With Faulkner, and especially with The Sound and the Fury, you're in one of Three camps. You love it, you get it and you hate it, or you don't get it and you hate it. For the purpose of this review, I suppose I should note I fall in the first catagory.
Yes, a lot of (most?) people read it the first time in an English class, some of us get the pleasure of reading twice in separate English classes, and you would be hard-pressed to find an English major anywhere in America who doesn't, at the very least, say they've read it.
The first time through ain't easy. The Norton Edition helps greatly with that... I can't imagine trying to read any other edition the first time. And it's one of those 2 bookmark books... one in the novel, another in the reference section. Basically, you need a decoder ring to read it. Norton provides said decoder ring. Well, in book form. (a Faulkner decoder ring... now wouldn't that be neat?)
And, trust me, once you've gotten through it once, provided you can crack the spine again without crying, it gets better and better with subsequent reads. It's one of those "change your life" books, but without being preachy or even motivational... it's an honest and disturbing and heartbreaking and headache-inducing picture of family, community, an era, and existence as a whole.
April 17, 2008

An acquired taste?

Faulkner seems to be one of those authors you either love or hate. His stream-of-consciousness style can be hard to follow at times, but his stories are spot-on as far as the human condition is concerned. I never really got into this novel until grad school; now I can't get enough of Faulkner! Read it even if you aren't an English major!
January 17, 2008

Rediscovered and now my favorite book

I tried to read this book as a freshman in college, and it was utterly lost on me, I'm sad to say. At the time, I was in denial about my status as a Southerner; I just wanted to get out and move to NYC and pretend I was living in Andy Warhol's factory.

Now, as an adult, and as a writer with a forthcoming memoir about growing up in the South, TSATF is far and away my favorite book. I took it with me on a recent trip to Mexico and read it on the beach, completely unable to put it down. It's not straightforward until the third of the four sections; Benjy's section (though the most beautiful thing I have ever read) and Quentin's are stream-of-consciousness and difficult. This is where the Norton Critical Edition is so handy. The pages and pages of biographical info and criticism are compelling and insightful, and make a great companion to the book. If you buy this book, buy this edition. It's very well compiled and makes me proud that Norton is my publisher.
December 24, 2007

Great But Difficult Novel

This is perhaps the most difficult novel written that's worth the time to read. I'd STRONGLY suggest you buy Volpe's book on Faulkner's Novels to read along with it first. Volpe breaks down the points at which a different charecter takes over the narrative. After that, try it yourself, but Volpe is the best guide for the person new to Faulkner's harder(hardest)work. The Norton Edition has a great deal of helpful critical material which, though not in Volpe's ballpark, is very helpful. Buy this edition, but don't forget the Volpe on Faulkner's novel.
June 25, 2007

A beautiful and complex work.

I read _The_Sound_and_the_Fury_ several years ago and have forgotten many of the details, but this book remains my favorite fictional work. The Norton Critical Edition provides readers with valuable insight into many of the passages, but some could probably do without the explanatory pages that follow Faulkner's actual book. Since I took an intensive course on Faulkner's work, I had help from a great professor. Even with the help of critical texts and analysis, I found _The_Sound_and_the_Fury_ to be difficult. I reread the book several times for a better understanding of certain sections.

Since other readers have provided summaries about this book, I'll just remark that this is a masterfully written book. I've read most of Faulkner's short stories and novels (except for _As_I_Lay_Dying_) and consider this to be his best work. Faulkner wrote each chapter according to the perspectives of four very different characters, and this is reflected in the form and substance of the chapters. Faulkner's long (many exceed one-third of a page), complex, and heavily detailed sentences demand concentration. It's certainly not a light read, although the book is relatively short. Overall, a beautifully haunting work that showcases Faulkner's idiosyncratic style.

August 16, 2006

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

The Sun Also Rises
by Ernest Hemingway

Absalom, Absalom!
by William Faulkner

The Sound and the Fury (Cliffs Notes)
by James L. Roberts