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The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (2015 Reading Challenge)
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Judy
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Nov 05, 2015 11:41PM
I haven't picked it up recently either - will try again this week...
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I have finished it. The second two chapters are more fluid than the first two. It is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that becomes clearer as it progresses. Not a happy family, unrelentingly grim tidings, no humour or irony to offset. The structure of the story is brilliant. Great writer. One doesn't forget this book in a hurry. Looking forward to your thoughts.
^ That's good to know Greg. I was assuming the previous silence was because everyone had quietly put it to one side having struggled to finish it. But no - far from it, at least in your case. Indeed, your review makes me think about giving it a go. Like you, I look forward to reading more reactions, thoughts and feelings about this book.
GoodReads friend Kim concluded her review with...
I’m glad I listened to the novel rather than read the text. I find stream of consciousness much more accessible when I listen to it than when I read it. Of course, much depends on the quality of the narrator and Grover Gardner is excellent. This was a truly wonderful literary experience. I can’t rate it any less than five stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The author, is he laughing at this family or lamenting their fall? Only just started this.
By the way I couldn't find this thread. Where is the Nobel Literature Prize thread on BYTs?
I only found this because someone posted and I was notified.
Hurrah! Link for Reading Challenge 2015 is showing again. It wasn't there the last time I looked. : ))
I returned this to the library yesterday...hadn't even opened the cover. I have too many other books to get through right now, just isn't the time for me, but I do still want to read it later.
I almost did the same thing Pink, but decided to give it a go.
Nigeyb wrote: "^ That's good to know Greg. I was assuming the previous silence was because everyone had quietly put it to one side having struggled to finish it. But no - far from it, at least in your case. Indee..."Thanks for the link to Kim's (once again) excellent review.
I'm not that in but I'm finding it a little...dull. It is an easy read, nothing complicated so far...
Erm, does this book get better? Very, very dull...
Roisin wrote: "Erm, does this book get better? Very, very dull..."I've no idea Roisin however there are many, many positive ratings for The Sound and the Fury on GoodReads. At the time of writing this comment, 76% or readers rated it 5 stars or 4 stars on here - though there are frustratingly few reviews stating what they liked about the book. Most praise the writing style. I am pretty confident it would not be my cup of Earl Grey, as I prefer clarity and accessibility, but clearly the majority of readers love it.
This review made me smile...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hehehe! Yes I do see what they mean. Very funny! The appropriation of the Munch painting is spot on.The book sadly is not my cuppa either. The second chapter is a bit better. The characters sound quite mad, patronising, selfish, backward. The racism is bit grating, but part of the southern character, I suppose. Though I should probably stick with Polybius, The Rise of Roman Empire, much better and engaging.
Oh dear, hope it improves. This is sort of why I've been in no hurry to read it. Occasionally I think I'd like to try it, so I borrow a copy from the library, then leave it sitting on the shelf unread until it's time to return again. That review was great!
Yes the one that Nigeyb put a link to. Very funny!
I've still got this out of the library but haven't tried it lately as I'm trying to finish other books - still hope to read it, but it will now be in 2016!
From the vantage of having read The Sound and the Fury, I'd say it would be more enjoyable on a second reading, as you'd be oriented to the different time sequences and characters. Not that I'm in a hurry to read it again any time soon, this family ain't the Brady Bunch. It is a brilliant masterpiece of a portrait of a Southern family of that part of the twentieth century. You don't forget it in a hurry.
Greg wrote: "...this family ain't the Brady Bunch."Another classic line Greg. Bravo Sir.
I'm giving up on this one. I've left it too long and can't remember the part I've read, and have got too many other books on the go, so I'll return it to the library and hope to try again in the future.
Interesting. Thanks for the update Judy. it sounds to me as though this is another to file alongside Ulysses, In Search of Lost Time etc, as a book that requires determination and staying power.
Hahaha! The Sound and The Fury is just a very dull, very boring story. There was nothing difficult about it at all, which is what I would attribute to Joyce, Proust and all the other girls and guys in the band. : ) The characters are just not that interesting and the events are not that engaging. Most of the characters are not very nice, which I suspect was the point. Stream of consciousness I can handle and Henry Miller is much better at it. As I said before dull white folk and their put upon black servants...puke! Lots of people adore adore Beyonce, One Direction and Justin Bieber...don't make it right...: )
I am so glad that I acquired a library copy. Sadly, I bought Absolom, Absolom. When I get around to reading that (and I'm in no rush : ), I just hope that it is so much better than the The Sound and Rubbish.
I'm sensing a feeling of antipathy towards The Sound and The Fury on your part Roisin#perceptive
Oh dear, it doesn't sound like this was one to enjoy. I withdrew it from the library a couple of times, but never got past the first few pages. I'm going to try As I lay dying next month, so I'll see how I get on with that instead!
Pink, I read As I Lay Dying back in 1975 when having to spend two weeks in isolation with chicken pox. I really got into the book.
That sounds more like 'As I Lay Scratching' Greg.
Oh my, that really is getting into character while reading!
Hahaha!I have a copy of Absolom, Absolom, however I bought that so I hope it is good. Has anyone read it?
Years ago. But he is still a Southerner. So you may not like it any better than The Sound and the Fury. He writes about Mississippi which other than Faulkner and Welty doesn't have a whole lot to recommend it - and Gulfport/Biloxi.
Val wrote: "That sounds more like 'As I Lay Scratching' Greg."Ha! yes. I felt very ill for the few days preceding the start of the spots, but after they broke out I felt ok, other than the itching! It was a pleasantly warm time of year, and as long as I kept rugged up there was no itching. As soon as the cool air hit the spots, screaming itchy! I don't recommend getting chicken pox as an adult, it's much worse. But I got some reading done in those two weeks.
In reply to those comments having difficulty getting into some of Faulkner's works, I suggest starting on his Collected Stories. It is 900 pages, divided into six sections,
I. The Country
II. The Village
III. The Wilderness
IV. The Wasteland
V. The Middle Ground
VI. Beyond
Forty two stories, all pretty much around twenty pages.
I'm going to jump in the deep end and start on this. This is a book that I'll get through slowly I think. Ideal for reading a few stories and can also be reading another book.
The book synopsis on the back says If you imagine Huckleberry Finn living in the House of Usher and telling stories while the walls crumble about him, that will give you the double quality of Faulkner's work at it's best.
Ok ! As a Southerner living and breathing in Oxford, Mississippi the Home of our dear Mr. Bill or William Faulkner the Nobel Prize Winning author from our small community I can tell you it was some time as a young adult that I did not really appreciate or even like the man or idea of him myself. My Mama and most of the locals of the area told horrible stories about the things our Mr. Bill would do to agitate everyone around town as if on purpose to entertain himself ! HA! I can probably spend the whole year telling you as I remember some of the real life crazy things people have told me since I was a child he has done , things his own family members have written or reported to me he has done , or things his biographers have written as proved to be. He was an amazing and uniquely stubborn but genius Southern Gentleman that really loved people underneath his peculiar ways . Once you have heard and read all of his crazy lore , his writing really begins to make nothing but sense because it comes from such a uniquely strange place and time in history . Like no place on earth it is so very difficult to imagine living among this area in the South and then to remember too that he created this community and characters from his own imagination based on real combinations of people in the real areas surrounding this local area . Even some characters were based on his family members and political figures in the area. His Yoknapatawphna County and Characters were incredible creations based on real time and events and people. I am in this reading group right now reading Anthony Powell's masterpiece A Dance to the Movement of Time . Powell's 12 novel collection in a world about a main character Jenkins and his involvement over life with people and the events that have occurred over real past history is a similar creation and just as magnificent . So when you compare the two writers and their works you must notice not just their brilliance but their unique differences because of the way the authors were educated. Powell was educated with the best and lived in the best of all circumstances. William Faulkner was born in a very small town , New Albany , MS , just 20 miles on the highway from my house. As a matter of fact they just renamed my highway William Faulkner Highway instead of highway 30 last month. Hahaha! So silly ! He was the oldest of three boys . His father was a railroad man along with his Grandfather . His Grandfather was also a Colonel in the Civil War and a hero ! He too was a famed writer and had a popular book published. His grandfather was quite the man and was said to have killed a man when confronting him to participate in a duel over a woman . William was also known to follow his Grandfather in this manner as he was always a charmer with the ladies.
I can suggest a great biography or memoir that you could read to know him better . The Sound and the Fury is a very difficult read for a first Faulkner. If you just want to read a Faulkner , I suggest something a bit easier first . I taught The Light in August to my 11th graders in high school one year and we read the book together with some reading by themselves with guided questions to help with comprehension along the way . We also had discussions afterwards to talk about the questions and what was happening and how they were reacting. They loved the story . The story is basically about a bunch of misfits or underdogs that don't fit society's normal mold trying so hard to make a place for themselves somewhere they feel they belong and will not be bullied or bothered and maybe not so alone . Everyone hopes to be loved and not be so alone . We all seek these things in life . This story is about how hard it is to be different and try to fit into society. It is hard to be accepted. This is one of my Favorite Faulkner stories. Faulkner always felt like an outcast too.
If you want to know more about Faulkner, books about his life , things about what made him different , his family, his stories , novels, pictures , I can post stuff on the blog I am working on or if you want to go ahead and get stuff now. Friend me and we can exchange email and I will send you more stuff. I still have all of my teaching stuff and more . I love to learn and if anyone can help me understand their world I would be so GRATEFUL!!!!
I don't understand many differences in the American Education system and the United Kingdom 's Education System at all right now. I also look at the books y'all read on your Amazon and compare our Amazon US and we do not read the same books . We do not listen to the same music or watch the same TV . How can we be so different only 8 hours away and still we speak the same language . I am dying of curiosity to come over to visit and know you all and pray you would like me ! I know that sounds funny . Most are afraid of differences . Not me, I just want to know more and get to know more people and share experiences. I really thought that was how we were to be . We must embrace and respect our differences and not hate and hurt others who are different . My mind tells me that . Am I wrong ?
Well , it's late here . Remember , I really am sincere . If I can help anyone at all , it would make me really happy to help . I could definitely use some help . I research everything as I read to understand the differences as we read. Sometimes I just don't get certain things.
Sincerely ~ Dawn
Thanks for the information Dawn. I will have a look at some of his other works. The Sound & The Fury wasn't difficult to me, not even a tiny bit. It was just very boring. The characters didn't pull any interest and that may have been his intention, perhaps? The story wasn't engaging in any way, it was just very, dull, dull, dull.
Thanks Greg and Dawn! I'll have a look at your recommendations.
I suppose it was compared to many modern works . The rape story being told by each characters different point of view and how it affected each life in the family . You see inside how each feel emotionally and deal with their complicated feelings . Maybe it was a difficult subject for Faulkner to express realistically . There are so many books that are now using more of a shock value and are not as centered on the contemplative aspect with which Faulkner liked to share and disturb his readers. I was just really surprised that he tried to display the emotions and feelings of Benji the idiot as they called him . He was just mildly retarded and reminded me so very much of the tragic character in Of Mice and Men in John Steinbeck's classic with the same issue. I wanted to cry for Benj and Lennie Small . Faulkner does create many sympathetic characters and I do think he really did so to defend them and their human rights and issues during his time . I feel this way because in his real life he supported many people like the characters he showed that were exploited in his books. This is why he often had no money during his famous literary lifetime. He took care of not only many family members but his black nanny who raised him and her family whom he loved dearly . He had others he would take care of at so many times that he just cared for and would never say no to. These people were often represented in featured qualities in the characters in his books. I suppose knowing this makes his work more interesting to me . I know that is often why and also I know the settings where I can look around and imagine exactly where the stories are taking place. You would probably feel different if you had the same. I wish you could come and visit me for a time and I could show you my home and some of the people and places here. There is compassion and warmth here that I suppose I can't express very well . The harsh feelings are not here anymore and there were always love and care for most everyone because no one was overly wealthy with anything but love . We all shared . If there was a difference it was by name and old reputation only . It would follow from the history of where a family came .
Mississippi is not like other states . Now, Texas may be a different story ! HA! Oil is all over Texas ! HA!
I hope you will not give up on Mr. Bill . I also hope you will not give up on me and keep sharing your wonderful world ! I am so in awe and yearn to learn and hear more from you .
Can't wait for more news...
Dawn
Thanks for all the information about Faulkner. The first story I read was in high school, "Barn Burning". It was included in book of short stories edited/selected by Robert Penn Warren, another fine Southern writer. I went on a binge in the '80s and was reading through a number of Faulkner's work on my commute. If you can imagine being transported while riding the Chicago El. And am now slowly working my way through his The Uncollected Stories of William Faulkner.
Thanks again Dawn for your info. I will give him a try again. However, I still wouldn't re-read The Sound. I've got hold of a copy of Light of August which you recommended and will sample the collection of stories that Greg suggested and will either download fully or get a library copy. Ta!
The Uncollected Stories, ok, will be keen to hear your thoughts on that collection when you have finished reading it Jan.
I've read the first story in William Faulkner's Collected Stories. Barn Burning Faulkner is also a master of the short story. I feel as though I've read a novel. At under twenty pages there is a powerful story that stays with you. Told in the third person narrator without time shifts, so would be very accessible reading.
Should I start a separate Hot read thread for this book and post thoughts/reviews of each story there?
Greg - I do agree ! I love Faulkner's short stories too ! Besides Barn Burning , I loved A Rose For Emily , and The Bear ! There are so many more !!! I do enjoy the short story form anyway . I am glad you like Mr. Bill ! The more you like an author and say why convinces others to try them out and see for themselves ! It is like getting children to try food they have never eaten before ! Once my Daddy paid my brother a dollar bill to eat a meat ball with his spaghetti!!!! Well, he did and now he eats them all the time ! Hahaha ! That was when my brother was 6 ! Try it you might like it ! HA! I am glad you tried Faulkner ~ Dawn
Wonderful that's great, thanks for the positive response to setting up a Hot read for Collected Stories. I think that is the best way to cover this book, with all of forty-two stories. I'll get onto it soon, I'm thinking about the best way to outlay it so we all can add to it as we go. Any help or advice most welcome. If the first story is anything to go by, this book is going to be fantastic.
Greg - there is a helpful website for anyone reading Faulkner . Let me look to make sure the exact address and you will have a treasure . I will send it tomorrow . I also need to purchase this new book. I do not have this book in my collection and I have been wanting it for a bit . Some of the short stories have films ! I know I always showed A Rose for Emily ! ~ Dawn
Thanks so much Dawn. There is also an interesting Faulkner FB page.
Bright Young Things
Books mentioned in this topic
Collected Stories of William Faulkner (other topics)Collected Stories of William Faulkner (other topics)
Collected Stories of William Faulkner (other topics)
Uncollected Stories of William Faulkner (other topics)
Collected Stories of William Faulkner (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
William Faulkner (other topics)Robert Penn Warren (other topics)
P.G. Wodehouse (other topics)
Edmond L. Volpe (other topics)
William Faulkner (other topics)
