William Faulkner Essay

William Faulkner Essay
William Faulkner
William Faulkner is one of America's most talked about writers and his work should be included in any literary canon for several reasons. After
reading a few of his short stories, it becomes clear that Faulkner's works have uniqueness to them. One of the qualities that make William Faulkner's
writings different is his close connection with the South. Gwendolyn Charbnier states, 'Besides the sociological factors that influence Faulkner's work,
biographical factors are of great importance&#8230;'; (20). Faulkner's magnificent imagination led him to create a fictional Mississippi county
named Yoknapatawpha, which includes every detail from square mileage of the county to the break down of...show more content...
To add even more problems, Faulkner had more than extramarital affair. One of the affairs was with his own stepdaughter. Gwendolyn Chabrier
states that, 'Faulkner's generally disharmonious family life surfaces in while families populating his work. Their relationships are generally
destructive and bear correspondence to the author's own personal and family life where there was lack of personal comprehension one for the other
between spouses'; (30). In his work, he wrote about subjects that were extremely controversial not only for his time, but even for today. Leslie A.
Fiedler admits, 'His concern with sex at it's most lurid, his monotonously nymphomaniac women, his lovers of beast, his rapists and dreamers of incest,
put off the ordinary reader, who tends to prefer his pornography pure'; (387). Faulkner's controversial writing and personal life make his writing very
interesting for people to read. Faulkner did not always follow the rules for his life or characteristics, but in general he wrote about family and the
traditions of the South.
It is in the story 'A Rose for Emily'; that William Faulkner writes about a Southern aristocratic woman named Miss Emily. The story begins with the
death of Miss Emily. The whole town turns out to attend the funeral of the 'fallen monument'; (26), as described in
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William Faulkner's Impact On Society
William Faulkner is one of the most accomplished authors in the history of American Literature. Having been born and raised in the heart of
Mississippi, Faulkner used his first–hand experiences from growing up in the Deep South and translated it into some of the most widely read Southern
literature. The impact that William Faulkner had on society is perfectly summarized by George Garrett, who stated that "no contemporary writer can
ignore the work of William Faulkner," adding that these aspiring writers will always wind up reading book written both by Faulkner and about him
(Garrett 419).
Faulkner displayed a much different style of writing than that of his contemporaries. Faulkner's complex and often confusing writing style enabled him
...show more content...
In the story, Faulkner tells a tale about how the white community was able to exploit the black community (Kartigarner 21). In The Hamlet, Faulkner
creates an isolated setting in which the people are described by Greet as "ready victims of whichever Snopes or Varner is, for the season, providing
them with 'furnishings'" (331–32). Greet argues that this setting allows for Felm to work on his trickery before taking advantage of the "less
susceptible society of Jefferson" (Greet 332).
According to Kartiganer, African Americans are returned to prominence in The Unvanquished, although their role was still a bit insignificant despite
their liberation from slavery after the conclusion of the war (21–22). Kartiganer continues to argue that Absalom, Absalom! marks the first time that
Faulkner portrays the African American as part of an important figure in the South, rather than an insignificant character (21). Faulkner introduces his
first major black character in The Sand and the Fury, which focuses on the influential impact that blacks made on white society (Kartiganer

William Faulkner's Major Works and Themes
Major Works And Themes Faulkner's works consisted of many dark touchy topics such as war, racism, mental illness and suicide in all of books,
short stories, William Faulkner wrote about almost every part of life, from something that could be absurd at his time, to something real like
racism in the American South. Throughout his life, Faulkner was kind of a rebel, notorious for his confidence, drinking, and he would often
make up stories about himself. Faulkner wrote from experience and as a person who lived in the south during times of racism, he wrote about a
lot of things in the south. To be exact his specific genre or style in which he wrote in is what some call "southern gothic". Southern gothic is a
unique style of writing and only expressed by very few authors. These stories usually take place only in the south and have darkness to them. His
stories would use irony to examine the values of the American south. Instead of solely trying to add suspense with the style it is also used to
explore social issues and cultural character of the south. Which leads me to one of Faulkner's first important novels "Sartoris". In Sartoris Faulkner
focuses on a family during the world war era in the south. In the book the Sartoris family is one of the more important families in Yoknapatawpha
County where the book is set. The Old Colonel, John Sartoris, represents an old and dying out order dating back to the mid 1900's. His world revolves
around his plantation home, his slaves and his

Essay about William Faulkner and History
William Faulkner and History
In order to fully understand importance of history and the past in Faulkner's writing, it is first necessary to examine the life he lived and the place
that shaped it. William Cuthbert Falkner (the "u" was later added via his own accord) was born September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi
(Padgett). Named for his great–grandfather Colonel Falkner, young William was told countless stories as a boy of the old Colonel and other great
heroes of the South. Faulkner himself described the process of embellishment subjected to one story told by his Aunt over time:
...as [Aunt Jenny] grew older the tale itself grew richer and richer, taking on a mellow splendor like wine; until what had been a hare–brained...show
more content...
While it is possible to regard Faulkner's writing without the knowledge of his Southern heritage, Faulkner enthusiast and literary Critic Cleanth Brooks
argues that in order to understand him, one must realize the importance of his being born in a particular time and place. Faulkner himself has made
this connection and simply admitted to writing about what he knew best: his "own little postage stamp of native soil" (Brooks, Time 251). Brooks
further develops the notion that Faulkner uses his personal knowledge and experience in his essay "Faulkner and the Muse of History." He describes
Faulkner's surrounding acquaintances stating that, "...the people that he knew had clinging to their lives a great deal of the stuff of history–the history
that had produced them and had helped them mold the culture out of which them came" (266). The South of Faulkner's youth was still very much alive
with pre–war memories being passed down through generations and weaving a culture all of its own. This Southern culture, also the culture Faulkner
wrote about, held family very central to it. Society placed an emphasis on manners and honour, and was characterized by close personal relationships
(Brooks, Muse). Even despite the region's "quite rigid black–white caste system" there was

The Bear by William Faulkner Essay
William Faulkner's novella "The Bear" from his collection of works, Go Down Moses, is a symbolic exploration of the relationship between man
and nature in the eyes of a young boy. The heart of the issue, the warped idea of the ownership of land, is revealed thought the clash of man and
nature in a wild chase that ends only in blood and death. The prey is nature itself, represented by a bear, while the hunters are men, full of greed and
destructive possessiveness, pursuing that which they do not understand. Ike's idea of the bear, presented in section 1 of the novella, expresses the idea
of symbolism in relation to the bear and to the hunters and what the battle between the two represents. The bear itself, Old Ben, is a symbol for...show
more content...
Upon his first encounter with the woods, Ike is lost in wonder, it has been his dream for as long as he could remember to join the men on the hunt and
explore the beauty of the big woods. What sets Ike apart from the other men, however, is his wonder of the wilderness, not just of its size, but of what
mysteries it contains. When he arrives he feels the need "to earn for himself from the wilderness the name and state of hunter provided he in his term
were humble and enduring enough." (192) Ike doesn't desire the approval of any of the other hunter, his cousin, or even his wise mentor Sam Fathers.
Instead he knows that the right to claim the name of hunter lies in earning the approval "from the wilderness" and to do so he must be "humble and
enduring." (192) Those words do not seem to fit with the violent acts of the other hunters; to them the ability to shoot and kill is all that really matters,
hence the disrespect for Boon and the position of Walter Ewell as a senior hunter. By using gentle words Faulkner states that there is more to "hunting"
than killing, what Ike desires and seeks to prove himself worthy of is belonging to nature, to feel its beauty and strength running through him. Without
this sense of approval and belonging from the woods, Ike feels he is unworthy to take the life of an animal and to use what he has gained from death to

William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying
Emma Guidry
Mrs. Smith
English III
8 November 2014
Rough Draft William Faulkner is named one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, winning a Nobel Prize for both his novels and short
stories (Padgett). In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, there are concurrent themes such as words and their importance, and death. Faulkner also
incorporates symbols, such as animals, a coffin, and a fish in his book to add to the complexity of his style of writing. William Cuthbert Faulkner,
born on September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, started his writing career in his teenage years. Reading and writing poetry was something
that interested Faulkner in his early years along with drawing. Faulkner did well in school, but later grew tired of it...show more content...
This inspired Faulkner to create the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which was very similar to Lafayette County, located in Oxford, Mississippi, the
area in which Faulkner grew up. Some of the characters that Faulkner created were even based off of people that Faulkner had known while growing
up. Later in his life, Faulkner decided to write screenplays. Although he was uninterested in writing screenplays, he wrote them because he needed the
money after his father passed away in 1933. In the same year that Faulkner's father passed away, Faulkner's wife gave birth to Jill, whom became the
only child that Faulkner and Estelle had that lived ("William Cuthbert Faulkner"). Faulkner was given many awards, including the Howells Medal for
distinguished work in American fiction, the National Book Award for Collected Stories, the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949, the National Book
Award for

William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway were both wonderfully gifted and talented writers in their time. In As I Lay Dying and A Farewell to Arms,
one can see the similarities and differences between Faulkner and Hemingway through their ability to draw from personal experiences to inspire their
work, their narrative styles, and their use of language. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi and trained as a pilot in the first Royal
Canadian Air Force during World War 1. After the war, Faulkner beganwriting again. A friend told Faulkner to write about his native Mississippi.
Inspired by the concept, Faulkner began writing about the places and people of his childhood, developing many colorful characters based on the real
people he grew up with or heard about. Many of Faulkner's most successful pieces, including As I Lay Dying, took place in Yoknapatawpha County–a
place nearly identical to where he was raised. (Biography.com). Ernest Hemingway's background, while different from Faulkner's, also inspired his
writing. He was working for a newspaper in Kansas City, when a friend suggested Hemingway volunteer for the American Field Service as an
ambulance driver. In Europe, Hemingway had many of the experiences he used to pull from in writing A Farewell to Arms, including being wounded
by a projectile exploding in the trenches and falling in love with a nurse who would become the model for Catherine Barkley (Roberts). Their narrating
styles are vastly different.

William Faulkner Biography
William Faulkner was Born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897 to Murry and Maud Butler Falkner. Throughout his young life he
was taken care of from birth until he moved out by his caretaker, an African American woman named Caroline Barr. William called her "Mammy".
Barr was one of the most influential people in his life. She was fundamental to his development in his early years. He said later on that it was a
privilege to have known her and that she was the one who taught him right from wrong and sparked his interest in the politics of sexuality and race.
Faulkner's grandfather was also a writer. William Clark Falkner, often called "Old Colonel", was an adventurous man who was a railroad financier,
politician, soldier, farmer,...show more content...
The makers later retitled it to "The Story of Temple Drake" in 1933. During that same year Estelle gave birth yet again to their next daughter who
they named Jill. Jill ended up being the only surviving child of the couple. Afterwards, he continued to write scripts for various films in Hollywood,
but purely for the money and not really because of any inspirational purposes. At the same time he continued to publish some of his best works
including, "Absalom, Absalom!" (1936), "The Hamlet" (1940), and "Go Down Moses"

Rhetorical Analysis Of William Faulkner's Speech
American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi, William Faulkner in his inspirational banquet speech, asserts that humanity can
overcome war which he referred to the Cold War that was occurring at the time, and gives advice to what it means to be a talented writer. He
supports his claim by first explaining how the award is not truly for him, but for his work. Furthermore, he also gives advice to upcoming writers and
tells to embrace the "Truths of the heart" to have substance in what they write. Finally he uses pathos to make the speech more relatable to the
audience and uses this to express his fear with being blown up during the occurrence of the war. Faulkner's purpose is to persuade young writers to
keep in their minds

The Accomplishments Of William Faulkner
Kenneth Clayton
Dr. Kay
ENG 102
28 November 2014
The Accomplishments of William Faulkner
William Faulkner is one of the best American authors of the early Twentieth Century. Born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi,
Faulkner enjoys his younger years painting, reading and writing. Faulkner does not graduate from high school because school is not appealing to him.
Instead, Faulkner invests his time as a carpenter, soldier, farmer, politician, businessman, lawyer, and an author. Out of his job accomplishments,
Faulkner gravitates to writing. When Faulkner attended the University of Mississippi, he wrote short poetry for the Times–Picayune and The Double
Dealer. It is during this time that Faulkner enhances his writing ability. Once Faulkner began to write novels, it became his passion. Faulkner publishes
his first collection of poetry, The Marble Faun in 1924 (Faulkner). Faulkner's novels are challenging to read, but not exempt from...show more content...
Faulkner uses natural analogies to bring home his point of view. The novel deals with the evaluation of modern capitalism. According to Sarah
Churchwell, "Faulkner uses a stream of consciousness narration to suggest the way that Benjy's mind flows through time: memory, reality and emotion
meet, shift, and kaleidoscopically recombine". The novel is based on values from the South. It is a novel that leads the reader down the same storyline
multiple times through different characters. Because of this, it requires the reader to pay chose attention. The novel causes the reader to figure out
what is taking place within the novel. The novel gives key points to help the reader piece together what the novel is saying (Churchwell). Some readers
think that reading The Sound and the Fury novel without having a prior understanding is like riding in the fog without headlights. The novel can be
challenging to read, but is very rewarding to the reader who completes

William Faulkner Essay
Faulkner grew up in Mississippi in the beginning of the twentieth century ('William Faulkner'; 699). He was the son to Murray C. and Maud Butler
Faulkner (Hoffman 13). Growing up in the South in the early 1900's meant being exposed to harsh racism. He watched the blacks endure unbelievable
amounts of cruelty and was amazed at how the blacks conducted themselves with such dignity. He witnessed, first hand, what discrimination is and
could not comprehend why this goes on. In many of Faulkner's works I found that he portrayed blacks as quite,easy–going, well–tempered people. He
attempted to show them as heroes. It is my belief that Faulkner writes about the south because that is the subject that has affected his life most....show
more content...
He was never put to death because he was proven innocent by a young white boy named Charles Mallison. This boy had been bothered for years
because he had eaten part of Lucas's supper once. Charles tried to repay the Negro but Lucas wanted nothing in return. The boy thought he had
finally repaid Lucas by proving his innocence until he learned that Lucas had given two dollars to the boy's uncle for saving his life. Here Faulkner
shows the humbleness of the black man in the old south. In this novel, Charles comes of age and realizes that the 'game'; of life is not always fair.
Edmund Wilson states, 'It is his loyalty to the old Negro that leads to the discovery of evidence that the crime has been committed by someone else;
and his emergence, under the stimulus of events, out of boyhood into comparative maturity is as much the subject of the book as the predicament of
the Negro'; (Edmund 219).      Another story of Faulkner's that contains the maturing theme and has a Southern
setting is 'A Rose for Emily.'; This one, like most of his others, takes place in the southern part of the United States. It takes place after the Civil War
during the south's transition from the 'Old South'; to the 'New South.'; All we know is that she lives in Jefferson, but we can assume it is in the South
for a couple of

Rhetorical Analysis Of William Faulkner's Speech
The only thing to fear is fear itself In this speech, addressing the 1951 graduating class at University high school, William Faulkner played with the
emotions of his audience with his strategic uses of repetition and long, run–on–sentences in his syntax as well as historical anecdotes that are relevant
to the era. Throughout the speech, the repetition demonstrates Faulkner's passion to diminish the fear felt throughout the nation. Words like, "man",
"fear" and " you" are repeated as a way to persuade the graduates so that they "have the ability to help change the world," as they are the next
generation of workers, politicians, parents, and dreamers. Faulkner's use of historical anecdotes appeals to the heartfelt emotions of the graduates.

William Faulkner Research Paper
William Faulkner Biography Nobel Prize–winning novelist William Faulkner, a major American twentieth–century author, wrote historical novels
portraying the decline and decay of the upper crust of Southern society. The imaginative power and psychological depth of his work ranks him as one
of America's greatest novelists. William Cuthbert Faulkner was born on September 25,1879 in New Albany, Mississippi however he grew up in
Oxford, Mississippi. He was the first of four sons to Murry Cuthbert Faulkner (June 26, 1899–December 24, 1975) and Maud Butler Faulkner
(November 27, 1871–October 16, 1975). His brothers were Murry Charles "Jack" Falkner (June 26, 1899–December 24, 1975); John Wesley Faulkner
(September 24, 1901 – March 28, 1963); and Dean Swift Falkner (August 15, 1907–November 10, 1935). Murry joined the FBI and took part in the
murder of John Dillinger, a famous bank robber, in Chicago. John had become an American author and an accomplished self–taught painter. The
youngest brother Dean died in a plane crash during an airshow at the age of 28 years old. Estelle Oldham Faulkner was a popular girl growing up with
an...show more content...
He is best known for such novels as The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Light in August and Absalom, Absalom! The novel The Sound and
the Fury (1929) centers on the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats who are struggling to deal with the dissolution of their family and its
reputation. Over the course of the 30 years or so related in the novel, the family falls into financial ruin, loses its religious faith and the respect of the
town of Jefferson, and many of them die tragically. As I Lay Dying (1930) is narrated by 15 different characters over 59 chapters. It is the story of the
death of Addie Bundren and her poor, rural family's quest and motivations–noble or selfish–to honor her wish to be buried in her hometown of Jefferson,

William Faulkner Influence on his Work Essay
The writer and Nobel Prize winner, William Cuthbert Faulkner, was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897. Faulkner was the
first of four sons to Murry Cuthbert Falkner and Maud Butler. His family settled in Oxford when he was about five years old, and Faulkner spends
most of his life there. Faulkner was successful early in his life, but during the fifth grade he lost interest in school and started missing classes. He did
not graduate from high school, and later on he was able to go to the University of Mississippi in Oxford, but dropped out after three semesters. He is
known as one of the most famous Southern literature writers, mostly for his novels and poetry. William Faulkner's literary career was influenced by
the men through a sort of respectful affection ..." (Faulkner 79). The Souther culture valued their community and took it for a granted
accomplishment to attend a funeral and help in need. Theses Southern culture and values influenced some of Faulkner's work. Also, Faulkner
represents the old southern values through his story A Rose for Emily, when Emily starts seeing Homer Barron. The author Thomas Dilworth
refers in his journal A Romance to Kill for: Homicidal Complicity in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", "By entering a love affair with Homer
Barron, Emily briefly rebelled against southern values and then, by ending her affair with him, at least as far the townspeople were concerned, she
conformed against those values"(Dilworth). The older townspeople believed that Emily forgot her "noblesse oblige". They disliked Barron because
he was a Northerner "Yankee". Faulkner's own Southern culture and value are present in his story. Dilworth also describes in his journal that the
narrator, "... implies his own and his society's cultural values which influence attitudes and behavior toward Emily in a way that implicates him and
the townspeople in her fate" (Dilworth). Faulkner is describing his own privet love story thorough Emily's love for Barron. When Faulkner fall in
love Estella Oldhams, her parents a banded their relationship and made Estella marry someone else. In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner wrote that Emily
was prepared to get married, but Barron Faulkner states,

William Faulkner 's Writing Style
William Faulkner, who lived his entire live in Mississippi, was a Nobel Prize– winning writer who became well–known for his work set in the
American South. After dropping out of high school and working in multiple different fields, he was commissioned as a major in the Hawaiian
Territorial Forces. Faulkner later enrolled in the University of Mississippi and began his writing career; writer Sherwood Anderson gave Faulkner
advice, stating that he should write about his native home of Mississippi. Faulkner began writing about the places and people of his hometown,
developing characters and plots based on real people he had known, including his great–grandfather. The writer conceived and placed most of his work
in Yoknapatawpha County, an imaginary setting that Faulkner used to mirror the South he knew so well ("William Faulkner– Biographical"). Besides
developing work that explored the history, present, and future of the south, Faulkner also received recognition for a writing style that was faithful to
southern speech ("William Faulkner"). Ultimately, Faulkner's discontent toward the status of southern society in the 1920s and 1930s played a large
role in his writing and created a message that often underlies his short stories, specifically "A Rose for Emily." He became famous for the way he
addressed many southern social issues, including racism, sexism, and aristocracy.
"A Rose for Emily" was first published in 1930 in an issue of The Forum and was Faulkner's first short

William Faulkner is an American novelist whose major work is As I Lay Dying. Faulkner gave each of his characters traits that are expressed
throughout the story. The reader is introduced to each character through their detailed and descriptive character traits. We are able to delve into the
character's mind and see their personal and distinct traits. He did not tell us anything about the characters, but he takes us into the mind of each
character to analyze what we see there. Even though these characters lead parallel lives we can see the total alienation and breakdown of the
relationships between each other. Darl, Jewel, and Anse possess character traits that contribute to or cause the breakdown of their relationship.
Anse...show more content...
He even goes so far as to save money when he puts cement on Cash's broken leg instead of paying for a doctor to put a cast on it. Also, to avoid
being sued by Gillespie for Darl setting fire to his barn he has Darl sent to a mental asylum in Jackson. Furthermore, Faulkner demonstrates Anse's
selfishness with him not realizing that Jewel is the product of Addie's affair. Anse is so self
–absorbed that he has no clue that Addie had an affair or
that Jewel is not is son. Anse is so useless and selfish he is almost dismissed as an individual. Anse views the flood and the fire as more crosses to bear
before he can get his new teeth. He has no concern or regard with what the journey is doing to his children. His selfishness is also expressed when he
says, " I don't, won't begrudge her." (Faulkner 56). Anse forgives Addie for all the problems that she caused throughout the journey this moreover
demonstrates his selfishness. Anse is constantly indebted to others, but he refuses to recognize his obligation and excuses himself with his comment, "I
aint beholden." (Faulkner 46). One would think that the death of his wife would bring him closer to his children but it does not. He only has one
reason to complete the journey and that is to get his new teeth. Although, Anse is the most selfish he is the only one who succeeds in the novel.
"Among other things we have the problem of how to view Anse and the fact that he is triumphant at the end, the only character who gained

The Life and Writing of William Faulkner Essay
The birth of the modernist movement in American literature was the result of the post–World War I social breakdown. Writers adopted a disjointed
fragmented style of writing that rebelled against traditional literature. One such writer is William Faulkner, whose individual style is characterized by
his use of "stream of consciousness" and writing from multiple points of view. World War I had a more profound effect on society than wars prior.
With new deadly weapons, like poison gas, high death tolls, and the first occurrence of total war, shocked the world, tearing people between the
modern and the tradition. Traditional society was torn down by the destruction of the war. As with most literary movements, writers reflect the world
His actually education only goes as far as one year at the University of Mississippi. After leaving Oxford and living in New Haven, Connecticut for a
few years, Faulkner joined the British Royal Flying Corps. He never served active duty, as the war ended before his training did. Faulkner returned
home and began writing poetry. But his early writing was more of the traditional style– a mix of Shakespeare, Victorian, and Edwardian. It wasn't until
a trip to New Orleans in 1925 that he began to fiddle with his writing style, after a friend encouraged him to write more Southern based prose. His
style also grew as he began reading James Joyce, a "high" modernist writer, and Sigmund Freud, and also took a trip to Europe– the center of modernist
writing. With these influences, Faulkner began writing novels about Southern society, with an emphasis on the psychology of the characters. For
example, in his novel The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner writes from four different points of view; the first three sections are of each of the three
brother's point of view, and the last section is omniscient. His writing also plays with chronology, not always following a specific timeline. The
disjointedness of time is very prominent in As I Lay Dying. About the death of a mother, the 59 inner monologues and fifteen characters make the book
more about the characters psychology rather than a

William Faulkner's Use of Shakespeare Essay
William Faulkner's Use of Shakespeare
Throughout his career William Faulkner acknowledged the influence of many writers upon his work––Twain, Dreiser, Anderson, Keats, Dickens,
Conrad, Balzac, Bergson, and Cervantes, to name only a few––but the one writer that he consistently mentioned as a constant and continuing influence
was William Shakespeare. Though Faulkner's claim as a fledgling writer in 1921 that "[he] could write a play like Hamlet if [he] wanted to" (FAB
330) may be dismissed as an act of youthful posturing, the statement serves to indicate that from the beginning Shakespeare was the standard by which
Faulkner would judge his own creativity. In later years Faulkner frequently acknowledged Shakespeare as a major...show more content...
Both started out as poets but shortly turned to other narrative forms, Faulkner to fiction and Shakespeare to drama. Both had extramarital affairs that
were reflected in some of their writings. Each wrote both tragedies and comedies, and in each case their final work was a comedy, Shakespeare's The
Tempest and Faulkner's The Reivers. A number of dominant themes and emphases are common to both writers, including the imaginative use of
historical materials, the incorporation of both tragic and comic views of life, and the paradoxical tension between fate (in Faulkner's case, determinism)
and free will. Moreover, both writers exhibit a fascination for experimental form and language, flouting conventional rules to create new narrative
structures and delighting in neologisms, puns, and other forms of word play. Finally, both writers were acutely interested in the paradoxical
relationship of life and art.
It would be impossible, of course, in the short time that I have to consider all of the possible Shakespearean influences upon Faulkner, so I will cite
only three representative examples. These may be grouped according to the following categories: (1) specific Faulkner allusions to Shakespeare's plays
and characters; (2) a common interest in historical analogues; and (3) an emphasis on the theme of the immortality of art.
ALLUSIONS
Allusions, or cross references, by one author to the works of another provide irrefutable evidence of a

William Faulkner And Barn Burning Essay
"Rebellion, against not only rationalism but also against all traditional modes of understanding humanity, is the attitude forming the artistic backdrop as
the twentieth–century begins. The perspective of the 'modern' and of modernism in literature is that the rationalist project fails to produce answers to
the deepest human questions, is doomed to failure, and that we are on our own for seeking answers to questions about human meaning." (Mr. John
Mays) Sarty Snopes in William Faulkner's Barn Burning, explores these questions of human meaning, which ultimately classifies this modernistic short
story. The dichotomy and differences between Sarty and Abner Snopes creates an undeniable tension within the character of Sarty, while he battles
Abner embodies the flawed predecessors which give way to defining the modern man. The constant criticism and ultimate demise of Abner implies
his flawed nature, and is a critique on the world by Faulkner. Abner does not think before he burns, he simply does. His ravenous character
produces wanton acts of provocation and retribution, and his tyranny causes this need to control his son. In addition to this, Abner clearly has an
overwhelming desire for his son's affection. Each time he says to his son that he must "stick to [his] own blood," it is a cry for his son to be proud
of his heritage and of himself. Abner assigns himself the role of the teacher, and Sarty is the pupil. WHOEVER writes, "When Ab takes Sarty into the
de Spain house for the first time, he engages in two acts of instruction, both of which are aimed at overthrowing his son's naГЇve, inarticulate view of
the house as exhibiting 'peace and dignity... beyond [Ab's] touch.' The house is not beyond his touch, Ab says, because whiteness can always be
marked by the merde of his anger. It is not beyond his touch in a more profound way as well, one that holds the possibility of creating allegiance not
simply through fear, but through empathy, and shared understanding." (52–53) Abner is unable to establish this allegiance because he uses fear instead
of empathy. However, the characteristics of Abner, and his failing as a teacher–figure are essential in the development

William Faulkner Essay

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William Faulkner Essay