The Sound and the Fury (Norton Critical Editions) Paperback – December 17, 1993

I'll try to keep this short and sweet. This was my first venture into Faulkner, and most assuredly, will not be my last. Like many, I was interested in this book because it's held on such a high pedestal in the literary world. While I will not get into the details of the plot, I would suggest to those that are unfamiliar with "stream of consciousness" writing--as I was--look up any questions you have regarding the story once you come across them. The first section was by far the hardest for me to comprehend for this very reason.As far as this "Norton Critical Edition" is concerned, I did not like certain aspects of the formatting. The text itself seemed to be rather awkward to read, especially when trying to read for a long, continuous session. The other aspect I did not like was the drawn out post-novel interpretations. While some of the content was interesting--such as the letters from Faulkner--much of the other seemed bland and extraneous. (the story itself runs about 200 pages, the post-work runs the remaining 230+ pages) On the plus side however, this edition does have many qualities. One that I found helpful was the marginal space. In a book with such use of southern language, this space was perfect for any side notes or definitions I needed to write in as reference points.

Faulkner is a man of his own writing...after you read the book and reflect on it, you realize that it is quite a book! As I started it, it was very difficult to understand exactly what was going on. thankfully I had a copy that included both of Faulkner's introductions....regretfully, they are located in the Appendix. It would have been most helpful to have read those first and then read the book. I didn't give this a "Great" rating because it was so difficult to read and understand at times. You really have to get "in" the moment to have a real feel for what was happening. Faulkner thought that this was his best book and the further away from it I get, the more I am inclined to agree. It is a book that makes you think about it for months after the reading of it.

This is one of the best novels ever written. The prose can be intimidating and the way the narration jumps between past and present is complex, especially in the first two parts, but don't let that scare you away. Ifi hadn't been assigned this book for class I probably would've given up after the first several pages, but once I got a feel for what was happening, I became engrossed. It is definitely a book that is difficult, but it teaches you how to read it as you go along. The story is heartbreaking and the imagery is lovely.

The Compson family is a wealthy, aristocratic family living in a large house in Mississippi. The family has put up a façade of success, but it is really a family in decline, decaying from the inside. Jason Compson III, the patriarch of the family is also an alcoholic, and eventually dies of the disease. Jason's wife Caroline is bedridden for a good portion of her life, probably suffering from some psychosomatic illness of her own creation.Quentin, the eldest Compson son, is set to go to Harvard, squandering more of the family's wealth. Quentin then hears of his sister Candace's pregnancy out of wedlock. He is distraught by the news, so distraught that he tries to tell his father that he is responsible, and has had an incestuous relationship with Candace. Jason III scoffs at this idea, and Quentin is left with no other choice but to commit suicide. Candace tries to cover up the pregnancy by marrying a banker named Herbert Head. Herbert promises a job to Jason Compson IV, Candace's younger brother, but quickly rescinds the offer when he finds out that Candace's child is from another man.Candace gives birth to the child, a girl named Quentin, whom she abandons at the Compson home. There Quentin grows up with her uncle, Jason IV, a frustrated racist, who is unsuccessful at making his own money so he tries to steal what's left of the Compson money from his niece Quentin. Quentin has grown up to be quite the wild child and she and her uncle clash quite a bit about who she is dating and how late she stays out. The youngest Compson child, Benjamin, is mentally disabled, and is a constant source of shame and scorn to the family. Does the Compson family ever regain prominence, or does their show decline into oblivion continue?I've read a lot of books, and a lot of classic books and I have to say that The Sound and the Fury is undoubtedly the worst classic book I've ever read. I'm truly at a loss as to why this is considered a classic novel. The plot is dense, the voice of the so-called protagonist, Candace, is the weakest of the main characters, and the book relies on many societal and cultural stereotypes, which are insulting when read today.The first chapter is narrated by Benjy, the mentally challenged member of the Compson family, who at different points in the book is a child and a 33 year old adult. His age never seems to matter though, Benjy simply whimpers and moans. This is not the character to lead the narration, and I'm sure Faulkner knew nothing about mental disability in 1929, so Benji is treated like little more than a slobbering child. Why make the first impression that of a whimpering moaning man/child when the author neither understands or seeks to understand the malady that plagues Benjamin?The second chapter is narrated by Quentin, a person so preoccupied by his sister's virginity that he commits suicide. Why does Faulkner seem obsessed with incest in this chapter, why does he bring up such a taboo subject here, especially if it's a lie? I do not understand.The third chapter is narrated by Jason IV, who fancies himself a businessman, buying and selling cotton futures, but is so filled with hate and rage, spewing the N word with such regularity, that he's no more than a garden variety racist, who is in reality such a bad businessman that he works as a clerk in a store and has to resort to stealing money pledged to his niece.The fourth chapter is told through the eyes of Dilsey, an elderly servant in the Compson household. This chapter really adds nothing to the exposition of the book, other than to further the estrangement between Jason the 4th and Quentin.Muddying the waters even more is the literary techniques used by Faulkner. He tells the story in such a non-linear fashion that almost immediately, the reader becomes lost. It's like traveling to a place you've never been to without a map, you don't know where you're going, you don't know how to get there but you do know the journey will end. Another technique that Faulkner employs which adds to the readers frustration is his stream of consciousness technique. The reader can not only hear the character's voice, but all the voices and thoughts in the character's head, and by the time he stops using stream of consciousness, the reader is begging to get the character's voices out of his head.The servant characters were a thorn in my side, that silly Stepin Fechit dialect, Yessah, NoSah. The unending subservience, I was sick of Dilsey and her whole family in no time. This was 60 years after the Civil War for crying out loud, Faulkner couldn't find one erudite person of color in the South 60 years after the Civil War? That's inexcusable? Moreover, white Southerners are also stereotyped as well, they are nothing more than inbred racists, on Faulkner's eyes. How is this book a classic again? Ralph Ellison, the author of the Invisible Man recognizes the pernicious black stereotypes in his critique of this book. He is the only person to mention stereotypes as far as I know.I would compare this book to East of Eden in that both talk about the dissolution of once prominent families, but since Steinbeck is a much better writer in my opinion, East of Eden is a compelling story whereas The Sound and the Fury was a disjointed mess , in search of a voice. I also think of Huckleberry Finn when reading this book, but again Twain is a much better writer and gives Jim an innate intelligence that makes him smarter than Huck in a lot of ways. That intelligence is missing from Faulkner's black characters. Huck Finn was written almost 40 years before The Sound and The Fury.Finally, there are many verses borrowed from the Bible in The Sound and the Fury. I have gained a good understanding of the Bible over many years, yet I simply couldn't understand the use of these verses in Faulkner's book. I have even read that Benjy is a Christ like figure, that analysis is simply ludicrous in my mind.The Sound and The Fury. Signifies Nothing.For more book and movie reviews, please read my blog Reviews Withatudehttp://reviewswithatude.wordpress.com/

I bought this book for my grown daughter for a stocking stuffer. She has already finished it Christmas week so this being the case I'd say it was good. Why you might ask? The answer is she only saves books she likes others she donates to the Salvation Army or the local library.

Great buy

This will definitely take a second read to grab every element going on in the story. Once things are put together, it is a very vivid story with deep characters.

A tough read (even with teachers guidance) but it payed off. I really loved it. I didn't care much for As I Lay Dying and this very much changed my opinion on Faulkner's capabilities.

Excellent purchase, arrived quickly and in great condition. Norton editions never fail to provide everything you need about a book! Thank you!

A+