/lit/ - Literature

>>15940873
Filtered, didn't even get to Quentin

>not absalom

>>15695904
As others have mentioned, the difficulty that comes with reading Faulkner is multi-faceted. Here's my take on what I've read of him. Faulkner's prose is characteristically very long-winded and winding, low on punctuation, and high on asides or tangent sections. Pic related is typical. This is demonstrated countless times throughout all his work that I've read, though it is a little lighter in many of his short stories (not all though). This alone may not be so difficult to read. Light in August is the one of his four most famous novels that is probably lightest on it.

Additionally, especially in the other three famous novels and a couple short stories, he employs a sort of stream-of-consciousness narrative mode. This is much heavier in The Sound and the Fury than it is in the other three novels, though it is present sometimes in As I Lay Dying and Absalom, Absalom. The Sound and the Fury for example often devolves grammatically into collections of separate thought fragments or conversations mixed with thought fragments that are totally lacking any punctuation. Benjy's section is dominated by impressions rather than accurate observations of the world (as he's retarded) and Quentin's is dominated by racing thoughts and memories that come and go abruptly and in mid-thought.

I'd recommend becoming familiar with Faulkner's prose through his short stories ("A Rose for Emily", "That Evening Sun", "Barn Burning", "Dry September", "Red Leaves"). Leave "The Bear" for later because it's longer, more complicated, part of a collection of other themed short stories, and a masterpiece. Vintage put out a great collection of his short stories in paperback and you can find it for cheap. When you feel comfortable with his prose, just jump straight into The Sound and the Fury. It will be difficult but it serves as the basis for a lot of his other stories (in that it has the same characters), and it really is his magnum opus. One of the greatest novels ever written. It is criminally under-read and under-appreciated even by /lit/. From there, you'll feel comfortable reading all other Faulkners, including his other great masterpiece, Absalom Absalom.

The reason I advise against reading Light in August or As I Lay Dying is because while they're great, they're not as good as the other two novels. When I first tried to read Faulkner I tried As I Lay Dying and its difficulty turned me off. Light in August is a huge thematic departure from the other novels, especially TSATF/AA, and reading it won't enlighten you on why some people like Faulkner so much. As I Lay Dying isn't as well written. TSATF was the most difficult read of my life when I read it, and by far the most satisfying. It's the type of book you could read over and over and over again and find something new and beautiful every time. No need to start with his weaker works, just put in the effort to start with his best.

How did a drunk write this? How do I learn to write like this?

How did a drunk rednick hick write better than anyone else has ever on the planet (except maybe Shakespeare)

>>13467782
Faulkner was so much better at prose than most people give him credit for

>his band of wild niggers like beasts half tamed to walk upright like men
When Faulkner really wanted to be flashy he could write some nice sentences

>The Hypersphere is a big fucking place, kid.

>ywn write a page this beautiful

>>12016252
Probably the open page of Absalom, Absalom. Honestly one of the most beautifully written pages in literature

>/lit/ will defend this