William Faulkner for Beginners

My guide to William Faulkner.

MY WEBSITE: http://www.robertcrayola.com/

FAULKNER BOOKS~

Novels 1926-1929:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931082898/4353-20

Novels 1930-1935:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940450267/4353-20

Novels 1936-1940:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940450550/4353-20

Novels 1942-1954
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940450852/4353-20

Novels 1957-1962
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1883011698/4353-20

Knight's Gambit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394727290/4353-20

Collected Stories
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679764038/4353-20


GENEALOGICAL CHARTS OF CHARACTERS IN FAULKNER:
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/gen-index.html

Recorded May 20, 2011 in Santa Maria, California.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• james joyce
• as i lay dying
• the sound and the fury
• absalom absalom
• literature
• robert crayola
• virginia woolf
• stream of consciousness

[OrmondTheMagnificent]

Love Faulkner!!! Really helped me with my writing, too. Helped me think out of the box. "Absalom" is my absolute favorite, then "As I Lay Dying" , "Light...", "Intruder...", Go Down Moses". The best way to experience "Absalom" to me is to read it over and over; each time I find something new. "Sound & The Fury" I didn't care for too much but I think it's very well written. Yeah, Faulkner was one of a kind!

[RobertCrayola]

@OrmondTheMagnificent Absalom's my favorite too!

[01738083370]

A guy, talking about the most important american novelist ever = incredibly sexy =D

great video!

[RobertCrayola]

@01738083370 Thank you, mysterious number person.

[TheKevtrevable]

I really enjoyed 'Sanctuary' , not many people mention it I've noticed, I don't know why, the sinister quality of it makes it such a page turner. ' The Sound and the Fury', is such a beautifully crafted book, 'Light in August wore me out a bit but I enjoyed that also. I'm just really getting into Faulkner, not sure what to read next.

[guitara7x6661]

I liked Light in August more than As I Lay Dying, but Im about to start sound and fury and absalom after that so those might be better.

[misscuppcake1]

He's my great grandfather and if you don't believe me go to hell!!!now!!!!!

[RandyHooHa]

I reckon 'The Reivers' is Faulkner's most accessible book: I've actually used it to convert a couple of people to Faulkner! It's a gem. But there's nothing in the world quite like 'The Sound & the Fury', 'As I Lay Dying', 'Light in August', 'Absalom, Absalom' (my favourite too) and 'The Hamlet'.I don't think any 20th-century writer matched that achievement. I also like some of the later stuff, especially 'Requiem for a Nun' and 'A Fable'.

Thanks for the terrific video!

[UltimaGravitas]

My tips based on limited experience: Start from As I Lay Dying, ignoring his lesser works. His style of writing is complex because the characters don't tell the story to you; they tell the story to the "you" inside them. The complexity is the manifestation of their thoughts on printed pages. So in a sense, less disturbed (peculiar) characters like Cash is easier to be understood than, say, Vardaman.

Quentin is hard to follow because he is neurotic and has high literacy. (that combination...)

[UltimaGravitas]

Light in August is conventional (not so much stream of consciousness there), though it is really good. (so far actually, because I've just started)

Just finished As I Lay Dying: Short, sometimes funny, and Vardaman.

The first Faulkner's novel that I bought is The Sound and Fury. Sadly I got stuck at Quentin's part, so I decided to digest his simpler works, which resulted in me having completed at least one of the masterpieces.