William Faulkner: The Making of a Modernist (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.90 (733 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 080784831X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 376 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Interestingly, Singal also argues that Faulkner's increasingly debilitating alcoholism drove him (in such late work as The Reivers) back toward the safe Victorian culture from which he had so arduously freed himself. From Library Journal Published on the centennial of its subject's birth (September 25, 1897), this wide-ranging but concisely written and easy-to-follow study by Singal (history, Hobart and William Smith Coll.) argues convincingly that Faulkner's artistic greatness lay in his ability gradually to liberate himself from the repressive and outmoded 19th-century Victorian culture into which he had been born and to accommodate his art to the modernism that was replacing it. A thoughtful and thoroughgoing work; strongly recommended for all libraries.?Charles Nash, Cottey Coll., Nevada, Mo.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. . Taking the reader from Soldier's Pay (1925) to The Mansion (1958), Singal shows the trajectory of Faulkner's con
Indeed, it is in the clash between these two selves, Singal argues, that one finds the key to making sense of Faulkner.. Through detailed analyses of individual texts, from the earliest poetry through Go Down, Moses, Singal traces Faulkner's attempt to liberate himself from the repressive Victorian culture in which he was raised by embracing the Modernist culture of the artistic avant-garde. But, as Daniel Singal's new intellectual biography reveals, we can learn much about Faulkner's art by relating it to the cultural and intellectual discourse of his era, and much about that era by coming to terms with his art. To accommodate the conflicting demands of these two cultures, Singal shows, Faulkner created a complex and fluid structure of selfhood based on a set of dual identities--one, that of a Modernist author writing on the most daring and subversive issues of his day, and the other, that of a southern country gentleman loyal to the conservative mores of his community. Amid all that has been published about William Faulkner, one subject--the nature of his thought--remains largely unexplored
"Disappointing and meandering" according to S. Taylor. Prof. Singal has an interesting thesis here, one well worth exploring, but his book needs more focus. Singal wanders from psychobiography (including some ill-fitting speculation into Faulkner's neurological problems!) to literary analysis to critiques of other Faulkner critics. Singal ends his study when it reaches the midpoint of Faulkner's career, essentially saying that Faulkner did not write anything . "Nov 19Nov 1940 BrokenArrow I enjoyed this book very much. Since becoming a "student" of Faulkner about five years ago I have been intrigued with the question of where did it all come from? The Faulkner genius I mean. Faulkner had very little formal schooling but was there a greater 20th century American writer? I don't think so. I try and read all the Faulkner criticism I come across in my search for the man behind so many great wo. 0" according to BrokenArrow. I enjoyed this book very much. Since becoming a "student" of Faulkner about five years ago I have been intrigued with the question of where did it all come from? The Faulkner genius I mean. Faulkner had very little formal schooling but was there a greater 20th century American writer? I don't think so. I try and read all the Faulkner criticism I come across in my search for the man behind so many great wo