Go Down, Moses Resources

Here's a map of Yoknapatawpha County, where Go Down, Moses is set.

This Teacher's Guide has dozens of essay and test questions about Go Down, Moses for inspiration.

Another Teacher's Guide with a lot of interesting points, straight from the mouth of a teacher who knows Go Down, Moses inside out.

We have to bow down to Mr. Stephen Railton of UVA. He did something as crazy as draw out the McCaslin family tree as it expands from story to story.

No, he didn't actually go to war. Yes, he was less than 5'6'' tall. No, he didn't finish high school. Yes, he did like to hunt.

We did spot one mistake in this otherwise well made biography with a very uplifting musical score. (It claims he never left Mississippi, ever). Let us know if you spot any other mistakes.

You can pass time with this one while waiting for James Franco to shoot a Faulkner biopic next.

If Faulkner visited your school and you could ask him anything about these stories, what would you ask?

If you're looking to argue this question out, here's a good start: the literary journal Connotations devoted seven scholarly articles to this. This is the first one. You can find links to the rest of them at the bottom of the page.

John Jeremiah Sullivan had a few things to say in his introduction to a new edition of Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom! Read it and tell us if you think what he says applies to Go Down, Moses, as well.

This is from the Teaching Faulkner website, folks.

Now that you know the title of the book is from an African American spiritual, watch an amazing performance of the song by "Gospel for Teens."

You know Faulkner faked a British accent to get into the Canadian Royal Air Force, right? Listen to this, and you can see how that would work.

Then listen to Faulkner talk about everything including not talking too much.

The lyrics are all here, too, if you want to sing along.

Without the lyrics this time.

That first one for "The Bear" is scary. The rest of them aren't scary, but they are disturbing in how they depict the African American characters.

Isaac McCaslin, err, that is, William Faulkner, with hunting horn.

It's not that he's a small man, it's that the others are standing on the bleachers. Actually, he's still small.

Want to dress up as Faulkner? All you need is a hat, a beard and a pipe. Only, no one will get it. He kind of gave up the whole bohemian poet look after Paris.