Customer Reviews

As I Lay Dying

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3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Among academics and literary connoisseurs at the moment, William Faulkner is generally the greatest American author to ever write. This novel, his quintessential work, is one of the main reasons why; it also epitomizes his work in many ways, collecting in one place many of his most pivotal techniques, themes, and concerns. The book's narrative complexity is widely-noted and highly-praised: the novel is composed of some 50-odd sections of narration by 15 different narrators. Each speaker has a distinctive personality, parlance, and way of viewing the world. The entire story is built around one central event: the death of the Bundren family matriarch, hence the title. As with The Sound and the Fury, the structure is not linear: it is told in bits and starts by each narrator, each revealing something that the others didn't reveal while also concealing something that the others did not. Different people often present the same event in totally different ways. The different sections of narration and the multiple narrators also provide insight into the psychology (and psychopathology) of each speaker. In the writing, Faulkner alternates between what the characters say, what they consciously think, and even what they unconsciously think. These latter two, especially the unconscious thoughts, are presented by Faulkner in a realistic and true-to-life manner: sometimes random, sometimes seemingly nonsensical, and sometimes incomplete. In so doing, Faulkner skillfully and successfully employs the often-cited but much-maligned and frequently-misunderstood technique of stream-of-consciousness. One might get the sense that Faulkner had a hard time running back and forth between the various plates that he had spinning, in order to keep any of them from falling down. If this was indeed the case, it is not apparent, and Faulkner pulls off the immensely complicated and complex task with grace, skill, and even apparent ease where a lesser author would've fallen flat on his or her face. In my view, anyone who can pull off such a task is nothing less than a genius. As one might expect, it is not exactly an easy read, especially the first time around -- for the text simply cries out for multiple readings -- but, once one gets the hang of the narration, it moves quite quickly and one is able to enjoy the storyline to its full extent.

While the story and plot themselves, aside from the narrative complexity, might be quite simple, Faulkner manages to show much simple humanity in it. The Bundren family, in attempting to bury its matriarch, undergoes Job-like traumatic experience after traumatic experience. In relating their adventures and misfortunes, Faulkner lays on thick his particularly macabre brand of dark humor. The book is also positively dripping with Faulkner's particular brand of pathos. He also explores many of his central themes: the importance of the family, and particularly the matriarch to Southern life; the importance of the church (God and religion) to the same; the after-effects of the Civil War on the South; issues of class and race; the cyclical nature of life (as in the book's surprising, if not outright shocking, ending). In all of As I Lay Dying's broad implications and features, Faulkner created one of the great American novels. If one has never read Faulkner before, this is the place to start: it is basically an epitomization of his work, while also being an easier first read than, say, The Sound and the Fury. If one has read Faulkner before, pick this up for another great read.

This is the first Faulkner novel I have read, after grinding through a few of his shorts like "A Rose For Emily". I've become a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy, who is oft described as Faulknerian, so I decided to give his long prose a chance. AS I LAY DYING was one of the darkest, most soul crushing, and oddly humorous, books I have ever read. I don't think I've ever despised a character as much as Anse Bundren. I hate him from basically his introduction.

I've never been left as staggered as I was after reading AS I LAY DYING. I finished the book basically after my second year English class, having just studied Paradise Lost, sitting at a desk on the campus library's fourth floor, looking out the window as it snowed.

Hell of an experience.

I've read three of Faulkner's great novels, "Absalom, Absalom!" "The Sound and the Fury," and this one. Of the three, "As I Lay Dying" is the easiest and perhaps the most fun. Actually, after about the first 10 pages or so, the storyline is pretty easy to figure out. The only thing difficult is differentiating and remembering all the character names and associating the characters with their actions. Taking notes might actually be helpful. A family tree in the beginning would have been helpful too, but I'm sure Faulkner would have objected. Faulkner forces you to figure out simple things like gender, relative age, and familial relationships without giving you too many clues, but things soon become clear. Of the three Faulkner novels I've read, this is by far the funniest, and has a great punchline at the end. A must read for Faulkner fans, and if you're going to dive in to his works, this is a great place to start.

I recently had to read As I Lay Dying for my college english class, and i must say that this book keeps you reading. This was my first taste of Faulkner, and it just left me wanting more. His writing style isn't very straightforward, and he uses a wide variety of narrators, but the story itself is great. I highly recommend giving As I Lay Dying a shot.

Much has been said about America's great writer, William Faulkner, and about this novel in particular. He is a great craftsman of fiction. Of all American writers, he perfected the use of that stream of consciousness narration we all heard about in English Literature 101. His fascination with the "grotesque" and with the legacy of the Civil War in the South has been covered time and time again. But I think AS I LAY DYING has one other element going for it that doesn't appear as prominently in the others, and that is the power or lack of power of language.

The "I" in William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING, is Addie Bundren. And while the book is about her death and her family's obligation to bury her miles away in her hometown, Addie's voice is only given one chapter, and that chapter is in the dead center of the book. Flares and sirens should be going off. All the chapters surrounding this central one are remarkable examples of inarticulation, including the famous one-sentence chapter from the youngest Bundren, Vardaman: "My mother is a fish." Addie, however, in her brief chapter, has much to say about everyone, including herself. Her last statement, however, while her devout neighbor tries to force her to repent, points out the impotence of language; that salvation and damnation are just words. Compare this to Dickens' belief in the moralizing power of novels. Dickens believed that his art would have a beneficial effect on his society; think of all the times he addresses his readers and implores them to listen to him and learn. Less than a century later, Faulkner admits that in the end, salvation or damnation is "just a word."

But after having said all that, I don't want you to think that this novel is a mere screen for Faulkner's philosphy. This is a novel, after all, and a great one at that. Quick moving (once you get the hang of the swift shifting from one narrator to the other) and darkly humorous, AS I LAY DYING is loaded with great characters and character studies. It's not without its pathos but given the subject matter, it's to be expected. This is a great place to start, if you've never read Faulkner. Or anything from the 20th century south.

I started reading Faulkner because I never did in school, and as a writer myself, it just felt like I ought to be able to say, "I've read Faulkner."
Well, he's not easy. They don't call him the Master of Repetition for nothin'!
But, of the 3-4 of his books I've read, this one is imminently readable, funny as only Faulkner can be funny, tragic and pathetic as only Faulker can be tragic and patheticand as always, it's a helluva good story.
If you've never read Faulkner before, start with this one.

I read this for English class and loved it so obsessively that the minute I finished the last page, I turned back to the first page and literally read it all over again.

What fascinated me about this book is, of course, the complex, well-formed, cynical characters, and above all the relationships they had with each other.

This book is about SIBLINGS, which is a loaded topic, much under-appeciated in film and literature. Sibling relationships are subtle, elusive, obligatory and voluntary at the same time.
We see that Darl is obviously the most eloquent, intelligent, worldly and educated member of the family and we trust his perspective, yet he idolizes his simpleton brother Cash, believeing their relatoinship to be a very close one. This is ultimately Darl's tragic flaw.

He also tends to spend more time with the youngest of the Bundrel clan, Vardaman, taking him aside just to talk. This kind of intimate detail would be overlooked by a lesser author, but speaks volume about Darl's character. He is not plotting against his family; indeed he is trying to save them.

The big debate happening in my class was regarding the possibly inappropriate relationship between Darl and Dewey Dell. Dewey Dell is sexualized throughout the novel but whether her relationship with Darl was incestuous is up to the read to decide.

And of course Jewel. Jewel is cold and withdrawn, but burns inside with love for his mother.

The absurd journey they take and the cruel knowledge the reader garners from Addie about the true nature of her final wish is a perfect set-up for pathos, with futility and loss emenating so acutely from these pathetic characters.

The book was fascinating, the characters were rich and ugly, and Faulkner's innovative style is unforgettable.

While normally one to pick some "word of mouth" book, like Jackson McCrae's CHILDREN'S CORNER or Martel's LIFE OF PI, I instead sought out something more classical. Glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first, I thought it was a little slow and even somewhat hard to read, but towards the middle I really got into it. My favorite character is Jewel. He is extremely independent, self-assured, and hard-working. Contrary to the belief of others in the book, he is the one who seems to love his mother the most. If anyone has the chance to read this book, I highly recommend it. As an English major, I must say that this book is one of the best I've read!

This is the second of Faulkner's works I have read, the first being "The Sound and the Fury". As with his first work, this novel is also written in the mosaic, multiple perspective and stream of conscience style that is definitive of his work. This book is difficult to read and follow if read in a casual manner, but it is a definitive work and worth the effort. As you read each chapter you likely struggle to place and interpret what you are reading into the rest of the story. As you get closer and closer to the end, the story takes shape much as a mosaic picture takes shape when viewed with a wider perspective. Also recommended: THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD.

I had only heard bad things about William Faulkner's writing, so I was a little leery of this book. However, once I got into it, it wasn't that bad. I liked how Faulkner was able to construct a plot without having the reader even noticing it. As I Lay Dying is a very good representative of stream of consciousness writing. I also like how Faulkner develops his characters through what the other characters in the book think about each other. Not only do you get to learn what each character thinks of the other characters, but it allows you to form your own opinion on the characters, which would otherwise be hard to do if you only had one point of view to go by.

The story is about the Bundren family who find themselves having a hard time trying to fulfill their mother's last wish, to be buried with her family. Through these experiences, Faulkner explores many themes including the importance of family and religion. Faulkner also explores other social issues that arise from being a poor country family living in the South. This book should be read in literature classes at the high school and college level. It is a good introduction to stream of consciousness writing and brings up a lot of good topics that can be discussed.