Because reading "The Sound and the Fury" has turned into a bit of a marathon, and because it was a struggle to read the first section of the book, I wanted to take time to examine the author. This short bio is not an attempt to give a comprehensive view on Faulkner's life, just to research and provide some general information to better put his work into context. Faulkner grew up in Oxford, Mississippi, and his experiences there shaped his career as an author. Each novel he wrote contributed to the whole that was his creation of the history of a fictional county in Mississippi, the lives of the families living there, and the changes they go through over the course of several generations. Generally, his work is about the fall of the classic "old southern" family, and the decline of the decadance of the old south. As a lifetime Northerner, and as someone who didn't grow up in the 1910's, the place and time Faulker wrote about is very foreign to me. I don't know much about that style of life, and about how it must have felt to live through its' demise. I am hoping that as I read through the remaining 2/3 of "The Sound and the Fury," that I can share in that experiene with the author just a little bit.
Faulkner went on to write over a dozen novels, a hundred short stories, poetry and hollywood screen plays. He went on to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949, several Pulitzers and the disctinction for being a pain in the ass to read, but highly rewarding if you put your time in. I can vouch for the former, and I am continuing to hope for the latter.
Maybe this great American novel could be turned into a great American video game? It has interesting characters and a complex story line. Do you think there could be a market for it? If you haven't read the book, you could see the movie. If you haven't read the movie, you could just play the video game! Maybe not.... Keep at it, Jakob (we love Calvin and Hobbs, too!)
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