Classics Without All the Class discussion

While I admire Faulkner's literary achievement with this novel, I can't say that I found any enjoyment in reading it. It was not possible for me to care for any of the characters. I was able to catch on to what was going on with Benji easily enough, so it wasn't a question of getting it, but I am just not a big fan of tragic tales. Look forward though to reading others' perspectives!

The Sound and the Fury represents to me the tragedy of the south - people who are unable to adapt to the new realities of the modern world. Faulkner is talking about how the past creates the present. There is tragedy in all of his major novels.

I just finished reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I am struck by the prevalence of tragedy in southern literature. I haven't ever really taken the time to think that white people were oppressed by the Civil War and how deeply it cut through their culture. I have focused too much on what a great thing it was to end slavery.

Quentin.

I think this a book that reveals something new every time you read it. It is a great discussion book because each reader picks up on different clues, symbols.

William wrote: "I thought this book wasn't so hard at first, but after looking at Wikipedia I was surprised what I missed. Also, there were two characters with the same name whose names I forgot, one female and on..."

I am feeling compelled to reread As I Lay Dying, which I still have from college, to see how it compares. I have no real recollection of it.

Thanks William, it is good to know. I am not a re-reader, I am just beginning to entertain the notion.

How are they connected? Same locale?

Thanks!

My overall impression? It wasn't my favorite. Having said that, I did find parts of the book quite interesting. It was interesting to read the story from Benjy's perspective. I wouldn't have been able to even begin a story from such a perspective. How does someone like Benjy think? It was a fantastic insight/portrayal. But the overall theme was tragic. I felt that it had some insestuous undertones in the beginning, Jason is bitter and angry. I also felt that he had a serious inferiority complex. All he could do was feel sorry for himself. Dilsey tried to help, and succeeded in this effort, but she, too, felt bound by her circumstances...helpless to change the course of events.

I'm glad I finished this book. My goal in joining this book club was to push myself beyond my comfort zone and try new genres of books. This book did that for me.

I really enjoyed it. This was my first taste of Faulkner. I'm not sure how I got a degree in English literature without reading any Faulkner? But it inspired me to go on and read As I Lay Dying which I found to be even grittier and harder to bear. It was about an extremely impoverished as well as detached family desperately trying to bury their mother. A similar narrative style with the same events being narrated by many different characters. I'm very happy to have been introduced to Faulkner and will read more of him, but not just now. Two southern tragedies are enough for the moment. I'm wondering if his short stories might be a little lighter.

Great observations on the characters. I feel the same way about the book and while not a favorite, I am glad it is now in my READ folder. I think there should be a t-shirt for sticking with this book to.the end. (o:

I fully enjoyed this (as far as "enjoying" a Southern tragedy can go). Though it was challenging, its difficulty was not off-putting. Rather, I found the disconnected style in Benjy's and, to a lesser extent, Quentin's section impressive and refreshing. To attempt to write like this is one thing, but to attempt it when it hadn't really been done before is completely different. The creativity that is shown through the style alone was inspiring to me.

I enjoyed this book, if enjoy is the word to use. If not for the book club, I don't know if I would have pushed through the first two chapters or so. It's very disorienting at first, but once you pick up the thread you feel rewarded for hanging in there and it's a satisfying read.