Customer Reviews

A Summer of Faulkner: As I Lay Dying/The Sound and the Fury/Light in August (Oprah's Book Club)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Three of Faulkner's greatest novels re-packaged to take advantage of Oprah Winfrey's massive promotion. As we know, Oprah has so much street cred she could propel a shopping list to the top of the best seller list, so let's see what she can do for Faulkner, a writer who has sometimes been criticized for relying on stereotyped depictions of black characters. And at least two of these three novels face that explosive issue head on. In THE SOUND AND THE FURY, the multiple neuroses of the (white) Compson family are always being counterposed to the nurturing and loving family of (black) Dilsey and the rest of the servants. No matter what awful thing happens to one of the Compsons, Dilsey will always be hugging them to her bosom and singing plantations spirituals to cheer them up, ignoring her own systemic arthritis the better to give them the love and affection their own parents don't know how to dish up.

In LIGHT IN AUGUST, the racial identity of its protagonist, Joe Christmas, is a contested site, for no one knows if he's black, white, or what. Commentators have often associated Joe with Jesus Christ (right down to the same initials) and his posture of martyrdom can still bring your heart into your throat, it's a very harsh look at Southern life at the beginning of the last century and Faulkner doesn't shy away from cruelty. He does show that patience and love do overcome almost any obstacles, or at any rate they wear down the obstacles to the degree that they transmogrify into something else. But was he counselling patience for black people, telling them to go slow in their struggle for civil rights? Like any modernist text, LIGHT IN AUGUST is ambiguous and does not give up its answers very clearly.

AS I LAY DYING, which takes the narrative form of THE SOUND AND THE FURY and explodes it further, is not as direct as the other two books in terms of its navigation of black and white relations in the US. AS I LAY DYING is more private, less social, more of a lyric meditation on family and the great cavern of death. No one yet has bettered Faulkner in his ability to enter into the heads of so many disparate characters and this book might be the tour de force of all time. Even the mother (dead when the book begins) speaks from beyond the grave, almost as a ghost might, but a ghost still attached to her own body, as her boys trundle her coffin from one far place to another. (Like Lena Grove's journey in LIGHT IN AUGUST.)

I'm happy Oprah is doing this! Maybe she can get Jonathan Franzen on her show and he could explain how THE CORRECTIONS is really a post-modern re-make of the Compsons. The truth is that most US novelists, and many writers from overseas, owe a huge debt to William Faulkner. Even those who don't know it yet. He is a fact of our landscape, like the weather.

No American author--not even Melville--has the potential to alter human consciousness as profoundly as Faulkner. The "bait" may be sensational plots, seemingly grotesque characters, and Southern Gothic settings, but the reward is knowledge of the innermost workings of the mind, of both the self in the world and the world of self. Faulkner is as advanced, as universal, as human as any author on the near side of Shakespeare.

Oprah's three selections are inarguably indispensable though not sufficient to a complete understanding of Faulkner's vision. Some readers may wish to start out with something lighter--for example, the short stories that are anthologized in introductory literature courses ("Rose for Emily," "Barn Burning," "That Evening Sun," and "The Bear"--short edition). And for those readers who jump right into the novels and survive the challenge of Faulkner's syntax, jump cuts, and stream-of-consciousness technique, there yet remains his masterpiece: "Absalom, Absalom!"

In reading some of the previous reviews, I see there are a number of readers who either dismiss or condemn Faulkner in no uncertain terms. Just give him a chance and your undivided attention. I've witnessed high school students with little to no interest in reading come to life after participating in and constructing the meanings of "The Sound and the Fury." For those who have doubts that the pay-off is worth the effort, I'll offer a glimpse of the rewards. Here are the areas where Faulkner has affected me most deeply and indelibly:

1. History and the personal sense of the past. The present is always "filled" with the past and hence cannot be understood without a willingness to own the past--all of it. On the other hand, many of Faulkner's characters remain entrapped by the past, simply unable to escape their imprisonment in a dream gone bad, or in a "magnificent idea" (the Grand Old South) that was tainted from the very beginning.

2. Gender. Faulkner probes into the recesses of human consciousness, men and women. His strong women characters outdo his strongest men in wisdom, resilience, and stoic backbone. And just at the moment when we think we've got one of his characters figured out, he removes another layer of the outer persona, repeating the process until finally we've arrived at the inner sanctuary of a desire so ineffably private and intense that it's as if the mystery of human personality itself has been bridged.

3. Race. It's everybody's business, as no author has made clearer. A reader who has completed these three novels along with "Go Down Moses" and the crucial "Absalom, Absalom!," is unlikely to see race and color as before. Every reader must "earn" the insight for themselves, but for Faulkner "blackness," pure and simple, equates to "humanness." Color is less a marker than part of the human condition. To insist on a pure ethnic or racial strain is to invite "incest," Faulkner's metaphor for the terminal disease of racial pride and segregation.

4. Language. This area is the most elusive for the general reader, but for Faulkner language is not only medium but subject and substance. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was made flesh." For Faulkner, language is what distinguishes humans from all other creatures. It's not merely a "tool"; it's human consciousness itself. Paradoxically, one of his most "alive" characters, Addie Bundren ("As I Lay Dying"), hates words because they seem inadequate to represent her desires. The very expression of those desires refutes her aversion to words; in fact, the very force of her words (the language of a dead woman!) controls all that transpires in her story.

If this is your first conversation with Faulkner, I almost envy you. Don't be surprised if it's not your last.

As an English Lit graduate, and aspiring writer, I have to admit that I took a step back when I saw this selection as Oprah's Summer Reading. Faulkner is not exactly the writer you take to the beach to read in snippets between sunscreen applications and frisbee tosses.

In my opinion (which probably isn't worth much to anyone except myself), Faulkner is quite possibly the most brilliant writer this country has ever witnessed. I have read too many of the reviews on Amazon that claim Faulkner's novels have no "plot". But any writer knows that plot is only one element of writing (and probably the least significant element). Too many contemporary novels (and movies...and TV shows) have nothing but plot. Faulkner's work fully realizes the most important elements of a beautiful story...character and ideas. Don't expect too much action in these books. Then again, are our lives defined by our daily actions, or how we feel about them? Faulkner's novels are about the inner lives of his characters, not their inane movements from one place to another.

I must admit that I think Oprah made a mistake with this choice. I am going to predict that 90% of the people that purchase this collection won't make it past page 20 of THE SOUND AND THE FURY. However, if you want to know what GREAT literature tastes like, take a chance.

Faulkner is the difference between fiction and Literature. While fiction is meant to entertain, Literature offers itself as a challenge to our cultural and personal beliefs. If you're looking for something like THE DAVINCI CODE (breathtaking chase sequences with paper-thin characters), this collection is not for you. But if you're bold enough to take a look at an authentic slice of America's past, Faulkner's the real deal. He's not easy, but what of great value is?

Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's a "fraud" or that it's "boring" or "depressing." If you don't like something, say "it's not for me" and move on. Faulkner isn't for everyone just like Shakespeare isn't for everyone. I like Faulkner; I would like others to try Faulkner before dismissing him. Judging from the reviews here, many people like what Faulkner had to say, or at least found it interesting. But you'll never know until you risk a little time and effort.

Somehow, I don't think that such a distinguish author as William Faulkner needs to have the seal of Oprah's approval as a sign of excellence. However, it does open the door for a new generation of readers to discover one of the great authors of the 20th century. For that, I am sure that deep in William's grave, there is a bit of happiness occurring. And for those readers who have never had the opportunity to enjoy one of the master's works; now is the time to discover what writing from the soul really is like.

AS I LAY DYING:

One family must come to face the task of burying their mother and wife, Addie. Unlike so many books of today, Faulkner tells the tale from the many different points of views in a more heartfelt sense and not preachy as many stories attempt to do. All the family's different points of view are brought together as the venture through the Mississippi countryside, with Addie's coffin, looking for the right place to bury her.

THE SOUND AND THE FURY:

Again, Faulkner takes on an unforgettable venture through the minds and words of the Compson siblings. The mentally challenged Benjy, the phobic filled, suicidal Quentin and the hideous Jason tell the tale of their sister, Caddy. A dysfunctional family if ever there was one that, given the year this story was written, dealt with their problems long before there was professional help available. To counter their ways and problems, the Dilsey's (one of the servants) family provides the love and care. Oh, and to demonstrate the sign of the times, the Compson family was white and the family of Dilsey's was black. This story provides another reflection of coexistence in an era where racism was still the norm, not the exception.

LIGHT IN AUGUST:

Here we have an array of some of Faulkner's most enlighten characters revolving around a story that, again, reflects the overtones of racism. Joe Christmas is the object of much discussion. Is he black or white? A mystifying wanderer traveling through the Deep South, his story outlines real life in that ambient lifestyle. Faulkner doesn't sugarcoat the truth of life some 80 years ago and dignifies the human race with the ability to provide love and understand able to, with time, overcome the most horrendous mindsets of people.

For those that have read these timeless classics, no review would ever do them the justice they deserve. For those that have yet to discover Faulkner, now is the time to do so, this summer. Thank you Oprah, for reopening the treasure box to the world!


Frederick A. Babb

I will admit it.

I have never watched Oprah on television. Thankfully, my wife is a fan. Otherwise I would have missed this opportunity to spend time with my favorite author - William Faulkner.

I was introduced to Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County while I was in college. Back then I was asked to read The Sound and the Fury. I will admit I was more than a little confused with what I was later to learn was Faulkner's hallmark shifting of the narration from one character to another; his disorienting disruptions of a timely chronology.

As I read more, I began to appreciate the genius behind the technique. It was like my days as a newspaper reporter. Each witness to a story had his or her version of what had happened. The more I dug, the more likely I was to emerge with a story that resembled the true event.
While Faulkner's narration and characters appear complex, his themes are simple. He writes about life's great issues - life and death, good and evil, love and hate, wealth and poverty, individual and family, sanity and insanity, success and failure.

Faulkner's characters speak to their ability to transcend their settings and endure their sufferings. They emerge pained, yet ennobled.

Although I am not fond of the heat and humidity, I am looking forward to spending a portion of my summer's reading time in the Mississippi hill country of Yoknapatawpha County.

I've read both As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury for an advanced literature class in college and I believe that these two, especially S&F, are amazing works of literature. I was glad to see that Oprah's book club broke from the mold that she often uses to choose her books, even though these books still deal with racial issues, to include something that is applicable to many different peoples. I completely recommend Faulkner's other works such as Absalom, Absalom! and the short story, The Bear, which is available in The Portable Faulkner. William Faulkner protrays the demise of the South though the family in all of his works, and these works carry such themes throughout the literature making it valuable to today's society. READ THESE BOOKS!

I love reading novels, and I hate reading bad novels. Why not read the best? Sure, throw-away thrillers and mysteries are fun but my time is valuable and I prefer reading the best of the best, and Faulkner is at the top of the short list.

This story of love and tragedy, courage and tradition in the Deep South (in 1928) is one of the most moving stories I've ever read. This is great literature!

Faulkner's accounts of children playing in a creek, of lovers torn by tradition and family, of racism and routine cruelty is brilliant. His cadence is perfect, his images hauntingly clear. This is not easy reading, and many students learn to hate Faulkner with a passion! His long sentences, his disjointed dialogue and juxtaposition of time and place require the reader's attention, but it is worth the effort.

Do yourself a huge favor. Buy and read this great American story. It's not "easy" but the best things in life rarely are. And one more suggestion: do not get it at the public library! Buy it. You'll want to savor it, and my guess is you'll want to re-read again and again. This is a book you should definitely own and cherish.

I never tackled Faulkner although I am a voracious reader. Beginning with As I Lay Dying, I thought the style was annoying and confusing but, once I had my bearings, I began to appreciate the remarkable skill Faulkner demonstrates while building his stories. The language, the atmosphere he achieves, the depth of his characters and his observations on the human condition are gripping and profound. Each book is written in a different style but, by the time you get to the last book in the group, Light In August, Faulkner's style is as recognizable as Dickens or Twain.
Now I understand why he resides in the upper echelon of American writers. You have to prepare yourself for some initial confusion, especially in the first two books, but Faulkner will not let you down. Everything comes together eventually and the beauty of reading Faulkner is in the way he makes the reader work but also rewards him in the end.

All of these reviews, even the ones that praise Faulkner's works, have the claim that "these books are hard reads," or something to that effect. As I Lay Dying and Light in August are two of Faulkner's most accessible novels. The Sound and the Fury on the first read is somewhat trying but if you read it again EVERYTHING makes perfect sense and it is as accessible as pulp fiction crap. Faulker is not great because he is difficult to read; he is great because his novels, while being place-specific and tied intimately to north Mississippi, are universal. They speak to people of all cultures and backgrounds. They are poignant and beautiful. They are also scathing in their portrayal of American culture and ideology. Faulkner was way ahead of his times in terms of his view of race and even the environment (read Go Down, Moses). This is why Oprah picked the books. I can't realistically comprehend half of her normal reading/viewing audience actually reading these books, but if one person who otherwise would not have read Faulkner does, then Oprah has done a good thing.