Take a photo of a barcode or cover
souldentist 's review for:
Absalom, Absalom!: The Corrected Text
by William Faulkner
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Anybody complaining about racism just completely missed the entire point of the book.
The copy I read has marginalia written by a previous owner who I have to conclude was completely out of their depth. The fact that it lasted all the way through the book implies that this person technically read the entire thing, but from every single note it's apparent they just didn't understand what was happening in it. It feels like many reviewers here had the same problem.
Yes, the use of the n-word is problematic, and so was the behavior of plantation owners in the south. It seems stupid (or even malicious) to bowdlerize the language these pseudo-Gothic cretins and monsters used to justify themselves and Faulkner does not. The language, like the rest of his prose, was purposeful and artful.
It would be problematic if this behavior was in any way attached to heroism, or if any positive things happened to the people who were portrayed as doing it, but good luck trying to find a hero in this book, or in any instance of Yoknapatawpha County, except in the Greek tragic sense. Any author self insert character (spread, in this case, over a couple characters) is certainly not exemplifying his most positive traits either. It's a damning critical examination of a dark and backwards place.
Nothing else to say here that hasn't been said before, except maybe this is Faulkner's best example of using point of view to stretch and drag a story longer, both to engage and frustrate the reader. Excellent.
The copy I read has marginalia written by a previous owner who I have to conclude was completely out of their depth. The fact that it lasted all the way through the book implies that this person technically read the entire thing, but from every single note it's apparent they just didn't understand what was happening in it. It feels like many reviewers here had the same problem.
Yes, the use of the n-word is problematic, and so was the behavior of plantation owners in the south. It seems stupid (or even malicious) to bowdlerize the language these pseudo-Gothic cretins and monsters used to justify themselves and Faulkner does not. The language, like the rest of his prose, was purposeful and artful.
It would be problematic if this behavior was in any way attached to heroism, or if any positive things happened to the people who were portrayed as doing it, but good luck trying to find a hero in this book, or in any instance of Yoknapatawpha County, except in the Greek tragic sense. Any author self insert character (spread, in this case, over a couple characters) is certainly not exemplifying his most positive traits either. It's a damning critical examination of a dark and backwards place.
Nothing else to say here that hasn't been said before, except maybe this is Faulkner's best example of using point of view to stretch and drag a story longer, both to engage and frustrate the reader. Excellent.