This type of technique would fall very flat if Faulkner used a simple expository prose. Part of the thrill and excitement of the novel is that the style is therefore adapted to the subject matter and the emotions. As the subject matter is told in circular movements, so is the […]
Read more Critical Essays William Faulkner’s Writing StyleCritical Essays Story as Myth in Faulkner’s Work
Besides the use of constant repetition, Faulkner used other devices to establish a mythic quality: elements from the ancient myths, names of some characters from the Greeks, the title from the Hebrew, and the use of three interpreters — Miss Rosa, Mr. Compson, and Quentin each narrate part of the […]
Read more Critical Essays Story as Myth in Faulkner’s WorkCritical Essays Structure and Meaning through Narration
Miss Rosa’s Narration The first and most fundamental narration is Miss Rosa’s. Unlike the Compsons, she is an active participant in the events narrated; therefore her approach, being the earliest and the closest to the actual story, is more distorted than the other narrations because she is unable to view […]
Read more Critical Essays Structure and Meaning through NarrationWilliam Faulkner Biography
William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, but his family soon moved to Oxford, Mississippi. Almost all of his novels take place in and around Oxford, which he renames Jefferson, Mississippi. Even though Faulkner is a contemporary American, he is already considered one of the world’s greatest novelists. In […]
Read more William Faulkner BiographyCharacter Analysis Charles Bon
A second irony is that Bon’s rejection at his father’s door is parallel to the episode where Sutpen was turned away from the plantation. Thus, Faulkner centers the story on Sutpen’s refusal to recognize his son, Charles. And Charles’ search for a father is made more appealing because he doesn’t […]
Read more Character Analysis Charles BonCharacter Analysis Henry Sutpen
Having established Henry as having the Coldfield sensibility, we then can predict most of his action. He is, perhaps, the least complex figure in this complex novel. His frank and open devotion to Charles Bon indicates that he is a simple, unsophisticated person who responds directly to other people. His […]
Read more Character Analysis Henry SutpenCharacter Analysis Thomas Sutpen
Sutpen’s presentation is by circumlocution. We seldom see inside his mind; thus, we must draw conclusions about him partly from how others view him. Basically, to bring the design to fruition required a man of colossal strength. Therefore, Sutpen is viewed by all the characters in the novel as being […]
Read more Character Analysis Thomas SutpenCharacter Analysis Shreve Mccannon
With these qualifications, we see the value of Shreve as a listener. A person from any part of the United States would have constantly had objections to Quentin’s story. On the contrary, Shreve is able to respond to the story in a detached manner. There are no regional prejudices or […]
Read more Character Analysis Shreve MccannonCharacter Analysis Mr. Compson
Mr. Compson’s view of the South and of the lives of those who were responsible for the destiny of the South is filled with pessimism and cynicism. It is as though he resents the nobility of the past and uses his resentment to ridicule all of life. Almost all of […]
Read more Character Analysis Mr. CompsonCharacter Analysis Quentin Compson
In Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, we find out that Quentin is intensely concerned over his relationship with the past and with the reasons for modern man’s present predicament. He is constantly contemplating what his important ancestors of the past meant to him. Furthermore, he is similar in many […]
Read more Character Analysis Quentin Compson