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orestestestes 's review for:
Absalom, Absalom!
by William Faulkner
I was tasked with reading this monolithic book for my Intro to English Studies class. I did not know, going in, that it was a prequel of sorts to The Sound and the Fury. This is a book that I've wanted to read for a while now, if only due to it being a Faulkner novel and due to its interesting title and themes. However, my experience with the novel being all said and done, I must admit that this book gave me the greatest challenge to read and understand out of any that I have ever read. Many passages were utterly incomprehensible to me. After each chapter, I forced myself to read at least two different chapter summaries solely for the sake of comprehension, as after restlessly reading the ceaseless pages-upon-pages long paragraphs I was often left stupefied. I am convinced that this is a novel that can only be enjoyed after it has been fully read twice.
The themes of the novel are taboo and fascinating, being a story of restlessness and futility beneath a ceaseless and tyrannical Southern sky. The Sutpens are plagued by a curse, to die and wither and crumble, their meager efforts all ultimately unraveling due to a self-fulfillment of misguided fate. The family is fascinating, though I admittedly do not currently comprehend all of the nuances between the rambling paragraphs divulging incestuous yearnings, interracial temptations and tensions, and pedophilic attempts at making an impossible dream possible.
Some of the language used in the novel (when understandable) was very good. The first and last chapters stick out as being my favorites, likely due to their relative simplicity, but also due to the clear desolation and ruin resting between the pages.
I fear that I cannot fully review the novel at this time since I am very far from really knowing the text. I would like to reread Absalom, Absalom! in the future, though I can wait a couple years before attempting to do so.
The themes of the novel are taboo and fascinating, being a story of restlessness and futility beneath a ceaseless and tyrannical Southern sky. The Sutpens are plagued by a curse, to die and wither and crumble, their meager efforts all ultimately unraveling due to a self-fulfillment of misguided fate. The family is fascinating, though I admittedly do not currently comprehend all of the nuances between the rambling paragraphs divulging incestuous yearnings, interracial temptations and tensions, and pedophilic attempts at making an impossible dream possible.
Some of the language used in the novel (when understandable) was very good. The first and last chapters stick out as being my favorites, likely due to their relative simplicity, but also due to the clear desolation and ruin resting between the pages.
I fear that I cannot fully review the novel at this time since I am very far from really knowing the text. I would like to reread Absalom, Absalom! in the future, though I can wait a couple years before attempting to do so.