the sound and the fury

[MysteryMama]

I don't understand how anyone can like this book! I tried to read it, and did read the first part and a few pages of the second, and I was over it. IT's so confusing! I'm really not a stupid person, but I just didn't get it. Quentin is sometimes referred to as a "he" and sometimes as a "she". I mean, when I read a good portion of a book and can't even tell the sex of the characters, that's ridiculous. It also seemed all over the place.... hard to tell what was memory vs present experience.

Is it just me?

ETA: oops, meant to post this in books!

[Evergreen]

It's ok. A nice mod will move it!

I hated that book too. Way too confusing. I guess I am not a stream of consciousness kind of girl despite the fact that my posts often read that way

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Loved this book! The gender confusion is over the fact that they had him castrated b/c he was retarded. (sorry spoiler!)

Anyway, not everyone can do stream of conciousness books. It takes some getting used to, but it is a truly amazing and well written book. Groundbreaking for its time, by one of America's truly great novelists.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I love Faulkner, and I love this book, though it isn't my favorite. Honestly, I hated it the first time I read it. I "got" it the second time. I loved it the third time. It is confusing at first. It helps a little bit if you are familiar with Yoknapatawpha, but I think everyone is confused when they first read it. It has 4 different narrators for pete's sake! It is Benjy who is handicapped though, not Quentin. The first part is written in Benjy's voice, so it is especially erratic. I totally think the book is worth the effort, but it isn't for everyone.

The crazy thing about Faulkner is he doesn't really have a "style." Every book is written a little differently, so I find I often have to read them multiple times before I really get it.

ETA: I think the gender irregularity you are referring to has do do with the fact that there is a female Quentin and a male Quentin. Caddy named her daughter Quentin after their brother. The male Quentin is one of the narrators. Since Benjy's section jumps around so much chronologically sometimes he's talking about his brother and sometimes about his niece. Hope that helps!

[LemonPie]

^ yes, the narrator changes. It's confusing if you don't know that. Heck, it's confusing anyway. It also helps to have some idea of what was going on in that time period and what the social customs of the time were.

I've read it 3 or 4 times and while I 'get it', it's just really not my style.

[gcgirl]

I don't like Faulkner. I "get" him, but it's not my cup of tea at all. Just a pain in the ass to read.

[ursusarctos]

I read TSatF in high school and reaaally liked it, though it did take me a while to figure out just what was going on due to narrator issues. It inspired me to read Absalom, Absalom, which I really didn't like *at all* - found it boring, pointless, not at all as moving as TSatF. So yeah, guess Faulkner's works are all different...

[MysteryMama]

I'm sure that if I wanted to put in the effort I could "get" it, but that's the thing... I read for pleasure/leisure, not work! My idea of unwinding and relaxing with a good book does NOT include giving myself a headache over a piece of work such as TSATF.

I know a lot of people like the book, so I hope I don't offend anyone when I say I actually found it to be a little pretentious. If I wrote that, well first off it never would have been published, and secondly if it were no one would have bothered to work through the confusion. I feel like the fact that it has Faulkners name on it is what really gives it it's weight.

That being said, I did read A Light in August and thought it was pretty decent.

[savannah smiles]

I always felt guilty that, as an English major (and Southerner!) in college, that I never really enjoyed Faulkner's books. I love his short stories, such as "A Rose for Emily" but not his novels.

[Sailor]

I couldn't enjoy his books either. But, I'm not a fan of stream of consciousness. I'm a fan of clear works. Say what you mean, and do it clearly, lol.