoyed trying to puzzle out what was really going on. I finished the book and immediately went to the beginning and started reading it again just to find the clues that I missed the first time through. This is most definitely an abnormal experience for me!

I have to thank Mark, again, for initiating the American Author Challenge which goaded me into finally reading this book. I am so glad I did.

Karen- I hope you can return to Light in August. I know you were enjoying it. It's definitely worth finishing. Hope you can get some answers from the eye-doc.

Lynda- Hip-Hip-Hooray! You did it! And you loved it! And it was one of his more challenging works. Win, win, win.

Heidi- You are welcome. I think reading it in a group, even when it is not the same title, gives you the support and encouragement to continue. Glad you loved it.

>160 Cobscook: ANOTHER *fist pump*! It really makes me smile when people realize Faulkner isn't impossible...just challenging, and in a rewarding way.

Still a few days left in February! Who else is reading Faulkner?? *shakes pom poms in best cheerleader impersonation*

Linda, and Mark, thank you both, so much for your cheerleading. I will certainly finish Light in August at some point, sooner rather than later I hope. I just did not want to deal with the pressure. I did sit and read for about 45 minutes today which was a good thing. A book with larger font. I think I'm heading for the Kindle next. But at some point I definitely will head back to Mr. Faulkner. He does not scare me!

I have Knight's Gambit that I'm hoping to start today or tomorrow. It will depend on how difficult it is to read as I'm not feeling well and it's hard to concentrate.

I don't think you will find Knight's Gambit hard to read, Morphy. It's a collection of stories, really, so you can take it in bits.

I read The Hamlet and put a piece about the experience, rather than a review of the book, here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/168484#4557657

I'm still digesting the story, but will come back when I have had some time.

I've put up my Faulkner February review of Mosquitoes over in my Homeless Reviews thread, post #250.

It's not the least impressive Faulkner I've read, but it ain't good.

Well, I tried to go for more, but all I accomplished was the short story, A Rose for Emily. This was really good, but I think I enjoyed the idea of the story more than the actual writing. It was kinda sad and kinda macabre and totally fascinating. Since it was a short story, to help make up for the length, I read/watched some discussions and critiques of the story and enjoyed the comparison of Emily's death with the dying off of the Old South.

Finished Go Down Moses today. I found it very difficult to read and follow. I felt that it all ran together and there was never a good place to pause or stop.

I just revived a dormant thread in the (also dormant) Deep South group, where there was some good discussion of Faulkner a couple years ago.

^ Thanks, Linda. My Southern roots make me feel more connected to him and his literature than anything else.

Late to the posting, but the only Faulkner I finished was The Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner. Glad I read it, but not blown away.

After being frightened away from The Sound and the Fury, which had been on my wishlist, I opted for As I Lay Dying. I was surprised that I liked it. And now I am not so intimidated by Faulkner and will probably pick up The Sound and the Fury at some point. At least, I am not scratching it off the wishlist!

"not so intimidated" is good! I'm so glad this challenge got a few people to stop being afraid of Faulkner, at the very least. I still haven't written my review of Flags in the Dust, which I finished with a few days of February to spare. Hard to find time to do it justice lately. But I'll get to it, I promise.

I am definitely going to finish my Faulkner. Picked up my reading glasses yesterday and am already happier. This post-cataract surgery adjustment is taking time but bottom line I do have better eye sight and that is a good thing.

Thanks to you all for opening a new door to good reading for me!

Oh, I'm so glad the eyes are settling down, Karen. Even a slight change of prescription in my glasses always takes a little time to get comfortable, so I can imagine it must be quite challenging to adjust after surgery.

The funny part is that I've taken my glasses off to read from age 18 (give or take) to age 69 (give or take), now I have to put glasses on to read! That is a big change for an old lady. But I want to read, so the motivation is good.

Well, I do not have the Faulkner gene. I am half way through The Hamlet, and I am struggling through this book and finding it boring. I've had to put it down a couple of times to read other books. Right now, I'm reading a Rex Stout book; needed an Archie laugh. I am disappointed in myself because there are a number of other LTer's who REALLY like this book. I haven't given up yet; I am determined to finish it. Laytonwoman, I may need your help and encouragement. Once I got into the book, I could follow what was going on even with the page-long sentences. Yes, I can see his descriptions of the characters. What I'm struggling with is the plot of the story. There is no action, where is he going with it, etc. Well, as you can see, I tend to go to more simpler reading. Ha!

I enjoyed As I Lay Dying quite a bit, I think because of the approach I took to it. I listened to it on audiobook, I read the book and I watched the movie directed by James Franco. I know, that's a lotta Faulkner! But I just wanted to take a look at how the story was interpreted by Franco. I think he is a talented guy, actor, director and writer. As for the book, I guess the word I would use to describe the writing would be cerebral. I mean, Faulkner doesn't just come out with it. He uses a technique that assumes the reader knows what the character knows. So when one of the family, each of whom are affected differently by Addie's death, talks in their chapter they are just bouncing stuff off the reader that seems to be bouncing around inside their head. Dewey Dell is concerned with her female problems and Jewel carries the weight on his shoulders of being the favorite son, yet not really belonging, as Darl points out. The youngest son, Vanderman, really needs someone to explain to him some of the mysteries of life but there is little hope that is going to happen with this group of self-absorbed family members. Another thing that struck me with this book and with My Antonia is that both of them are timeless. Both are character-driven, the action in the story is narrated by characters that allow you to see the story through their point of view which greatly affects the way that you see the action unfold. That approach seems to create a sort of timeless feeling, as though with a little tweaking the same things could happen now.

>179 OldDan:. What else have you read by Faulkner? Why did you choose The Hamlet?

>174 jayde1599:. Good for you. I just don't get all the angst about being "frightened" and intimidated by Faulkner. A reading aid such as "How to Read William Faulkner" (Google the phrase to find the website) can be hugely helpful to someone who is new to Faulkner's style.

I'm a bit behind this month with all that is going on around here, so I am going to check on what I could read this month. I think I am going to go back and read Faulkner's trilogy, that include The Hamlet and The Mansion. Watch for a more thorough review of As I Lay
Dying Thanks for all the discussion. It's fun to read what everybody else is thinking.

>179 OldDan: Well, Dan, there isn't a lot of plot in The Hamlet, and the only place he's going is...well, the hamlet he's writing about, Frenchman's Bend, Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. It's more like a collection of snapshots of the place and its people. A lot of people have said it isn't really a novel, but a loosely connected set of short stories. Maybe if you think of it that way, it will remove some of resistance you're feeling. Don't try to make it "significant" in some way. Under the complexity of some of Faulkner's writing, his people are really just simple folks.

>183 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you Laytonwoman3rd. Looking back on my reading, what you said does make sense. If I remember correctly, I believe that I read somewhere that he wrote short stories for publication in magazines, and then they were collected and put into book form; just like Dickens and others. Also, Wikipedia has an article on his life and about Hamlet, so that should help with a bit of background, too.

>181 labwriter: Labwriter, Hamlet is my first reading of Faulkner, and this was what I picked for participating in the American Author Challenge. The reason I chose Hamlet was that Laytonwoman3rd recommended it as one for a first-timer; and she gave a great write-up on his writing and his books. I was impressed. You gave good comments, too. And, with so many planning on reading it, I thought, "Okay, me too!".

As soon as I finish my Rex Stout book, I'll get back to Faulkner. I don't want to be away from it too long as it would take time to get back into the story. I just needed some laughter, and Archie does that for me.

Many thanks, Laytonwoman3rd and Labwriter.

I finished Knight's Gambit. Here's my micro-review:

Well, not so much mysteries as character studies with a bit of mystery tossed in for flavor. It wasn't as painful as I was expecting Faulkner to be. And I have to think that Stephen King got some of his characterization chops from Faulkner. Faulkner really knows how to get you totally interested in a character, unlikeable or not. The mysteries for the most part weren't all that creative but helped give a foundation to the stories.

>185 Morphidae: Wow...interesting observation about Stephen King, Morphy. Character is certainly one of Faulkner's very strong points for me.

>186 laytonwoman3rd: I was reading and thinking, "Wow, this sounds like Stephen King. Then I realized it was the other way around!" There's a richness to the characterizations that is very similar and why I like King.