Findings on Faulkner

I found many aspects of Faulkner's life fascinating.  I was first struck by his immense humility, which is almost maddening.  He stated that he is a "failed poet", and that was the only reason he took up writing novels.  When speaking of his preference to The Sound and the Fury, he claims to favor it because it was his "most splendid failure".  Through these quotes, he appears to be very unsure of his skills.  He was additionally modest when accepting his Nobel Prize, and he was too shy to speak to James Joyce when he could have in France.  This is striking because it seems that in most cases, fame corrupts.  It is almost upsetting that someone so good at something claims failure, because it raises the necessary question of who we are (compared to so-called failure).  Yet, this impressive humility is challenged as he insulted Hemingway and claimed to have written As I Lay Dying in a mere six weeks.  These public statements challenge his actual personality.

However, much more of Faulkner's character demands attention.  It is surprising that Faulkner was a poet first, and when he did write prose, he favored the Romantic style and era, though he found his passion in writing about his own times.  It is similarly stunning that all of Faulkner's work was created without a college degree, or a high school diploma.  His intelligence is seen as even greater when it is considered that he skipped a grade as well.  One of his "weakest works", A Fable, still won him a Pulitzer, and it cannot be forgotten that he won a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Given his success and accomplishment, it is more intriguing that Faulkner seems to be a controversy in himself. He wrote both for the love of writing, and for money.  He sold his writes for gain to the movie industry, but in his need, never took a stable job, and was seen to have stages of intense drunkenness.  It appears that he never focused on his education, but took it in his hands to educate his niece.  Even his name is questionable, as he changed its spelling from Falkner to Faulkner to make it appear more British, in a web of lies to gain entrance into the Canadian Air Force.  He allowed lies and exaggerations to be told of his nonexistent actions during war, and even based a book on some of the stories he told of his service.

It may be these challenges and contradictions that made him such a good author.  I am drawn to the style of his writing, because it seems so intriguingly unique.  The Mississippi writers report that his writing challenges "the truths of the heart", and this is strengthened by his plot lines told by many characters, because they allow for greater analysis and interpretations.  William Faulkner on the Web also explores his many Shakespearean references, which always strike me as fascinating.

After learning about Faulkner's life and rare style, I am drawn to The Sound and the Fury, and hope to discover many of the questions he saw in his own Southern lifestyle, that will appear in his character's times.  Reading the summary of the plot and characters provided by William Faulkner on the Web, has sparked my interest greater and will hopefully give a chance at understanding this acclaimed and promising work.