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I just finished my second Faulkner novel, The Sound and the Fury, and I devoutly hope never to read another, ever, the rest of my life.
Apart from the fact that I hate dialect, it moves at a snail's pace, no plot in the traditional sense, and every single character is unpleasant - and boring.
I've only "read" one Faulkner novel -- Absalom, Absalom -- because it was my book club's selection almost four years ago. I have "read" in quotes because I gave up after about 20 pages. Life is too short to struggle with reading; if not for the book club, I'd have given up after 3 pages. The one-page run-on sentences were exhausting! To this day, my book club will damn a book with faint praise by saying, "It was no Absalom, Absalom, but..."
Faulkner is probably the second-most over-rated author in all of American literature, second only to F. Scott Fitzgerald, who could at least string a sentence together.
I just finished my second Faulkner novel, The Sound and the Fury, and I devoutly hope never to read another, ever, the rest of my life.
Having read that at around age 20, required for whatever lit class I was taking, I felt the same way. It was too hard to follow his stream of consciousness writing. Some of his short stories are interesting, though. I enjoyed "A Rose for Emily," although it was dark.
I really enjoy Hemingway's style. But his content? Always struck me as rather empty. His stories are mastercrafts of style, but in the end, I find myself not caring about the characters or conflicts.
IMHO Faulkner's stream of consciousness was an attempt to portray dark moody mental atmosphere. Suggests a sort of historic resentment, regret, bitterness, cultural lethargy. Doesn't make for easy or pleasant reading but doubt that was his intent. I didn't particularly like Faulker's work either, but it did make a noticeable impression. Suspect he didn't expect readers to enjoy the read. I have tried to read James Joyce for decades as well, but just can't stick with it. How about Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Think about it. How many times have we heard that just because we don't like a Picasso, Mondrian, or some other piece of art doesn't mean it has no merit. It is supposed to evoke a response. Regardless whether the reaction was negative or positive, if it evoked something you remember, the work was successful. I found Faulkner's shorter stories easier than the novels.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-25-2023 at 02:05 PM..
Think about it. How many times have we heard that just because we don't like a Picasso, Mondrian, or some other piece of art doesn't mean it has no merit. It is supposed to evoke a response. Regardless whether the reaction was negative or positive, if it evoked something you remember, the work was successful. I found Faulkner's shorter stories easier than the novels.
Agreed, but most of us know in an instant if we like or dislike the work of a visual artist. Getting to that point in literature usually takes a greater investment of time and money. And as is the case with art, just because I don't like an author's style, doesn't detract from the value of his or her work.
On a somewhat related topic, we had an interesting discussion about Somerset Maugham's Razor's Edge at my book club meeting last week. We enjoyed the book, making allowances for the dated language (the book was published in 1943), but didn't understand why it still appears on many "best ever" works of fiction. Another instance of it being a matter of taste.
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