The Sound and the Fury Analysis

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: "The South never dies." (There’s another saying that goes something like "The South shall rise again." Faulkner sure seems to disagr...

We have to be honest here: we’re not quite sure where to begin with this one. The setting of The Sound and the Fury is arguably one of the most important aspects of the novel. It’s not...

As you’ve probably noticed by now, The Sound and the Fury is actually a four-part novel. Unlike other four-part novels, however, it’s also got four different narrators: Benjy, Quentin,...

The Sound and the Fury is a great big stewing mix of family problems, rage, family problems, hurt, family problems, anger, and family problems. In other words, there’s a lot of family. And th...

Wait a second, that’s not a description!You’re right. But give us just a second to explain, anyway. See, Faulkner’s a tonal chameleon. Or a total chameleon. Either way, really. He...

Check out what Ernest Hemingway had to say about Faulkner in our "Brain Snacks" section. Actually, wait – it’s so good, we’ll just give you a quick summary: "Poor Faulkner. Does h...

We’ve got to hand it to Faulkner: the guy draws from only the best sources. Need a title? Might as well turn to the greatest author in the English language. (Shakespeare, in case you were won...

Ending? What ending? Were you expecting a "happily ever after"? If so, you sure picked the wrong novel. The Sound and the Fury just ain’t about happiness. Or about ending things, for that mat...

Benjy grieves for the loss of Caddy and his land.OK, we know that The Sound and the Fury has a totally screwy plot structure. In fact, we’re not sure that we can make it fit into a classic pl...

So you wanted a basic plot analysis, huh? Sorry. You’re reading the wrong book, pal. Come on, did you think this was the nineteenth century? Modernists hate easy plots.In case we forgot to me...

Benjy, the mentally handicapped son of the Compson family, passes his time remembering his childhood and the moments he spent with his sister Caddy, who’s now gone.Eighteen years earlier, Que...

Faulkner’s a lover, not a fighter. William Faulkner spent most of his early years thinking that he was a poet. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a very good one. We’re glad that he turned...

For a novel that revolves around sex, The Sound and the Fury just doesn’t have a lot to see. Sure, there’s some discussion of people’s sex lives: Jason’s got a prostitute in...

William Butler Yeats, "Leda and the Swan" (2.882)The Bible (2.905, 2.2, 2.10)Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (2.103)Sir Walter Scott, "Lochinvar" (1.83)Black Tuesday (3.title)