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| © Gangoueus |
It took me nearly three years
to complete this work of William Faulkner. Still, I thought to be extensively
trained to the elaborate structure of writings by this author. But, here we are
halfway through the novel, I sadly gave up. It was enough.
The sound and the fury put the action in the location of Jefferson in one of those old decadent Southern families we find repeatedly in Faulkner's work. This is the portrait of a family over thirty years. Three brothers, one sister. Quentin Compson the eldest, Candace Compson, Jason Compson, Maury Compson also known as "Benjy" the cheesy. The novel is a dive into the abyss of passionate feelings that bind or ravage these characters.
Faulkner chooses polyphonic form and divides this novel into four chapters; the first three are respectively narrated by the Compson sons. Candace is the center of their narrative. Faulkner's genius is expressed by the various tools he uses through his various narratives that are marked by the specific breakdown of each character. The writing is like possessed by the voice of the character and is morphed throughout the chapters. The problem lies in the fact that the reader must adapt to the context, or even to the delusions of each character.
The first voice is that of a fool, a mentally retarded person. His chaotic perception of the world surrounding him imprints his speech. Benjy is deaf and mute and only expresses himself by shouting. But it is what he perceives that Faulkner puts in perspective. His train of thought is not necessarily consistent; the reader must cling onto the reading to follow Benjy. Although Faulkner only recounts a day of Benjy, the thoughts of the latter wander and takes the reader back to distant episodes and gives several clues to understand the relationships between the siblings.
Similarly, it is for the second voice, that of Quentin Compson, the depressive first born, a Harvard student who bestows an incestuous love for Candace that encapsulates him into a morbid jealousy reflected toward contenders of her sister's love. This part of the text is perhaps the most complex, one where the reader gets the least clues. We really walk in darkness. I freaked out at this level.
Reading the criticism of Lilly on this novel two years after I abandoned, I thought I missed something. How could she be so excited about a book which gave me so many headaches? I'm not a masochist, but I must have missed several clues. After reading the novel over, I realized that the clues were in the preface of Maurice Coindreau. But then, in principle I never read prefaces before reading a book. So I ended reading the broken text of Quentin in which Faulkner slides Candace unfinished sentences.
Then comes the third voice, that of Jason
Compson. If Benjy and Quentin share feelings of love for Candace, Jason pours
his fury, frustration and hatred for this sister who is a failure and of whom for
family reasons of honor, he raises the daughter. Despite this description you
are in the presence of characters without knowledge of the events that stir
their wrath, their distress. It is up to you to immerse yourself in this novel.
As often in the texts of
Faulkner, Blacks, Negros have an important role. The most prominent figure is
that of Dilsey, the maid, a kind of guardian of a temple slumped by a type of
curse that falls on the Compson. The position of Blacks in this novel puts us
in the context of the Mississippi and allows experiencing the conditions of the
latter in the 20s with the case of Dilsey resulting in a deletion of me persona
for a total inclination to the other. At least out of Faulkner’s ink anyway.
Another element that will surely destabilize the reader is the chronology of events that adds to the complexity of the text.
Nevertheless, this novel deserves some attention and patience from booklover to read and possibly re-read the story to grasp in its entirety.
Happy reading
