09-16-2012, 10:34 AM | #1 |
Guru
Posts: 722
Karma: 2084955
Join Date: Dec 2010
Device: iPhone
|
Faulkner: where to start?
I've recently come into possession of Faulkner's complete works. Embarrassingly, I haven't yet had the chance to read any of his novels. But there are so many; is there a logical starting point? The Snopes trilogy, Absalom, Absalom!, Light in August... they're all reputed to be classics.
|
09-16-2012, 04:03 PM | #2 |
Guru
Posts: 612
Karma: 2031728
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: PocketBook Touch (622), PocketBook Touch Lux 2, Pocketbook Touch HD 3
|
One logical approach would be to read them in the order they were published.
|
09-16-2012, 04:50 PM | #3 |
Nameless Being
|
I would suggest starting with some short stories. The Sound and the Fury
is good, but may seem a difficult read to someone new to Faulkner. |
09-16-2012, 05:05 PM | #4 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 44,753
Karma: 55645321
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Peru
Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One
|
Check out the short story, "Barn Burning," I believe it's called.
This was later incorporated into part of the Snopes Trilogy. As far as novels go, a good introduction to Faulkner's style and one that is quite accessible, in my opinion, is "As I Lay Dying." Let us know what you think. Don |
09-16-2012, 05:27 PM | #5 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,368
Karma: 26886344
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Ireland
Device: Kindle Oasis 3, 4G, iPad Air 2, iPhone IE
|
The first Faulkner novel I read was As I Lay Dying. It had a remarkable and immediate impact.
However, the short story "A Rose For Emily" is one of the most haunting and horrible modern Gothic horror stories I have ever read! Absolutely Unforgettable! |
09-16-2012, 06:54 PM | #6 |
Guru
Posts: 722
Karma: 2084955
Join Date: Dec 2010
Device: iPhone
|
Thanks, I'll read As I Lay Dying and report back.
Zetmolm: An author's first work is rarely their best, and usually not what establishes their reputation. I tend to avoid them; even my favourite writers' first books are usually disappointing compared to what they later produced. Last edited by holymadness; 09-16-2012 at 09:21 PM. |
09-16-2012, 09:19 PM | #7 |
Kafkaesque
Posts: 104
Karma: 1149770
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: California
Device: Kindle
|
In my opinion, Faulkner wrote two masterpieces: The Sound and the Fury, and As I Lay Dying.
The Sound and the Fury feels like a unintentional masterpiece, meaning I think he came to write it more naturally and more organically than his other books. It's like he was trying to tell one story...but couldn't decide on which way to tell it. He tried one way, from one perspective. Then he tried it again with a completely different point of view. Then he tried it again from someone else's eyes. Finally, he tried to distance himself and tell it from a more godlike perspective and it is this method that really makes this book incredibly powerful. As I Lay Dying...is probably his most deliberate masterpiece. The alternate points of views in the form of internal monologues used to piece together an engrossing narrative is quite stunning. But it does feel like he actively tried to be great, and, in my mind, achieve the greatness that he sought. Faulkner's writing is akin to a prose poem, lush and dense as a jungle, dark and mysterious as a person's soul. His use of the language is incredibly powerful and profound. The man could describe the hell out of something. So much that once you read his interpretation of something (drinking water from a cedar bucket, the fall of rain in summer, the smell of a woman's skin, the sense of fatality and time) you can't picture the object of his description in any other way than the way in which it was described. A true mark of a great artist. Anyway, all this to just say...ENJOY! I envy you the discovery of Faulkner. Makes me want to re-read my Faulkner collection. |
09-19-2012, 07:32 AM | #8 | |
The Dank Side of the Moon
Posts: 35,872
Karma: 118716293
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire
|
Quote:
The Bear and A Rose for Emily as well. Last edited by kennyc; 09-19-2012 at 08:18 AM. |
|
09-19-2012, 08:03 AM | #9 |
Now what?
Posts: 58,961
Karma: 135181808
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Durham, NC
Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!
|
After I saw this thread I pulled up my copy of Faulkner's short stories last night - and started with Barn Burning, and kept right on going. Once again I say Wow! Powerful stuff. And quite readable once you get attuned to the Yoknapatawpha idiom. [I love saying that word out loud!]
|
09-21-2012, 09:03 PM | #10 | |
Fanatic
Posts: 519
Karma: 2693434
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Device: Cybook Gen 3, Pocketbook 902, Sony 650
|
Quote:
|
|
09-21-2012, 09:06 PM | #11 |
The Dank Side of the Moon
Posts: 35,872
Karma: 118716293
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire
|
I know that one! I can't either.
Last edited by kennyc; 09-21-2012 at 09:12 PM. |
09-21-2012, 09:17 PM | #12 | |
MR Drone
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 15612282
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DRONEZONE
Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20
|
Quote:
Start Sound and the Fury with Part IV then read parts I, II and III....it makes the story much, much easier to comprehend and you will enjoy it more. |
|
09-21-2012, 09:51 PM | #13 |
Guru
Posts: 722
Karma: 2084955
Join Date: Dec 2010
Device: iPhone
|
I started As I Lay Dying. Between the stream of consciousness and the Yoknapatawpha idiom, it's quite a challenging read.
|
05-06-2013, 12:45 PM | #14 |
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Texas
Device: none
|
I disagree with Hidari, you should certainly read The Sound and The Fury in order; don't start with the last part. And if you enjoy the multiple perspectives, I can also recommend The Alexandria Quartet (Durrell). Both are favorites of mine.
|
05-07-2013, 04:17 AM | #15 |
Out of print
Posts: 484
Karma: 1549538
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Madrid, Spain
Device: Sony PRS-500 (recycled), Pocketbook Inkpad X Pro
|
I would have said Light in August, but As I Lay Dying is also a great choice. The first chapter of The Sound and the Fury can be a very frustrating puzzle, as there are important pieces missing, and I know of some people never who never returned to Faulkner after starting with that book.
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner (US) $3.99 (RH) | NightBird | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 7 | 07-21-2011 08:41 PM |
William Faulkner titles released on August 17th | seagull | News | 23 | 06-14-2011 06:06 PM |
New Dead Horse: Faulkner! | anamardoll | General Discussions | 21 | 06-05-2011 08:55 PM |
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | SlowRain | General Discussions | 2 | 11-22-2010 11:14 PM |
Anywhere to get Faulkner? | Drezin | Reading Recommendations | 18 | 03-18-2009 01:07 PM |