Classics and the Western Canon discussion

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner is divided into four sections. There are no chapters and no natural breaks in each section. The first three sections consist of the rambling first-person narratives of each of the Compson brothers. The brothers are unreliable narrators who make Tristram Shandy look like a leisurely stroll in the park. The final section of the novel is in third person omniscient. Since we will be reading different editions of the book, it makes no sense to divide each week’s reading by page numbers. So I think the best approach is to allocate two weeks per section to give people time to read and comment.

A word of caution: if this is the first time you read the novel, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. Prepare yourself for a tidal wave. But don’t give up on it. Stick with it. It will all fall into place and make sense eventually. I hope you’ll find it well worth the effort.

Week 1 & 2 (April 1-14): The Benjy Section

Week 3 & 4 (April 15-28): The Quentin Section

Week 5 & 6 (April 29-May 12): The Jason Section

Week 7 & 8 (May 13-26): The Dilsey Section and the book as a whole

I’m new to the group, but I’ve been studying Ancient Greek literature since the beginning of the year on my own. I studied The Sound and the Fury last year and the commentary led me to go back and study Shakespeare, which in turn led me to start over with Greeks.

I just finished all the Greek tragedies and after seeing the level of discussion of Prometheus Bound in this group, I’m very much looking forward to increasing my understanding of Faulkner. Thanks to the mods!

Aiden wrote: "I’m new to the group, but I’ve been studying Ancient Greek literature since the beginning of the year on my own. I studied The Sound and the Fury last year and the commentary led me to go back and ..."

Welcome, Aiden! We're delighted you decided to join us. You'll find a lot of kindred spirits here who share your passion for Ancient Greek literature.

We look forward to reading your comments and insights when we begin discussing The Sound and the Fury on April 1. Meanwhile, enjoy the ongoing discussion of Prometheus Bound. Feel free to jump in any time to share your thoughts with the rest of us.