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The Sound and the Fury

William Faulkner

Start date: April 1, 2020

Finish date: May 26, 2020

Discussion: Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury

Discussion leader: Tamara Agha-Jaffar

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Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury

Weeks 7 & 8: The Dilsey Section and the Book as a Whole
By Tamara · 57 posts · 50 views

last updated May 29, 2020 02:35PM

Weeks 3 & 4: The Quentin Section
By Tamara · 74 posts · 73 views

last updated May 10, 2020 05:18PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 09, 2008 Clif Hostetler rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

My first impression of the book's narrative can be summarized as; (1) Everything has a smell for Benji, (2) Quienten notices his shadow, (3) Jason is angry, and (4) Dilsey sees the light. If this summary doesn't clearly communicate a story to you, welcome to The Sound And The Fury! The book doesn't tell a story. Rather it is a description of a condition from four different points of view. The condition being described is that of the corruption of Southern aristocratic values. The first three vie My first impression of the book's narrative can be summarized as; (1) Everything has a smell for Benji, (2) Quienten notices his shadow, (3) Jason is angry, and (4) Dilsey sees the light. If this summary doesn't clearly communicate a story to you, welcome to The Sound And The Fury! The book doesn't tell a story. Rather it is a description of a condition from four different points of view. The condition being described is that of the corruption of Southern aristocratic values. The first three views of the four being expressed are from the perspective of the three brothers in the family. Their views are that of a southern family aware of their aristocratic past but with a present psychological condition of utter demise. The fourth view is described from the view point of an omniscient narrator describing the life of the African-American house servant and her family. This last view together with the Easter timing gives a theme of possible resurrection and renewal for the future. It's interesting to note that the family in degenerate condition is made up of descendants of the slave owning class, and the productive workers who are the hope for the future are descendants of slaves.

The very end of the book contains a clash that is symbolic of the future conflict to come as the Old South changes into the New South. Luster, the black grandson of Dilsey, is driving a horse and wagon into the town square where a marble statue of a Confederate soldier stands. Luster decides to turn toward the left. Suddenly, the youngest son, Jason, jumps up into the wagon and forces the horse to turn right instead. This disagreement between whether to turn left or right appears symbolic of disagreements over directions for the future.

Readers are likely to feel a bit lost while navigating through the interior monologs, tricks with time, jumbled narrative, play of memory, and also saga of decay and decline of a southern family. Appreciation of the book begins after the reader has finished reading the book. The fun comes from trying to put the pieces together and to begin marveling at the abundance of meanings that can be gleaned from the book. Perhaps it is a 20th Century version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Is Benjy a Christ figure? Is there a message of resurrection and renewal? Is it only about corruption of Southern aristocratic values? Is it about false and true visions? Why does the time motif keep showing up? Is it a contrast of order and chaos? What is the meaning of the frequent references to shadows. What is the symbolic meaning of Quentin's watch? How about the role of water in the story? Or is the book a prime example of the failure of language and narrative by being itself a failure to communicate?

How do you rate the number of stars for a book that is torture to read, but a pleasure to interpret? Well, for me it's three stars. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 nathank rated it it was amazing

"Seeing past and the present intermingled from four different peoples perspectives in such a masterful way is stunning. The same history, but such diverse understandings come out of it. This book is hard, from page long paragraphs with no punctuation to fragmented time shifts with no transitions. You have to read the 1st 3 sections because events in the early part are only explained later on." ...more

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Apr 04, 2009 Ayne Ray rated it really liked it

Faulker’s masterpiece and one of the first great modernist novels, this is a story of corruption, suicide, madness, jealousy, and the tragedy of the fall of an American family. The author’s artistic power and command leaves a lasting impression.

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Oct 13, 2008 Evalyn rated it really liked it

The story of the Compson family in Mississippi seen from four viewpoints, is a challenge to read but well worth the effort.

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Feb 02, 2008 Erin rated it liked it

Shelves: i-own, fiction-lit, american-lit, modern-library, time-tops

Hard to follow at first, but it got better. I didn't like how it ended. This was a very depressing book. ...more

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Apr 17, 2025 Dianna rated it did not like it

Shelves: not-read-could-not-get-into, a-classic-why, what-why

So far, this is hideous. Why am I reading this and Ulysses at the same time? Am I a masochist?

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Aug 20, 2008 Inder marked it as to-read

Shelves: 1001-books, 20th-century, fiction, southeast

One of these days, I'm going to read Faulkner. ...more

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Jul 05, 2007 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reread, faulkner

Re-read 8/1-8/13/12

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Dec 06, 2017 Audrey rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, 1914-present

Jul 24, 2007 Darcy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: keepers, twentieth-century-novels

Aug 05, 2007 Sara rated it liked it

Sep 20, 2007 Judith rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-edition, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, 1001-books-read-to-date, 20th-century-literature, literature-american, lists-100-best-modern-library, nobel-laureate, lists-bloom-s-western-canon, notes-commentaries, lists-nyt-best-100

Dec 28, 2007 Arctic marked it as to-read

Shelves: rgbc

Jan 14, 2008 Alan rated it liked it

Jan 26, 2008 Dree rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-south, classics, 1994-reads, 1001-read, 1000-guardian-read

Feb 11, 2008 Stian Larsen rated it really liked it

Mar 31, 2008 Bishop rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-books, 20th-century, american-lit

Apr 09, 2009 Christian marked it as læse-liste

May 15, 2009 Kristyn added it

Jun 27, 2009 Kathy Jo marked it as to-read

Mar 05, 2010 Milanie Howard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Apr 14, 2010 Heather marked it as to-read

Shelves: american-lit, own, 1001-books, bloom-canon, modern-library, guardian-family, radcliffe-100novels, nobel-laureate, 20th-century, modernist-lit