Modernist experimentation in William Faulkner’s ‘The Sound and the fury’ and ‘Absalom, Absalom!’

Abstract

As one of the prominent figures in American modernism, William Faulkner’s work can be characterised by its innovative and experimental nature. In The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!, the story of two Southern families’ descent into ruin is not presented in a conventional and straightforward manner, and is instead obscured through formal experimentation. While this might initially make the events that unfold within the two novels harder to follow and understand, this deliberate stylistic decision is important in a number of ways, and in this dissertation I will look at three particular features and analyse their significance in the two texts. In the first chapter, I will look at the use of nonlinear time. One of the most striking features of both texts can be found in the frequent temporal shifts that occur. The boundaries between the past and present are frequently dismantled, allowing the two to bleed into one another. The second chapter focuses on the way that narrative perspective is presented. The perspective of two of the most central characters in the novels (Caddy Compson and Thomas Sutpen) are never presented directly, and their importance to the events that unfold is instead explored through their impact on the other characters. Finally, the third chapter will look at the way that stream of consciousness is used with regard to the character of Quentin Compson across the two texts. While it offers a greater insight into his thoughts, it is also used to reveal the drastic changes in his psyche, and to depict his worsening neurosis that eventually leads to his suicide.