Mar 12, 2020 william cuthbert faulkner was born in 1897 and raised in oxford, mississippi, where he spent most of his life. As i lay dying by faulkner, first edition abebooks. Narrated in turn by each of the family membersincluding addie herselfas well as others the novel ranges. Considered one of the most influential novels in american fiction in. As i lay dying is a 1930 southern gothic novel by american author william faulkner. The novel inspired a number of criticallyacclaimed. As i lay dying is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20thcentury literature. About as i lay dying cliffsnotes study guides book. The story revolves around a grim yet darkly humorous pilgrimage, as addie bundrens family sets out to fulfill her last wish. He is the author of the novels the sound and the fury, absalom, absalom. Faulkner was awarded the nobel prize in literature in 1950 and.
It is one of the many novels that faulkner set in the fictional yoknapatawpha county, miss. Narrated in turn by each of the family membersincluding addie herselfas well as others the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. William faulkners classic, as i lay dying, has been banned by several us school districts. Collecting as i lay dying by faulkner, william first edition. About the book it was the book william faulkner drafted while he was working the night shift at a power plant. Narrated in turn by each of the family membersincluding addie herself as well as others the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. As i lay dying is faulkners harrowing account of the bundre familys odyssey across the mississippi countryside to bury addie, their wife and mother.
As i lay dying was faulkners fifth novel and is included in the modern librarys list of 100 best englishlanguage novels of the 20th century. While ideological book banning is infuriating, banning out of ignorance and vague religiosity are, to me, even more galling. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. In its broadest terms, the structure of as i lay dying revolves around the preparations for and the actual journey from the bundren farm to a town forty miles away in order to bury addie bundren. As i lay dying paperback tattered cover book store. These thoughtprovoking questions will get the discussion flowing. Jun 04, 20 as i lay dying was faulkners fifth novel and is included in the modern librarys list of 100 best englishlanguage novels of the 20th century. Therefore, as i lay dying soon gained much more popularity. As i lay dying full text william faulkner internet archive. However, this novel is not considered great because it was popular, nor is it held in high esteem because it is part of a series. William faulkner claimed to have written as i lay dying, his fifth novel, in just. His next book, flags in the dust, was heavily cut and rearranged at the publishers insistence and appeared finally as sartoris in 1929.
In 2014, writerdirector james franco released a film adaptation of the novel. As i lay dying is considered by many both the most enigmatic and the most accessible of faulkners major works. William faulkner novels 19301935 as i lay dying sanctuary light in august pylon author. The corrected text paperback january 30, 1991 by william faulkner author. Before i ever put pen to paper and set down the first word i knew what the last word would be and almost where the last period would fall. As i lay dying, the woman with the dogs eyes would not close my eyes as i descended into hades. Talk about the book talking about as i lay dying in your book club, on our message boards or with one of your friends. The novel inspired a number of criticallyacclaimed books including graham swifts last orders and suzanlori parkss getting mothers body. As i lay dying is a novel by william faulkner that was first published in 1930. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Darl in describing getting a drink of water at night signals us to the prose poetry to come in this narrative the still surface of the water a round orifice in nothingness where before i stirred it awake with the dipper i could see maybe a star or two.
One of william faulkners finest novels, as i lay dying, originally published in 1930, remains a captivating and stylistically innovative work. Get done everything you need to get done, and youll be granteddeath. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. As i lay dying is a 1930 4 5 the title derives from book xi of homers the odyssey, wherein agamemnon speaks to odysseus. As i lay dying project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. During the journey, several difficulties are encountered. William faulkner published by a vintage book vintage books a division of random house, inc. Narrated in turn by each of the family members including addie herself as well as others the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. A list of important facts about william faulkners as i lay dying, including setting, climax, protagonists, and antagonists.
It has been decades since anyone attempted to adapt a william faulkner novel for the big screen, and certainly as i lay dying a novel with 15 different narrators was a difficult choice for actorwriterdirector and all. Collecting as i lay dying by faulkner, william first. These two novels were originally published by liveright in the 1920s. As i lay dying is faulkners harrowing account of the bundren familys odyssey across the. As i lay dying at the heart of this 1930 novel is the bundren familys bizarre journey to jefferson to bury addie, their wife and mother. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. As i lay dying norton critical editions paperback book soup. Publishing houses open publishing houses close publishing houses. The sound and the fury and as i lay dying project gutenberg. Narrated in turn by each of the family members including addie herself as well as others. Email this book the sound and the fury and as i lay dying by william faulkner. The novel has been reprinted by the modern library, the library of america, and numerous publishers, including chatto and windus in 1970, random house in 1990, tandem library in 1991, vintage books in 1996, and the folio society in 20.
In the meantime he had completed the sound and the fury, and when it appeared at the end of 1929 he had finished sanctuary and was ready to begin writing as i lay dying. Dramatic as all this sounds, as i lay dying is not so much neuhauss neardeathexperience tale as it is a christian discussion of death from the vantage point of a catholic priest who heard death knocking at his door. One of the towering figures of american literature, he is the author of the sound and the fury, absalom, absalom. By universal consent of critics and common readers, faulkner is now. Reas maxnotes for william faulkners as i lay dying maxnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces. The author of portrait of novel, a finalist for the pulitzer prize, michael gorra is the mary augusta jordan professor of english language and literature at smith college and the editor of the. How often have i lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home. As i lay dying suggests that dying is a relief from the suffering of life. One kentucky district removed it from the curriculum for obscenity, using gods name in vain, and the mentions of abortion. In the meantime he had completed the sound and the fury, and when it appeared at the end of 1929 he had finished sanctuary and was ready to begin writing as i. The publisher, harrison smith, received faulkners typescript for as i lay dying in january 1930 and published it with very few editorial changes on october 6, 1930. This is not a feelgood book about the white light and. As i lay dying by william faulkner, hardcover barnes. The grammynominated metalcore band as i lay dying derived its name from this book as well.
While most sections are narrated by members of the bundren family, the few that are told by neighbors and other observers offer a glimpse of the family from an outsiders perspective. So, in one sense, the novel has a linear structure based upon the movement of the funeral procession traversing the forty miles from the. Born in 1897 and raised in oxford, mississippi, where he spent most of his life, william faulkner was one of the towering figures of american literature. That text remained the same through various reprints until 1964 when random house brought out a new edition that was corrected in accordance with the original manuscript and. William faulkner 18971962 is the nobel prizewinning author of the sound and the fury and as i lay dying, among other works. Jul, 2019 how often have i lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home. As i lay dying is faulkners harrowing account of the bundren familys odyssey across the mississippi countryside to bury addie, their wife and mother.
Religious characters in the novel believe that, because death is a reward, it provides the motivation to live ones life well. The novel utilizes stream of consciousness writing technique, multiple narrators, and varying chapter lengths. Book summary of as i lay dying as i lay dying is told in individual sections, so that the narration of the story shifts from one character to another. William cuthbert faulkner was born in 1897 and raised in oxford, mississippi, where he spent most of his life. William faulkner on as i lay dying as i lay dying is faulkners harrowing account of the bundren familys odyssey across the mississippi countryside to bury addie, their wife and mother. Narrated in turn by each of the family membersincluding addie herselfas well as others the novel ranges in.
395 1268 1417 1528 558 1500 1188 1021 989 619 999 161 1082 1249 747 161 687 645 1371 523 1233 849 1552 1041 1085 487 56 669 374 1481 92 1207 233 147 738