eBook Absalom, Absalom! (Turtleback School Library Binding Edition) ePub

Many years ago, I read William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and loved it. That was the only Faulkner work I had read until Absalom, Absalom! was recommended to me. Reading that the latter book used characters from the former and that these two books were largely the reason the author won the Nobel Prize for Literature, I felt I had to read Absalom, Absalom! I have taught literature, and I have read and understood (I think) many complicated novels. But I was baffled by this one. When all was said and done, I did follow the storyline, and I think the characters and their dealings were a metaphor for the South in the Civil War. But oh, how I got bogged down. There were times I found myself wondering not only who was narrating but who was being talked about. Faulkner’s style in this book is to string together multitudes of words into sentences that last forever and paragraphs that can be as much as two pages long with endless repetition. I do not have the arrogance to criticize this, as Faulkner has been acclaimed as one of the best authors of the twentieth century. I do have, however, the courage to suggest that this book was far beyond me, and in order for me to gain any appreciation of it, I will have to do further research—and perhaps ask a Faulkner scholar or aficionado to explain it all to me.

I wish to make it clear that I completely respect readers who can truly enjoy this particular book. I have been reading Mr. Faulkner's work in chronological order. There are times I really enjoy his work. However I seem to have struck an impasse with this work. There are sentences that run on, seemingly forever. Paragraphs are pages in length. Much of it seems to be a rambling narrative about imagined or possible occurrences. There seem to be incredibly long sentences that contain the words "maybe" and "perhaps". I also have trouble identifying with the characters, something that does not occur when I read other authors' works.

I have located several different lists of so called "greatest novels". I have been trying to read a great many of these novels. Mr. Faulkner in general, and Absalom, Absalom in particular appear on numerous lists. I can tell this is great writing. However, I have not enjoyed this book. It is a difficult reading experience. I tend to have simple taste in all aspects of my life and perhaps this is simply too elaborate for me.

Mr. Faulkner wrote some early novels that seem to be largely forgotten. The first I know of is "Soldier's Pay". I read that and liked it very much. But it was definitely not "high literature" compared to his later work. I have not read his second novel, "Mosquitoes". I now intend to read that novel and see how it compares with Soldier's Pay and his later works. Thank You...

This is a dense, complex book. While some may dismiss Faulkner's prose as too abstruse, to me it is sheer poetry, even if I do not always (or immediately) follow the logic and need to go over a sentence (or even a paragraph) a couple of times. This book has got depth and lyricism. Read it for the poetry. If you get more out of it, all the better. My recommendation would be to read this book at least twice, the first time just to get accustomed to Faulkner's use of language, and then another time to concentrate and focus more on the story itself. It can be difficult to get past his use of language and digest his meaning all in one sitting, but many of the scenes, themes and characters will remain in your mind for a long time. Definitely not for everyone, but if you have time, patience, and don't mind being challenged, give this book a shot, you may love it.

Faulkner's masterful work Absalom, Absalom! is an amazing work of literature because while it is fiction and nearly mythological in scope, and while the dialogue does not in any way reflect how people actually talk, it is also absolutely true. At the center of the story is Thomas Sutpen who appears in Faulkner's fictional town of Jefferson seemingly out of nowhere to forge a future for himself through hard work and a ruthless practicality that include slavery and marriage. In a grand sense he is representative of the South itself filled with ambition, nobility, and evil. He is trying to make a way for himself in the world that is handed to him. The novel unfolds around an accusation of fratricide, incest and miscegenation. But all this is pretty well known and easily accessible information.
What I love about the novel are Faulkner's picture of the south. His turns of phrase, his command of language, is stunning. He is at his best when he is describing the air on a September evening, the wood on an unpainted house or the cotton dress on a poor woman. The best thing about this novel is the way he unfolds the story step by step, non-chronologically, and with great reluctance. This story is true because it is about the way we recreate the past based on the fragments of truth we have. It is about the way we assume, guess and remake the events of the past. In this sense Faulkner's stream of consciousness language is true -- the back and forth is the way people think, especially about significant past events when they do not know the whole story. In other words, every time we think about the past.
But no one talks like the people in Absalom, Absalom! talk. And everyone in the novel talks this way. People think this way but they do not converse this way. It is a small weakness, and a charming weakness in a masterful work of literature.

Ironically, I found this to be an amazing book to read on vacation. I know, bizarre, right?

However, the ability to simply spend large chunks of time submersing myself into the flow of Faulkner's prose gave me the fullest experience of his language, of the rhythm of the story and the lives it represents. Sitting on the beach under the umbrella and listening to the waves, I lost myself in another world.

Haunting, daunting, and lyrical, this is best read when you have enough time to read for long stretches, enjoying Faulkner like slow-sipping whiskey.