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As I Lay Dying/Faulkner
Posted on 8/14/17 at 7:17 pm
Posted on 8/14/17 at 7:17 pm
My first Faulkner book and I'm halfway through and it's pretty terrible. Does it get better? Is this a bad example of Faulkner? If not, how did he come to be held in such high regard?
9
Posted on 8/14/17 at 7:48 pm to RandySavage
yes, def a bad example of faulkner ... been ranked in the top 50 of all english books since 1920 and influenced countless authors whose works have also been ranked as highly ... but since you don't like it, it obviously sucks ...
clue: take 1 pound of ritalin, knock down that ADD and try to reflect on the story, as any patient reader should ...
clue: take 1 pound of ritalin, knock down that ADD and try to reflect on the story, as any patient reader should ...
Posted on 8/14/17 at 9:08 pm to RandySavage
One of my favorites from Faulkner
Posted on 8/15/17 at 1:09 am to RandySavage
His second best behind Sound and the fury.
Harold Bloom, America's eminent literary critic, ranks As I Lay Dying as the best Ameriacn work of the 20th century.
Addie Bundren's one chapter and the very organization of the book as multiple narrations, is the way to understand the overall themes and messages.
Harold Bloom, America's eminent literary critic, ranks As I Lay Dying as the best Ameriacn work of the 20th century.
Addie Bundren's one chapter and the very organization of the book as multiple narrations, is the way to understand the overall themes and messages.
Posted on 8/15/17 at 9:35 am to RandySavage
I'm reading The Sound and the Fury, also my first Faulkner book. I found it difficult, too, but it gets easier and much more enjoyable as you keep reading and getting used to his style.
Posted on 8/15/17 at 10:42 am to RandySavage
I'd say if you're halfway through and asking if it gets better, the answer is probably no. Faulkner isn't for everyone. This was the book where his writing style clicked with me, and it was my 3rd attempt at Faulkner.
Posted on 8/15/17 at 6:35 pm to RandySavage
He's held in high regard because his prose is outstanding and he's an excellent writer. But just because he's a superb writer doesn't mean his books are necessarily interesting.
I found As I lay Dying to be a decent read, but it didn't knock my socks off. Extremely well written though.
Faulkner and Steinbeck are both guys that good writers but I find their books kinda meh(though I love Of Mice and Men as an exception to that).
I found As I lay Dying to be a decent read, but it didn't knock my socks off. Extremely well written though.
Faulkner and Steinbeck are both guys that good writers but I find their books kinda meh(though I love Of Mice and Men as an exception to that).
Posted on 8/15/17 at 8:20 pm to auyushu
quote:
Faulkner and Steinbeck are both guys that good writers but I find their books kinda meh(though I love Of Mice and Men as an exception to that).
Fighting words. East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Tortilla Flats, In Dubious Battle, To a God Unknown, Cannery Row... Steinbeck is my jam.
Faulkner and Steinbeck are, stylistically, vey very different though. Faulkner's problem is that his more experimental stuff is downright hard to read at times. He can lay out a whopper of a sentence that needs to be read 4-5 times in order to really soak in its beauty. Steinbeck isn't that tough to read, but he juggles more thematically in some ways, imo.
Anyway, to the OP: Faulkenr is hard. Faulkner is not for everybody. Faulkner enjoyment usually hits you about the same time as a love of good bourbon.
Posted on 8/15/17 at 8:41 pm to hogfly
I just finished Addie's chapter. It was the best of the book by a mile so far imo.
I don't know maybe I'm just too dumb to get it or not a "patient" enough reader but half the time I don't know what's going on and when I do understand it it's just not that interesting to me.
So far I've gathered Cash worked on her casket all the time, some other boys left when she was about to die, they have to take her to bury her in another town, and the tried to ford a river and failed.
I don't know maybe I'm just too dumb to get it or not a "patient" enough reader but half the time I don't know what's going on and when I do understand it it's just not that interesting to me.
So far I've gathered Cash worked on her casket all the time, some other boys left when she was about to die, they have to take her to bury her in another town, and the tried to ford a river and failed.
Posted on 8/15/17 at 9:08 pm to RandySavage
quote:
I don't know maybe I'm just too dumb to get it or not a "patient" enough reader but half the time I don't know what's going on and when I do understand it it's just not that interesting to me.
I have an MA in English Literature. I love to read dense stuff like Faulkner, Pynchon, Lowry, DFW, Rushdie, DeLillo, Joyce, etc.. That being said, this type of literature isn't for everyone. I used to read it because I had to as a Lit. Major. Now, I enjoy reading it just to savor and appreciate the prose. That being said, these books aren't exactly "page turners." They're meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully. Sometimes I'm in the mood for this type of book, and sometimes I want to read something that is a little easier to digest.
There's nothing wrong with not enjoying it. Also, just because you don't enjoy it currently doesn't mean you'll never enjoy it. It just might not be the Faulkner season for you in your life right now.
This post was edited on 8/15/17 at 9:10 pm
Posted on 8/16/17 at 11:21 am to hogfly
I mean I've come across some sentences/phrases that I found very poignant and it's a short book so I'll finish it up but the highs just don't outweigh the lows imo.
Posted on 8/16/17 at 12:40 pm to RandySavage
It's a great example of Faulkner and an even better example of the kind of books we have come to read; namely, not the kind of books Faulkner wrote.
Like so many classics, Faulkner is difficult to read without people to discuss it with. I love and respect everything Joyce has written that I've read, but I can't get through Ulysses.
It's not a bad book. You, like me, are just a bad reader. And that's fine. Read something else.
Like so many classics, Faulkner is difficult to read without people to discuss it with. I love and respect everything Joyce has written that I've read, but I can't get through Ulysses.
It's not a bad book. You, like me, are just a bad reader. And that's fine. Read something else.
Posted on 8/16/17 at 7:00 pm to hogfly
quote:
Fighting words.
Heh, as I said in my post, I can appreciate that they are great writers with excellent prose. They just aren't for me. To be fair though, I've really only tried East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, and even less of Faulkner (I enjoyed As I lay Dying just fine, just not something I would go out of my way to choose to read on my own).
This post was edited on 8/16/17 at 7:02 pm
Posted on 8/16/17 at 11:50 pm to RandySavage
I read it in high school and mildly disliked it. Probably would appreciate it more now.
Posted on 8/17/17 at 3:11 pm to RandySavage
Faulkner is one of the few "big name" authors who I just never got into. For authors you have to "work at" I think I enjoyed James Joyce more.
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