You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Vague.... like nothing you can put your finger on. It has a mood, I'll give it that much, but no substance, at least not for me. I found this book wholly skipable.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book just sort of feels like showing off. Like Faulkner decided to say, 'look how much better of a writer I am than you or anyone else you know.' Not cool, William Faulkner. Not cool.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Many people find Faulkner's writing frustrating, but I really enjoy reading his books. The evolution of understanding that happens while reading something like As I Lay Dying or The Sound and the Fury is unique and engaging, similar to the experience of slowly working through a metal or wood geometric puzzle. I find myself needing to suspend my deliberate efforts to comprehend, simply letting it wash over me and allowing my subconscious to slowly work out the plot and characters until suddenly, in a burst of insight, the puzzle is solved.
I told my students that they should approach a text like As I Lay Dying more like a sculpture in the center of a room than like a linear narrative. When we came across a line of text that felt related to something somewhere else in the novel, then we needed to flip backwards or forwards to that spot and study that connection. To extend the sculpture metaphor, the viewer or reader needs to continually walk around and re-view the sculpture from old and new angles, noticing new patterns and seeing old plot points and characters with fresh eyes.
I told my students that they should approach a text like As I Lay Dying more like a sculpture in the center of a room than like a linear narrative. When we came across a line of text that felt related to something somewhere else in the novel, then we needed to flip backwards or forwards to that spot and study that connection. To extend the sculpture metaphor, the viewer or reader needs to continually walk around and re-view the sculpture from old and new angles, noticing new patterns and seeing old plot points and characters with fresh eyes.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes