William Faulkner : An Introduction

I believe that often to understand a work of literature, it is important to understand the writer's environment, personality, beliefs, and circumstances. As I researched Faulkner and his life, I came across many interesting bits of information that gave me a good basis to understand his writing.

Faulkner grew up in the South in a small town called Rowan Oaks. He used the South as a backdrop to his novels. His knowledge and understanding of Southern geography and culture helped bring his books to life.

Faulkner preferred not to be under the scrutiny of the public eye. In fact, he refused to attend the awarding of the Nobel Prize until he was finally convinced. He was often pegged as an alchoholic because of his occasional drinking binges that often occured at the completion of a novel. Faulkner was also interested in art and culture of other countries; he changed his name from "Falkner" to "Faulkner," because it looks more British with a "u." As seen in the photo below, he also grew a beard to look like a "Bohemian poet" while in France.

Faulkner's narrative was a fresh take on literature, and gives the reader even more information about Faulkner as a person. A great line from Faulkner's Requiem For A Nun reads, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." This reflects his interesting ideas about time, which he utilizes to create a new kind of narrative. His work was actually rejected a few times because of this experimental format.

I found it facinating that he didn't finish high school nor recieve a college degree, yet became a highly renound author. To me, this shows raw talent and a lot of determination. He recognized when and where he needed to improve himself and his work, saying, "I'm a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he can't and then tries the short story which is the most demanding form after poetry. And failing at that, only then does he take up novel writing.”

Researching Faulkner's life has helped me obtain greater insight on who he was as a person. This will certainly help me as I take on one of his most popular works, The Sound and the Fury.