Customer Reviews

The Sound and the Fury

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

By far the most difficult part about reading S&F was convincing myself that I really wanted to tackle the novel. And yet, upon sitting down to read the book I was immediately engrossed by the Compson's story. A self-proclaimed Faulkner fanatic, S&F presents itself as his most exciting novel. Filled with issues we have all (on some level) contemplated within our own convoluted minds, S&F forces us to reevaluate our understanding of love, family, death, and most importantly why we bother to endure through each day. For those of us desperately searching for connections between Faulkner's books and his Nobel prize speech, S&F unfortunately does not offer any overt references as to how we can or should ultimately prevail. Or does it? Maybe the power found within S&F lies in its refusal to indicate a way in which we should all strive to prevail and instead shows how deeply personal the matter must be for each individual. If you want another great, great book, try Jackson McCrae's THE CHILDREN'S CORNER with its excellent writing style and great insight into the human heart.

William Faulkner's fourth novel, The Sound and the Fury, is his first true masterpiece, and considered by many to be his finest work. It was Faulkner's own favorite novel, primarily, he says, because it is his 'most splendid failure.' Depicting the decline of the once aristocratic Compson family. The novel is divided into four parts, each told by a different narrator.

The first part is told from the point of view of Benjy Compson, a thirty three year old 1diot, and has flashbacks of the earliest events in the novel. Benjy is the key to the novel's title. For the most part, his language is simple, short, vocabulary basic sentences. Most of his memories concern his sister, Caddy, who is in some ways the central character in the novel. Benjy's earliest depicted memory, from 1898 -- when he was three -- establishes the essence of her character. Benjy also recalls his name change from Maury to Benjamim in 1900, his brother Quentin's suicide in 1910, and the sequence of events at the gate which lead to his being castrated, also in 1910.

The second part recounts the story from Quentin Compson's perspective. (Benjy's brother) Even though the present day of this section is almost eighteen years prior to the present day of Benjy's section, it nevertheless follows roughly the chronological development of the novel, for while many of Benjy's recollections are of their early childhood, most of Quentin's flashbacks record their adolescence, particularly Caddy's dawning sexuality. Quentin's section takes place on the day he commits suicide, and in the present we follow his wanderings around Boston. He is a student at Harvard University as he prepares for death. Like Benjy, he too is obsessed with the past and frequently lapses into flashbacks. Unlike the fairly discrete narratives of Benjy's multiple memories, however, Quentin's are much more fragmentary and usually italicized by word or phrase early in his section and often recurs later with greater detail and embellishment. Quentin's flashbacks also are much more intellectual than Benjy's. Whereas Benjy records mainly sensual impressions, Quentin more often delves into more abstract issues such as character motivation, guilt, honor, and sin.

The third part is told by the third Compson brother, Jason, and is set on Good Friday. Unlike his brothers, Jason is much more focused on the present, offering fewer flashbacks, though he does have a few and he refers frequently to events in the past. Jason is a sadist, and his grimly humorous section reveals just how low the Compson family has sunk from Quentin's obsessions over heritage and honor and sin to Jason's near-constant cruelty, complaints, and scheming.

The fourth and final part is told from an omniscient viewpoint. And can be called Dilsey's Section because of her prominence in this section, but she is not the sole focus in this section. A long sequence follows Jason as he pursues his niece. The focus is entirely upon the present day, Easter Sunday, and to that end, all traces of Caddy, including her daughter and even the very mention of her name, have been removed. The two main narratives presented in this section are fairly straightforward: Jason's pursuit of his stolen money and his inevitable come uppance when he insults the wrong man in Mottson -- and Dilsey's attendance at an Easter church service, at which a preacher from St. Louis, Reverend Shegog, delivers a sermon which stirs in Dilsey an epiphany of doom for the Compson family.

As the novel ends, the two narratives again converge. In the Appendix, titled 'Compson 1699-1945' written to resemble an obituary, Faulkner offers some additional glimpses into Compson family lore, both from the clan's aristocratic past and in the years following the dates in the novel. The Sound and the Fury depicts the tragedy of the decline of the Compson family and much of the novel is told in a stream of consciousness style, in which a character's unadorned thoughts are conveyed in a manner roughly equivalent to the way our minds actually work. The Sound and the Fury is a technical masterpiece for the way William Faulkner incorporates four distinct narrative modes in telling the story of a little girl.

I frequently found myself in awe of Faulkner's immense skill as a writer, that he can create something like this. THE SOUND AND THE FURY is divided into four parts, each of which consist of different narrators. The first part is told by, Benjy, a mentally retarded 33 year old. His tale best exemplifies Faulkner's title as his narrative is simply a whole lot of sound and a whole lot of fury. The way Faulkner incorporates Shakespeare's quote from Hamlet into this novel is brilliant. The quote speaks of a "tale told by an idiot", which is exactly how the story begins. But there's really too much to go into-you simply have to read this great novel. I was at times reminded of McCrae with his brilliant bringing together of ideas-they way he did in his BARK OF THE DOGWOOD (a book that owes much to Faulkner.) But SOUND/FURY goes much deeper and will probably remain one of the major classics of the past century.

Also recommended: McCrae's CHILDREN'S CORNER

Not only Faulkner's best, but his most accesible work THE SOUND AND THE FURY is a book that can be read by just about anyone. As one of the most eminent authors of the 20th century, Faulkner blends time and thought into one entity with an ability that rivals Joyce and sets him apart throughout American fiction. The outcome is a masterpiece that is ultimately the tale of the fall of the Southern aristocracy. The novel is extremely difficult to grasp but I urge all who attempt the challenge to expect to spend a great deal of time to understand the true meaning of the text. Also recommended for Faulknerian gothic blended with the wit of Sedaris, try THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD.

Yes, this book is difficult. Yes, you should read it more than once. But don't let the readers who weren't willing to invest the time in it keep you from reading it. Some have dismissed this novel as inaccessible, but there is much in this novel to reward the serious reader. It's not hype.

Faulkner introduces in this book a groundbreaking, complex narrative style, and this book influenced many later American writers. I was amazed at the genius of the construction. That alone makes the book worth reading. It's a work of art.

But it's not for everyone -- if you don't enjoy mentally challenging books, it's not for you. But if you're like me, and you like books that challenge you, and you like seeing writers experiment with language and structure, this is a satisfying read.

This book is amazingly hard to comprehend but if you stick with it and make sure you understand benjy's and quentin's section by the end you will be glad you did.

Of all the Faulkner books available, this one is by far the best. And I've read them all. Yes, that's correct, all of them. Second place probably goes to AS I LAY DYING and third to LIGHT IN AUGUST. No Faulkner is easy, but TSATF is one of his more accessible efforts and should be read by everyone, whether as recommended reading in school or not. And while I'm normally one nowadays for bestsellers like DA VINCI CODE or McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, I do also enjoy "real" literature. Not that those aren't "real" and the McCrae is actually LIKE Faulkner in some respects, but those two are more "popular" in their efforts than most Faulkner. To anyone interested in great writing, TSATF is the ONE Faulkner book you must read. Hopefully, after that, you'll want to tackle them all!

From a narrative standpoint, this novel moves from the disconnected observations of the retarded Benji, to the guilty thoughts of the pathetic and suicidal Quentin, to the deceitful manipulations of the bitter Jason, to a third-person narrative, where we get an objective rendering of the life of Dilsey, the black woman who holds the Compson family together. This is a book with enormous range and a tour de force of a great writer who continues to amaze 75 years after publication.

Nonetheless, the elements of Faulkner's writing that I enjoy the most are his humor and his descriptive powers. Here's one example, with Quentin Compson observing as he meanders before his suicide: "I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the late light supine and tranquil upon tide flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off."

In my opinion, this amazing but challenging novel shows why Faulkner won the noble prize but could not support himself with his fiction.

I read somewhere that Faulkner believed that he failed in writing this novel because he used a few narrators to craft his story. I believe it just proved his genius mind even more. The Sound and the Fury was a difficult book. However, with a little research and opinions of others, it can become a book of deeper thinking for you. This book intrigued me and encouraged me to have a higher level of thinking. When you read this novel, you can't just look on the surface. You have to say to yourself, "Okay...what would the mentally challenged Benjy gather from this situation? Why did he flash back to Christmas?" Each character in The Sound and the Fury contributes to the craziness in the novel. They are very colorful individuals- from mentally challenged to promiscuous.
Everyone plays an important role in getting across the theme of failed Southern values. Mr. Jason Compson III disregards Southern morals and this leads to Quentin's suicide (just an example of the significance of this theme in the novel). It is important to pay attention to each little detail in this novel- especially the symbols. There is foreshadowing with Caddy's underclothes being dirtied, signifying the family's soiled name. This novel definitely deserves five stars because I do not feel worthy of even attempting to criticize Faulkner's writings. Even if it may be over almost everyone's heads, his stories can be pieced together carefully and made sense of.

As a story, the first two sections of "The Sound and the Fury" are almost unintelligible. But somehow Faulkner succeeds in giving you clues to what is going on despite the rambling senseless phrasing. After you've finished reading you feel relieved that it's over, but sometime later you feel the need to go back and read it with new understanding.

Don't cheat yourself and get the Cliff's Notes. Just read it twice. The first time it doesn't make that much sense. The second time it becomes much clearer. Then get the Cliff's Notes and be impressed with the depth of Faulkner's mind.

"TSATF" is really a powerful story -- underneath it all -- but more than anything, Faulkner is experimenting with storytelling technique, specifically, "stream of conciousness." That's what critics love about it, that it's challenging and it was experimental when it was originally published. The average reader, of course, is more interested in a good story. And, as a result, most people will be disappointed, because it is just too difficult to figure out what is going on from paragraph to paragraph.

But struggle on. Like good medicine, it's definitely worth your time and effort.