Spring Lit Analysis #2-"The Sound and the Fury"

Spring Literature Analysis #2

"The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

Book Edition: 01/10/1990 Vintage International

"And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."

-"Macbeth" ACT V scene 5
Suggested Song

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

-The narrative style of "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner is unlike anything I've ever seen and is strangely difficult. The book is narrated by four different narrators along four different timelines (more like points in time/well more specifically days in the life of the Compson Family). Each narration is written in a stream of consciousness style, which Faulkner was a chief pioneer of. First among these days is April 7th 1928 is the day from which Benjy (or Maury) Compson narrates. Reading Benjy's part is incredibly difficult for two major reason, one is that Benjy is mentally handicapped and because of this he doesn't tell things in the order they actually occurred. So instead of a chronological narrative we get instead a myriad of and dates that the other narrators experience, but Benjy jumps around them and experiences those memories as if he was going through them for the first time. But what makes Benjy unique are his senses. Because he doesn't speak he serves as a great tool for indirect characterization and serves as a way to discern the other characters' true nature. June 2nd 1910 begins Quentin Compson's narration. Quentin's narration is so drastically different from Benjy's for several reasons. Among the first reasons is that it actually follows more of a narrative style. Events happen chronologically over the course of the day beginning in his Harvard dorm room. Narration also occurs from the protagonist and while Faulkner is still writing in this stream of consciousness style there is an evident shift in his approach to it. Instead of the more primal instincts as seen with Benjy's narration, Quentin's narration focuses more on feelings and a conscious flow of thoughts that range from suicidal and haunted to inquisitive and remorseful, leading up to his impending suicide. Jason's narrative begins April 6th 1928 right after Caddy's illegitimate daughter Quentin (named after her uncle) runs away from the Compson family. And finally April 8th 1928, the only section not narrated from a first person point of view, but rather Faulkner's own third-person type perspective on the family through Dilsey their servant who firsthand witnesses the family's decline through three-generations.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid clichés.
Self absorption and its corrupting abilities. Mrs. Caroline Compson, is the perfect example of the detrimental effects of Self Absorption.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
Pity. I'm struggling to put words to this, but pity was what I felt most while reading this novel. The lack of love for her children that Mrs. Compson displays (except Jason), Quentin's obsessiveness with time and the struggles he has to uphold the legacy of the family name. Caddy's promiscuity as a result of her mother's negligence. Benjy's abuses at his family's hands, though not abuse as in physical abuse, but abuse as the lack of respect and how the family hid him in shame. And finally Jason, whose narcissistic, cynical, and egotistical ways continued to lead to the family's downfall. Faulkner was a master of southern culture and literature and perhaps "The Sound and the Fury" was a warning and proof of the authors' seemingly growing disgust with the failing culture of the South (which was occurring throughout the 1920's when old Southern values; family etc, were collapsing)

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
Stream of Consciousness- Stream of conciousess doesn't seem to need much explanation here, seeing as the whole book is filled with it "poor Quentin; she leaned back on her arms her hands locked about her knees; you've never done that have you; what done what; that what I have what I did" -pg 151

Syntax-"I saw them Then I saw Caddy, with flowers in her hair, and a long veil like shining wind. Caddy Caddy" what syntax does in the novel is critical, especially in Benjy's narrative.

Tragedy-A tragedy is a somber novel or piece of literature in which a character or set of characters experience a downward spiral to tragic conclusions.

Point of View-"She wore a stiff black straw hat perched upon her turban, and a maroon velvet cape with a border of mangy and anonymous fur above a dress of purple silk..." pg 256 The first time in the novel that it isn't in a first person point of view. In it Faulkner uses his own interpretation of the events by focusing on Dilsey, and beginning a third person omniscient narrative by stepping away from the first person stream of consciousness that dominated the entirety of the novel.

Interior Monologue- "And so as soon as I knew I couldn't see it I began to wonder what time it was. Father said that constant speculation regarding the position of mechanical hands on an arbitrary dial which is a symptom of mind-function. Excrement Father said like sweating. And I was saying All right. Wonder. Go on and wonder." -pg 77

Allusion/Foreshadow- The title itself is the absolute best example I could think of for allusions. One of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedy was "Macbeth", which I read last semester and it inspired me to read "The Sound and the Fury" by Faulkner. The title quote I usually do from the book, I replaced with that quote from "Macbeth", "And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing." This play on words and allusion is also a great use of foreshadowing by Faulkner. In "Macbeth" the title character's world eventually spins into demise and literally all hell breaks loose. And as a title it give us a great idea of what to expect early on. Which in fact is the demise of a family, "a tale told by an idiot" Benjy, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." the utter demise of the family and how death trivial life can be.

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
Syntax and diction do change but only with point of view and narrative. Benjy provides the most accurate impression of the family's individual character and motivations, because Benjy himself has no ulterior motives. In fact it is Benjy who first notices/senses Caddy's growing promiscuity, he sees Quentin's emotional state, experiences Jason's cynicism, and the failure of Caroline Compson to love her children, rather allowing Dilsey, their servant, to raise them.

3. Is the protagonist Are the Characters static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
-These characters are very round and very dynamic and readers easily see that because we experience their first person thoughts and feelings about certain reactions as they do.

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. 
-I definitely felt as if I had met an actual person rather than just an image that someone created. And it is all due to Faulkner's narrative style. He put his readers into the minds of his characters and created a new way of telling stories through narrative.