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[Spotted Horses]

@Spotted Horses: Where do you rate this book in comparison to Faulkner's other works? Is it your favorite? I understand it's somewhat unique in comparison to the others, in terms of every (short) chapter being narrated by a different voice.

I put it in the first tier, along with much of Faulkner's mature work--Absalom, Absalom!, The Snopes Trilogy, The Sound and the Fury. Some of the other novels are a little less ambitious or dense, Light in August, Intruder in the Dust, The Unvanquished, The Wild Palms, but no less successful.

BTW, you may notice my username here refers to a Novella by Faulkner that was later incorporated into his novel, The Hamlet.

[Ganondorf]

Sorry for your loss. I lost my mother at quite a young age—probably about the same age as Vardaman in the book—and like him I couldn't make any sense of it at the time, though I was crushed.

My condolences To both of you. I lost my other older sister when I was 12 and my mother when I was 22, both through suicides. It is awful indeed.

[vers la flamme]

I put it in the first tier, along with much of Faulkner's mature work--Absalom, Absalom!, The Snopes Trilogy, The Sound and the Fury. Some of the other novels are a little less ambitious or dense, Light in August, Intruder in the Dust, The Unvanquished, The Wild Palms, but no less successful.

BTW, you may notice my username here refers to a Novella by Faulkner that was later incorporated into his novel, The Hamlet.

Ah indeed. I saw this book at Goodwill the other day but put it back on the shelf; I may go back for it now:

[Spotted Horses]

Ah indeed. I saw this book at Goodwill the other day but put it back on the shelf; I may go back for it now:

Better, perhaps, to read the Hamlet, but it is a nice introduction to the character of Flem Snopes, one of Faulkner's most inspired creations.

[vers la flamme]

Better, perhaps, to read the Hamlet, but it is a nice introduction to the character of Flem Snopes, one of Faulkner's most inspired creations.

For some reason I had it in my mind that it might be a good idea to leave the Snopes trilogy for later in my Faulkner reading. I expect good things of those books, but it seems they are all quite long, and I'm just barely starting to understand what Faulkner is all about. That being said, As I Lay Dying blew me away and left me hungry for more.

I went to Barnes & Noble today hoping to come home with a copy of Light in August to start tonight, but they did not have it. Instead I bought this...:



Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis & Other Stories, comprising the entirety of his stories published during his short lifetime. I've only read a handful of them before (& the only other Kafka I've read is The Trial, many years ago) and have been meaning to explore Kafka for about as long as I've been meaning to explore Faulkner. So far, I'm finding the stories about as weird as I expected. The first, "Conversation with the Supplicant", was quite brilliant, the Meditations are somewhat perplexing.

[Artem]

For some reason I had it in my mind that it might be a good idea to leave the Snopes trilogy for later in my Faulkner reading. I expect good things of those books, but it seems they are all quite long, and I'm just barely starting to understand what Faulkner is all about. That being said, As I Lay Dying blew me away and left me hungry for more.

I think it is a good idea to read the Snopes trilogy the last. I haven't finished the entire thing, but I remember the first book being very readable, very straightforward, but it is no The Sound and the Fury for sure.

[Spotted Horses]

For some reason I had it in my mind that it might be a good idea to leave the Snopes trilogy for later in my Faulkner reading. I expect good things of those books, but it seems they are all quite long, and I'm just barely starting to understand what Faulkner is all about. That being said, As I Lay Dying blew me away and left me hungry for more.

I went to Barnes & Noble today hoping to come home with a copy of Light in August to start tonight, but they did not have it. Instead I bought this...:



Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis & Other Stories, comprising the entirety of his stories published during his short lifetime. ...

The Snopes Trilogy doesn't seem to have been conceived as a Trilogy from the beginning. The first novel was published in 1940, the second and third in 1957 and 1959. Reading the first novel (The Hamlet) and leaving the other two for a later time isn't an unreasonable choice.

I don't think there is a right or wrong path through Faulkner's books. They are the sort of books that you are likely to read more than once. Light in August is another fine book which is probably less daunting (in terms of narrative technique) than some of the others.

[aligreto]

Orwell: Animal Farm





I think that everybody either knows this book or knows of it. I have read it twice already but it has been a long time since my last reading. My initial reaction when I picked it up again was how slim a volume it was. I remember it as a larger book, possibly because it contains so much valid commentary on history, society and human nature in all its forms. Surely this is a very fine book on political spin.

[vers la flamme]

The Snopes Trilogy doesn't seem to have been conceived as a Trilogy from the beginning. The first novel was published in 1940, the second and third in 1957 and 1959. Reading the first novel (The Hamlet) and leaving the other two for a later time isn't an unreasonable choice.

I don't think there is a right or wrong path through Faulkner's books. They are the sort of books that you are likely to read more than once. Light in August is another fine book which is probably less daunting (in terms of narrative technique) than some of the others.

I think in the past I took the wrong path, at least for myself, by trying to start with The Sound & the Fury, of which I couldn't make heads or tails at the time. This put me off of Faulkner for a good bit. I'm sure it's a great book; I still have it on my shelf and hope to get to it before long, but it seems a tough nut to crack. But yes, I agree; these are books to be read and reread. I'm already looking forward to rereading As I Lay Dying.

[Mandryka]

I think in the past I took the wrong path, at least for myself, by trying to start with The Sound & the Fury, of which I couldn't make heads or tails at the time. This put me off of Faulkner for a good bit. I'm sure it's a great book; I still have it on my shelf and hope to get to it before long, but it seems a tough nut to crack. But yes, I agree; these are books to be read and reread. I'm already looking forward to rereading As I Lay Dying.

I think you should revisit The Sound and the Fury, read it aloud or get yourself an audio book. Take a chapter a week.  It is, I am sure, a very great book. The problem people have is the first chapter, Benjy's narrative, has time jumps, but honestly, it's not that difficult and I can assure you the knottiness is reduced if you read it aloud. It is very oral, like Pinter and Beckett, Faulkner is brilliant in that novel at capturing the way people think and speak.

The other problem of course is that the second chapter, Quentin's narrative, is psychologically and morally disturbing -- Did he sleep with Caddy? What exactly is Quentin's perspective on the meaning of life, and what exactly does his father believe about what matters? Why is Caddy sleeping around?

Let me ask the Faulknerians a question. What is going on at the very end of The Sound and Fury?

They approached the square, where the Confederate soldier gazed with empty eyes beneath his marble hand into wind and weather. Luster took still another notch in himself and gave the impervious Queenie a cut with the switch, casting his glance about the square. "Dar Mr Jason's car," he said then he spied another group of negroes. "Les show dem niggers how quality does, Benjy," he said, "Whut you say?" He looked back. Ben sat, holding the flower in his fist, his gaze empty and untroubled. Luster hit Queenie again and swung her to the left at the monument.

For an instant Ben sat in an utter hiatus. Then he bellowed. Bellow on bellow, his voice mounted, with scarce interval for breath. There was more than astonishment in it, it was horror; shock; agony eyeless, tongueless; just sound, and Luster's eyes backrolling for a white instant. "Gret God," he said, "Hush! Hush! Gret God!" He whirled again and struck Queenie with the switch. It broke and he cast it away and with Ben's voice mounting toward its unbelievable crescendo Luster caught up the end of the reins and leaned forward as Jason came jumping across the square and onto the step.

With a backhanded blow he hurled Luster aside and caught the reins and sawed Queenie about and doubled the reins back and slashed her across the hips. He cut her again and again, into a plunging gallop, while Ben's hoarse agony roared about them, and swung her about to the right of the monument. Then he struck Luster over the head with his fist.

"Dont you know any better than to take him to the left?" he said. He reached back and struck Ben, breaking the flower stalk again. "Shut up!" he said, "Shut up!" He jerked Queenie back and jumped down. "Get to hell on home with him. If you ever cross that gate with him again, I'll kill you!"

"Yes, suh!" Luster said. He took the reins and hit Queenie with the end of them. "Git up! Git up, dar! Benjy, fer God's sake!"

Ben's voice roared and roared. Queenie moved again, her feet began to clop-clop steadily again, and at once Ben hushed. Luster looked quickly back over his shoulder, then he drove on. The broken flower drooped over Ben's fist and his eyes were empty and blue and serene again as cornice and façade flowed smoothly once more from left to right; post and tree, window and doorway, and signboard, each in its ordered place.

When I first read that I thought to myself: this is Luster's book -- Luster's the hero!  Luster is our one hope, our redemption.

Even the name is marvellous -- a mixture of lust and lustre.

[Spotted Horses]

I think in the past I took the wrong path, at least for myself, by trying to start with The Sound & the Fury, of which I couldn't make heads or tails at the time. This put me off of Faulkner for a good bit. I'm sure it's a great book; I still have it on my shelf and hope to get to it before long, but it seems a tough nut to crack. But yes, I agree; these are books to be read and reread. I'm already looking forward to rereading As I Lay Dying.

Another daunting book, and I think his best, is Absalom, Absalom!. It revolves around a shocking event, a man kills his sisters fiancé, who is also his close friend, at the gate of the family home. The book consists of various people telling and retelling what they know of the events and people involved. From this a story coalesces. As in As I Lay Dying, the story is told by different narrators involved in events, or who heard stories from people involved in events. Even in the end it is not clear what the "truth" is. Maybe a difficult entry point to Faulkner's work. Light in August is probably a good option.

[Spotted Horses]

I think you should revisit The Sound and the Fury, read it aloud or get yourself an audio book. Take a chapter a week.  It is, I am sure, a very great book...

This is a book I read decades ago (maybe twice). I will read it again, if circumstances permit. A lot of stuff that made no sense to me when I was younger becomes clear now.

[André]

The 'easiest' read among Faulkner's novels is probably Intruder in the Dust.

Light in August is a great novel where past events come to haunt the characters. The theme of the 'sins of the fathers' weighs heavily on Faulkner's world. A strong sense of fatality pervades his stories.

Sartoris brings the genealogical/family history penchant familiar from southern writers to the fore, mired in the Deep South's complex history. It makes another fine introduction to the complex web of events, people and places that populate Faulkner's world. I find it more theatrical/melodramatic than the more subtle Light in August.

[Florestan]

Another daunting book, and I think his best, is Absalom, Absalom!.

Agreed. A very difficult yet rewarding read. The only book I've read that's on the same plane of difficulty (multiple, intersected, hard to tell one from another narrative planes & voices) is Mario Vargas Llosa's Conversation in the Cathedral.

[Ganondorf]

I was actually surprised, when looking at the copy of Finnish translation of The Sound and the Fury at the local library that there actually they had used italics for indicating jumps back and forth between time in Benjy's narration. I believe this is somewhat similar to what Faulkner himself wished (although he had suggested use of colored ink instead) and I was under supposition that very few editions have complied with his wishes. So this may be a good opportunity for me as I have never read the book yet, as easy pathway in. And I've heard that The Sound and the Fury is even more difficult to read than Absalom, Absalom, in fact it has consistently appeared on the list of most difficult books to read, ever.

[Mandryka]

BTW, you may notice my username here refers to a Novella by Faulkner that was later incorporated into his novel, The Hamlet.

Jewel has a spotted horse which he bought from Snopes.

[Mandryka]

I was actually surprised, when looking at the copy of Finnish translation of The Sound and the Fury at the local library that there actually they had used italics for indicating jumps back and forth between time in Benjy's narration. I believe this is somewhat similar to what Faulkner himself wished (although he had suggested use of colored ink instead) and I was under supposition that very few editions have complied with his wishes. So this may be a good opportunity for me as I have never read the book yet, as easy pathway in. And I've heard that The Sound and the Fury is even more difficult to read than Absalom, Absalom, in fact it has consistently appeared on the list of most difficult books to read, ever.

It's a bastard because you can't totally trust the italics. In fact, the time jumps seem not a great problem -- the problem is sometimes to tell who's speaking, especially in Quentin's chapter. But I don't think it's a big deal. The difficulty of TSATF is, IMO, not so much reconstructing a chronological narrative, it's trying to understand what on earth Faulkner is trying to say. At the end, for example, or in the discussion between Quentin and his father. 

[vers la flamme]

@Mandryka, I absolutely will take up your suggestion to retry with TSATF, just perhaps not this year. I'm sure it's a brilliant book. As I Lay Dying was nowhere near as difficult as it is sometimes made out to be. Of course, I do also plan on reading Absalom, Absalom!

Love that there are so many Faulknerians here on GMG. He remains an author about whom I know very little, having read only the one book, but I have been interested in—and daunted by—his work for a long time. (Should there be a Faulkner thread like the Dickens thread we have...?) Excited to read Light in August when it gets to me.

Still reading Kafka; currently, The Metamorphosis.

[vers la flamme]

Hit or miss, these Kafka stories, but a few of them are truly poignant: The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and A Hunger Artist all completely blew my mind. A good many of the shorter stories, especially those in the first person, I couldn't make heads or tales of.

[Mandryka]

Hit or miss, these Kafka stories, but a few of them are truly poignant: The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and A Hunger Artist all completely blew my mind. A good many of the shorter stories, especially those in the first person, I couldn't make heads or tales of.

Have you read his letter to his father?

As far as making sense of them, I find them all hard from that point of view, maybe because I don't have the god gene. But I enjoy not being able to make sense of them.