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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Una historia contada por cuatro narradores a partir de las experiencias vividas, sus recuerdos de aquello que les ha sido contado y conjeturas sobre aquello que no les fue dicho. Faulkner juega con la sintaxis y lleva el flujo de la conciencia hasta límites impensables: frases que se extienden durante varias paginas, con incisos que abren incisos, paréntesis dentro de paréntesis; largos bailes de comas y puntos y comas hasta que llegamos a un punto seguido que nos permite respirar (y aprovechar para volver atrás: ¿por qué estábamos hablando de esto?). Una historia sobre lo subjetivo de contar historias (y que es a su vez una gran historia); un reto que se convierte en una experiencia lectora muy estimulante.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Знаете это чувство, когда берёшь в руки книгу, читаешь, читаешь, и вдруг понимаешь — здесь что-то не так, всё не так, как обычно, с другими книгами. Потому что это не просто книга. Это — шедевр.
⠀
Здесь всё идеально. Ты переносишься в другое время, в другое место. Это даже не вполне похоже на книгу, это просто крышесносящий опыт. Потому что сложно, правда, сложно поверить, что это всего лишь вымысел, что этих людей не существует, что это просто текст, буквы.
⠀
Нет. Книга живая. Реальная. Невообразимый восторг. Вот такая книга «Авессалом, Авессалом!» Уильяма Фолкнера.
⠀
Я только что была в другом времени, другим человеком. Мой старый знакомый, Квентин, из романа Фолкнера «Звук и ярость» / «Шум и ярость», был проводником в другой мир, мир американского Юга, невообразимых семейных драм, хитрости, коварства, странных и таких знакомых характеров.
⠀
В такие моменты я понимаю, зачем столько читаю, зачем этот книжный блог и зачем вообще это всё.
⠀
Редкий восторг!
⠀
Здесь всё идеально. Ты переносишься в другое время, в другое место. Это даже не вполне похоже на книгу, это просто крышесносящий опыт. Потому что сложно, правда, сложно поверить, что это всего лишь вымысел, что этих людей не существует, что это просто текст, буквы.
⠀
Нет. Книга живая. Реальная. Невообразимый восторг. Вот такая книга «Авессалом, Авессалом!» Уильяма Фолкнера.
⠀
Я только что была в другом времени, другим человеком. Мой старый знакомый, Квентин, из романа Фолкнера «Звук и ярость» / «Шум и ярость», был проводником в другой мир, мир американского Юга, невообразимых семейных драм, хитрости, коварства, странных и таких знакомых характеров.
⠀
В такие моменты я понимаю, зачем столько читаю, зачем этот книжный блог и зачем вообще это всё.
⠀
Редкий восторг!
I had a really hard time with this book at the beginning because the writing was really flowery and it took me a long time to plow through each individual passage. In the end I had a hard time with the book because it brought out really raw feelings in me. In fact, it was such a difficult book that combined with a couple of other things that happened at a the same time I was reading it I ended up having a mini break down, followed by an epiphany. So...in the end I LOVED the book, rather than hated it.
Absalom, Absalom marks the first book that I read 100% on my e-reader which back when I started this project was the original point of it. I started the project hoping to use Project Gutenberg to get the majority of the books for free digitally. However, to date I have mostly purchased the books at used book stores, bought a few new ones, and borrowed some from the library.
I loved the idea of this book from the second I read what Daniel S. Burt had to say about it. Basically it is a mystery that you have to piece together from eye witness accounts, and stories that have passed down through the generations of the Sutpen family. The story is quite dark, as it is a history of how one man bent on a quest for vengence ends up bringing his family to ruin. The novel is peopled by a virgin spinster sister, a maniacal father who destroys his family, a daughter who is a widow before she is a bride, the brother who kills his sister's husband to be and a wife who lives vicariously through her children.
My mini break down happened because of one of the character's Rose who was the spinister who never married. I identified heavily with her character who was hard and strong, and hated men (but you saw wanted love all the same). If I am to become twisted because of bitterness like the main character it will be in this way. My epiphany came because of the theme of the story which is basically about what happens when one person tries to create their own destiny no matter what the cost is. It reminded me of a the book East of Eden by John Steinbeck and seemed to resonate with me because of that. East of Eden is one of my favorite books. The epiphany I had was about the point of East of Eden being about free will, and the fact that we were given choices and that is what makes us human and great. (This epiphany was aided by the song Timshel by Mumford and sons and googling what the word meant). The dark side of the ability to make choices is that we can choose to make good ones or bad ones. In Thomas Sutpen's case, his bitterness and anger at an injustice that happened when he was a child twisted him to make really horrible ones. The book also is an interesting picture of the south at the time of the civil war. It follows a nations choices and shows some of their eventual results.
There is a lot of flowery passages in this book that border on poetry. Here are a few examples:
"beneath the branch shredded vist of flat black fiercely and heavily starred sky"
"masculine hipless tapering peg which fits light and glib to move where catridge-chambered hips of women hold them fast" ~A rather poetic sexual reference!
" He was a barracks filled with stubborn back-looking ghosts"
"Ellen died, the butterfly of a forgotten garden"
And one needlessly complicated statement that I can only catch glimpses of the full meaning:
"where through no fault nor willing of your own you must and will be, not through any fault or willing of our own who would not what we cannot, just as we will and wait for what must be"
Here are a few quotes that point to the meaning of the story:
"something would have to be done about it, he would have to do something about it order to live with himself for the rest of his life" ~This quote talks about the original insult which leads Thomas Sutpen on the vengeful quest that destroys his family
"perhaps a man builds for his future in more ways than one, build not only towards the body which will be his tomorrow or next year, but towards actions and the subsequent irrevocable courses of resultant action"
~This quote talks about how some actions have irrevocable consequences that shape our futures
"It would be like God had got Jesus born and saw that He had the carpenter tools and never gave Him anything to build with them"
~This talks about the God given desire to create things around us with our hands, and also to bear children that will live after us. This quote particularly reminds me of East of Eden.
"Abraham would say 'Praise the Lord, I have raised about me sons to bear the burden of mine ininquities"
~This quote talks about Thomas Sutpens resolution to his dilemma from childhood. His belief was if he became like the person who snubbed him, but never turned someone away from him he would have won. Having his children and and a nice house to him, was a symbol that he had made it in the world.
All in all I loved this book, not so much for the actual layout of the story itself, but for what it ended up doing in me. I will cherish the epiphany I had through the telling of the story, even though I actually hated the process (and found the book difficult to read)!
Absalom, Absalom marks the first book that I read 100% on my e-reader which back when I started this project was the original point of it. I started the project hoping to use Project Gutenberg to get the majority of the books for free digitally. However, to date I have mostly purchased the books at used book stores, bought a few new ones, and borrowed some from the library.
I loved the idea of this book from the second I read what Daniel S. Burt had to say about it. Basically it is a mystery that you have to piece together from eye witness accounts, and stories that have passed down through the generations of the Sutpen family. The story is quite dark, as it is a history of how one man bent on a quest for vengence ends up bringing his family to ruin. The novel is peopled by a virgin spinster sister, a maniacal father who destroys his family, a daughter who is a widow before she is a bride, the brother who kills his sister's husband to be and a wife who lives vicariously through her children.
My mini break down happened because of one of the character's Rose who was the spinister who never married. I identified heavily with her character who was hard and strong, and hated men (but you saw wanted love all the same). If I am to become twisted because of bitterness like the main character it will be in this way. My epiphany came because of the theme of the story which is basically about what happens when one person tries to create their own destiny no matter what the cost is. It reminded me of a the book East of Eden by John Steinbeck and seemed to resonate with me because of that. East of Eden is one of my favorite books. The epiphany I had was about the point of East of Eden being about free will, and the fact that we were given choices and that is what makes us human and great. (This epiphany was aided by the song Timshel by Mumford and sons and googling what the word meant). The dark side of the ability to make choices is that we can choose to make good ones or bad ones. In Thomas Sutpen's case, his bitterness and anger at an injustice that happened when he was a child twisted him to make really horrible ones. The book also is an interesting picture of the south at the time of the civil war. It follows a nations choices and shows some of their eventual results.
There is a lot of flowery passages in this book that border on poetry. Here are a few examples:
"beneath the branch shredded vist of flat black fiercely and heavily starred sky"
"masculine hipless tapering peg which fits light and glib to move where catridge-chambered hips of women hold them fast" ~A rather poetic sexual reference!
" He was a barracks filled with stubborn back-looking ghosts"
"Ellen died, the butterfly of a forgotten garden"
And one needlessly complicated statement that I can only catch glimpses of the full meaning:
"where through no fault nor willing of your own you must and will be, not through any fault or willing of our own who would not what we cannot, just as we will and wait for what must be"
Here are a few quotes that point to the meaning of the story:
"something would have to be done about it, he would have to do something about it order to live with himself for the rest of his life" ~This quote talks about the original insult which leads Thomas Sutpen on the vengeful quest that destroys his family
"perhaps a man builds for his future in more ways than one, build not only towards the body which will be his tomorrow or next year, but towards actions and the subsequent irrevocable courses of resultant action"
~This quote talks about how some actions have irrevocable consequences that shape our futures
"It would be like God had got Jesus born and saw that He had the carpenter tools and never gave Him anything to build with them"
~This talks about the God given desire to create things around us with our hands, and also to bear children that will live after us. This quote particularly reminds me of East of Eden.
"Abraham would say 'Praise the Lord, I have raised about me sons to bear the burden of mine ininquities"
~This quote talks about Thomas Sutpens resolution to his dilemma from childhood. His belief was if he became like the person who snubbed him, but never turned someone away from him he would have won. Having his children and and a nice house to him, was a symbol that he had made it in the world.
All in all I loved this book, not so much for the actual layout of the story itself, but for what it ended up doing in me. I will cherish the epiphany I had through the telling of the story, even though I actually hated the process (and found the book difficult to read)!
It is a beautifully written novel--no one can fault Faulkner's skill as a storyteller or a craftsman--but I found many of the characters so repellent that I couldn't enjoy the prose.
The modernists really thought they were something, didn't they? Honestly, sometimes they're more than they hype themselves up to be. Sometimes.
Take Faulkner, for example. He's notoriously self-absorbed and knew how influential of an American writer he was. He even said he thought Absalom, Absalom! was the greatest novel ever written by an American. (And I kind of agree)
Faulkner is without doubt the hardest author I've ever read. Yep: harder than Shakespeare and certainly harder than T.S. Eliot. But for all that I slam Faulkner, the man knows how to tell a twisting, horrifying, mind-bending story. If you haven't, read his short story A Rose for Emily and call me in the morning.
But I won't lie: I had such a struggle with this book. Sentences go on for pages and live on the mercy of em dashes and semi colons. New characters are introduced as "he" or "she" and aren't properly explained until a few paragraphs after their arrival. The professor who assigned me this text told me this is Faulkner's most difficult work.
I don't think he was wrong.
But I also don't think I've ever read a book as remarkable as this one.
Absalom, Absalom! is a book concerned with Faulkner's view of the death of life in the Old South at the hands of slavery, incest, male dominance, and manifest destiny. Faulkner was a Mississippi man himself, so he wrote from an increasingly frustrated background.
The story jumps around chronologically, makes no sense at times, but it all comes together at the end in a jaw-dropping conclusion. I've never read a book this symbolic, this thought-provoking, this haunting, or this fascinating, and I loved it so much. Faulkner (being Faulkner) goes on and on about seemingly pointless things, but I confess I enjoy his prose. His meandering, snowballing, constantly fluctuating voice gripped me and didn't let go.
It's also fascinating material for a study in semiotics.
I can't talk much about the plot, because the story's progression really is one big spoiler, but the way Faulkner hashes out the racism, misogyny, imperialism, and commodification of women, children, and blacks is insane, honest, and gut wrenching. It's important to remember that Faulkner is a modernist, which means he's also a realist, which (in turn) means he leaves out nothing. As one can logically presume, that results in a plethora of dark, mature themes.
Absalom, Absalom! is definitely not casual reading (Faulkner's writing style will hurt your brain, especially if you've never read him before), but it's a book I would whole heartedly recommend to anyone interested. I had to speed-read it in nine days for my Literature and U.S. Imperialism graduate class, and I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on it come class time Monday.
Overall, I consider this a masterpiece. 5.0 stars.
Take Faulkner, for example. He's notoriously self-absorbed and knew how influential of an American writer he was. He even said he thought Absalom, Absalom! was the greatest novel ever written by an American. (And I kind of agree)
Faulkner is without doubt the hardest author I've ever read. Yep: harder than Shakespeare and certainly harder than T.S. Eliot. But for all that I slam Faulkner, the man knows how to tell a twisting, horrifying, mind-bending story. If you haven't, read his short story A Rose for Emily and call me in the morning.
But I won't lie: I had such a struggle with this book. Sentences go on for pages and live on the mercy of em dashes and semi colons. New characters are introduced as "he" or "she" and aren't properly explained until a few paragraphs after their arrival. The professor who assigned me this text told me this is Faulkner's most difficult work.
I don't think he was wrong.
But I also don't think I've ever read a book as remarkable as this one.
Absalom, Absalom! is a book concerned with Faulkner's view of the death of life in the Old South at the hands of slavery, incest, male dominance, and manifest destiny. Faulkner was a Mississippi man himself, so he wrote from an increasingly frustrated background.
The story jumps around chronologically, makes no sense at times, but it all comes together at the end in a jaw-dropping conclusion. I've never read a book this symbolic, this thought-provoking, this haunting, or this fascinating, and I loved it so much. Faulkner (being Faulkner) goes on and on about seemingly pointless things, but I confess I enjoy his prose. His meandering, snowballing, constantly fluctuating voice gripped me and didn't let go.
It's also fascinating material for a study in semiotics.
I can't talk much about the plot, because the story's progression really is one big spoiler, but the way Faulkner hashes out the racism, misogyny, imperialism, and commodification of women, children, and blacks is insane, honest, and gut wrenching. It's important to remember that Faulkner is a modernist, which means he's also a realist, which (in turn) means he leaves out nothing. As one can logically presume, that results in a plethora of dark, mature themes.
Absalom, Absalom! is definitely not casual reading (Faulkner's writing style will hurt your brain, especially if you've never read him before), but it's a book I would whole heartedly recommend to anyone interested. I had to speed-read it in nine days for my Literature and U.S. Imperialism graduate class, and I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on it come class time Monday.
Overall, I consider this a masterpiece. 5.0 stars.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Southern gothic, multiple timelines and narrators adding to a cacophany of coexisting voices. Nature of memory is a strong theme. Rot in the family - dark and dusty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
9/2 - 11/22/2021
This was my first Faulkner and it seemed like a good place to start. The narrative focuses on one family (the Sutpens) although it is told from the point of view of another famiy (the Composons). I believe characters from these families and others intertwine in Faulkner's other work. I decided to read the Sparks notes after every chapter which was very helpful in keeping the multiple generations of characters straight, although the "analysis" section of Sparks contains (unmarked) spoilers and should be skipped.
The story itself is quite recursive which pairs well with Faulkner's extremely long sentences. The effect builds on itself, evoking a sense of oral tradition and long winded southern drawl. I particularly enjoyed getting the same story from the point of view of many different characters, with varying levels of remove from the source material, requiring your continual reevaluation of the truth. Although I knew that race relations would be central to the book, I was surprised to read so much about the invention of whiteness and deliberate wedging of enslaved black and impoverished whites in early 19th century.
The writing of the book is very beautiful (and idiosyncratic in a charming way) and it was an engaging deep dive into a domestic drama. However, my connection with the book still feels on a historic/countryman level. I didn't feel a significant personal connection to the narrative. I'd read more from Faulkner in the future but not any time soon.
This was my first Faulkner and it seemed like a good place to start. The narrative focuses on one family (the Sutpens) although it is told from the point of view of another famiy (the Composons). I believe characters from these families and others intertwine in Faulkner's other work. I decided to read the Sparks notes after every chapter which was very helpful in keeping the multiple generations of characters straight, although the "analysis" section of Sparks contains (unmarked) spoilers and should be skipped.
The story itself is quite recursive which pairs well with Faulkner's extremely long sentences. The effect builds on itself, evoking a sense of oral tradition and long winded southern drawl. I particularly enjoyed getting the same story from the point of view of many different characters, with varying levels of remove from the source material, requiring your continual reevaluation of the truth. Although I knew that race relations would be central to the book, I was surprised to read so much about the invention of whiteness and deliberate wedging of enslaved black and impoverished whites in early 19th century.
The writing of the book is very beautiful (and idiosyncratic in a charming way) and it was an engaging deep dive into a domestic drama. However, my connection with the book still feels on a historic/countryman level. I didn't feel a significant personal connection to the narrative. I'd read more from Faulkner in the future but not any time soon.
1. You have to read "The Sound and the Fury" first. Trust me.
2. The total lack of paragraph breaks and punctuation should not scare you; it should encourage you to read slowly and with great care.
3. If you try it, you will like it.
Faulkner in all his Southern gothic glory. I took a class that was all about him and his books and I have to say this was hands down my favorite of everything the man penned. It was interesting and almost poetic in the way the story line weaved.
Note of warning: the language of this book is very thick and, though the actual length isn't bad, you will spend a lot of time deciphering it. As my professor said to us: "this book will make you crawl into the woods with a joint and thoughts of suicide."
Just... stick with it. Won't you?
2. The total lack of paragraph breaks and punctuation should not scare you; it should encourage you to read slowly and with great care.
3. If you try it, you will like it.
Faulkner in all his Southern gothic glory. I took a class that was all about him and his books and I have to say this was hands down my favorite of everything the man penned. It was interesting and almost poetic in the way the story line weaved.
Note of warning: the language of this book is very thick and, though the actual length isn't bad, you will spend a lot of time deciphering it. As my professor said to us: "this book will make you crawl into the woods with a joint and thoughts of suicide."
Just... stick with it. Won't you?
i do not know if i can accurately rate this book yet, i will have to think about it for a bit.