Absalom, Absalom! discussion

For me The Sound and the Fury will always hold a special place in my library. It was the first novel that really got me into Faulkner's work. Although Absalom, Absalom! And Go Down, Moses are pretty close to it.

My first Faulkner read was LIGHT IN AUGUST. It is a fine starting point in his canon because it is not experimental in its writing technique. However, my favorite Faulkners are the 'difficult' ones: ABSALOM, ABSALOM! with its different storytellers bringing their own interpretations to the Sutpen story allows the reader to experience firsthand the process of myth-making; THE SOUND AND THE FURY, which needs two or more immediate readings to grasp the narrative flow, to understand why a character speaks the way he/she does and what motivates a character's actions and quirks. Faulkner could have ordered this book's narratives in a linear fashion, but then the 'experience' of reading this novel (a creative process in itself seemingly demanded by Faulkner) would not have been the same. AS I LAY DYING is also top-notch.

One thing about Faulkner is that the more you read, the more you become familiar with the characters because they reoccur. So, it was like every book I finished became my favorite.

Last year I decided to reread Absalom Absalom because I read it very early on in my Faulkner obsession. I was blown away. I believe Absalom Absalom might be, not only my favorite Faulkner work, but my favorite novel.

Jumps in time, narrators, and dimension work together to give you an intimacy with characters I've not experienced from any other writer, save Joyce. Absalom Absalom did this for me more intensely than any other Faulkner novel.

Thomas Sutpen conquered his world with nothing but gall, but in the end it wasn't enough. He found himself right back where he started, less than a servant.

Sartoris. A classic reading of the strong (pig-headed?) Southern man. Faulkner presents the lost generation in a Southern setting as both beautiful and damned (might throw in foolish as well). He also captures how the lost generation in the South coincided with the demise of Southern aristocracy.
Love the vision at the close of the book when Miss Jenny tells her story, her beautiful legend, about Bayard and Johnny.

I currently reside in Oxford, Mississippi. A few cool tidbits of info: This was Faulkner's stomping grounds, the inspiration for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County that serves as the backdrop for so many of his novels. His mansion 'Rowan Oak', nestled within a little niche of town, continues to be maintained in a very beautiful condition. Anyway, come visit!
After reading 'Intruder in the Dust', 'Absalom, Absalom', 'The Sound and the Fury', 'Go Down, Moses', 'As I Lay Dying', 'Light in August', 'Unvanquished', and some short stories....(wheww sorry).... 'Intruder in the Dust' remains my favorite. It's a very nice read because it tends to be one of Faulkner's more accessible novels. The story line involves a small town that finds itself questioning some very core beliefs and assumptions, in a racially tense South. The pages will literally fly through your fingers.

I started reading Faulkner at 16, the first being The Sound and The Fury. I likely would have a different opinion now, but at 17, As I Lay Dying had me laughing out loud. It became my immediate favorite.

For sheer enjoyment, Knight's Gambit is a great one. It's not classic Faulkner (no stream of consciousness, or complex narrative POVs) but it still touches on his major themes. It's definitely Faulkner-lite, but a great place to start. I teach at a university and use it in my Faulkner classes as the starter dish. As far as "classic" Faulkner goes, my favorite might be Go Down Moses, largely because of the story, The Bear.

Faulkner's own favorite, is a book people rarely consider. It's called The Fable. It won both the Pulitzer and the National Book Award. It's a Christian allegory about WWII. It's been mocking me from my bookshelf for years now!

Bryan wrote: "One thing about Faulkner is that the more you read, the more you become familiar with the characters because they reoccur. So, it was like every book I finished became my favorite.

Last year I dec..."

Hi Bryan- I totally agree about how the more you read of Faulkner, the more you get out of him. Especially individual texts. I think the reason is, Faulkner's POV characters never start at the beginning. The frames to his stories often include older characters who are looking back and recalling or recounting events. So their POV is both omnipotent (in relation to the story itself), but also first person (because in the end, they're just people remember a story).

What I find is that those relationship and logic questions that are hard to get around at the beginning of a story, are often easily answered on a second reading because you, like the narrator, now have full knowledge of the story. As a result, his stories take on a deeper resonance as you grasp more about what and who the narrator is referring to. It's an interesting narrative trick.

Oh I'm glad I saw this discussion! The Sound and the Fury is my favorite- I have read AILD first, and was captivated by Faulkner's
Weird and beautiful style. I read TSATF next, then Absolom, Absolom and lastly LIA. I loved especially TSATF because of the stream of conciousness style. I understood the Benjy section quite well, and it was my favorite. The ability of Faulkner to get inside the head of a mentally challenged person and understand him I thought astounding. I had the most trouble with Quentin- I missed something. The was the story came together toward the end is what we can rely on with WF. Just keep reading and it will become clear. It takes practice and very close reading, since alot of it is non-linear. AILD and TSATF I will reread in the fall.

Michael wrote: "For sheer enjoyment, Knight's Gambit is a great one. It's not classic Faulkner (no stream of consciousness, or complex narrative POVs) but it still touches on his major themes. It's definitely Faul..."

I've read that he claims TSATF his favorite.

Michael wrote: "Bryan wrote: "One thing about Faulkner is that the more you read, the more you become familiar with the characters because they reoccur. So, it was like every book I finished became my favorite.

L..."

Absolutely! That's why I can't wait to reread, after that I'll read the others.

Karen wrote: "Michael wrote: "For sheer enjoyment, Knight's Gambit is a great one. It's not classic Faulkner (no stream of consciousness, or complex narrative POVs) but it still touches on his major themes. It's..."

Hi Karen! I'm searching for a source to confirm my statement about A Fable and the only one I can find is Wikipedia! Not good for a professor. Yikes. I swear I've read it elseswhere so if I find a legit source, I'll write back. Do you have a source for TSAF being his fave? A matter of curiosity...

Michael wrote: "Karen wrote: "Michael wrote: "For sheer enjoyment, Knight's Gambit is a great one. It's not classic Faulkner (no stream of consciousness, or complex narrative POVs) but it still touches on his majo..."

Hi! I read it in an article or maybe two! Ofcourse I didn't save it, I hope it's true.

I honestly don't think I can quantify my love of/for Faulkner.

That's a tough one...

But, if cornered, I'd have to vote for "As I Lay Dying." The scene with the H2O dipper & reflected stars is one of those moments. ONE of thoooose moments. ;-)

It's like Beethoven's 9th...

Mitchell wrote: "I honestly don't think I can quantify my love of/for Faulkner.

That's a tough one...

But, if cornered, I'd have to vote for "As I Lay Dying." The scene with the H2O dipper & reflected stars is o..."

I love the 9th

Absalom, Absalom! because the language is Faulkner at his most poetic, the sentence structure, his most musical. The recapitulant story-line provides the perfect crescendo of intensity, unremitting 'til the end, and succeeded (for me) in being a page-turner as well as "The Masterpiece of American Fiction." Despite the quotations, it deserves to be so: Faulkner addresses his most important themes--racial prejudice, sexual politics, the American dream, history, legacy, and the experience of fiction itself--with precise control and focused mastery. Reading it redefined my understanding of the potential of literature, and it remains to this day my favorite book by any author.

Edward wrote: "Absalom, Absalom! because the language is Faulkner at his most poetic, the sentence structure, his most musical. The recapitulant story-line provides the perfect crescendo of intensity, unremittin..."

Oh well said!! Truth to that, you didn't leave anything out. It was a tough read for me, and I will read it again. I read it after I finished Ullysses- yikes!

How was Ulysses? It's on my summer list. Dubliners is my only experience with Joyce so far, and our interaction was colder and less personal than that with Faulkner. I've heard one author talk about Joyce "never letting a story take over." But I just have to try Ulysses and Finnegan's for myself!

Edward wrote: "How was Ulysses? It's on my summer list. Dubliners is my only experience with Joyce so far, and our interaction was colder and less personal than that with Faulkner. I've heard one author talk abou..."

Ullysses is extremely difficult, but also a poignant story of bigotry in turn of the century Ireland. Endearing Leopold Bloom and his wife, Molly- a marriage split apart because of a heartbreaking death, but in the end, a love story. So you will have to read it, and good luck, you will need it!

You can't go wrong with any Faulkner and you should read them all--multiple times. 'Light in August' and 'As I Lay Dying' are both amazing, but 'Absalom, Absalom!' is my favorite, one many consider the greatest novel of all times. Talk about multiple narrators, this novel has the same event(s)--developing and revealing--from different narrators. I particularly love the first two chapters: Miss Rosa Coldfield and young Quentin Compson. The first time I read 'Absalom', I had to go back and re-read the first seven pages because I had no idea what was going on. Then I found out. 'Absalom' definitely inspired, kind of in reverse, my soon to be published novel, 'The Lies that Bind'. Like a lot of Faulkner's stuff, you've got to chop through 'Absalom,' but when you're done, you are satisfied--like all his books. The book's power is unmatched.

I'm coming to this *way* too late! Faulkner called "The Sound and the Fury" his favorite a few times. I think you'll find it in "Faulkner at the University" and it might be in one of the interviews collected in "Lion in the Garden." The comment would usually come in conjunction with him saying how he tried to tell the story one way and that didn't work, so he tried another way and that didn't work, etc., until he tried "himself" (Dilsey's section, as many refer to IV).

"The Sound and the Fury" is my own favorite, too. And I'd like to throw my complete support behind commenters above about how Faulkner rewards re-reading and becomes clearer. "The Sound and the Fury," Benjy's Part I especially.

My two cents: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...