Finally, I have finished the first volume in my quest to read the earliest 9 Faulkner books. I know I think I said I was going to do that this summer, but at least I am only 2 months behind. It could be much worse, I am so bad at these book challenges. The ones I read were Soldiers' Pay, Mosquitoes, Flags in the Dust, and The Sound and The Fury. Out of the four the best was The Sound and The Fury. The worst by far was Mosquitoes. It was absolutely the most pointless book ever. Next up is As I Lay Dying, which I read last year, and Sanctuary - the beginning of this last one is amazing, so hopefully it will not disappoint.
I started the book several months ago, and couldn't really get into it due to time constraints rather than lack of interest. Once I had a chunk of time to really engage with it, I found the book utterly captivating. I am rather impressed that this novel was Faulkner's first, but at the same time I felt it was very different - less sophisticated perhaps? - than his other works that I am familiar with. The plot at least is pretty generic. Sections are definitely slow, but other scenes blew me away - I was totally amazed by Faulkner's skill at writing. Granted that might be obvious, he did win a Nobel Prize, but it is nice to experience an author's ability for oneself. As part of a reading challenge, I decided to read Faulkner's first 9 books - this one is definitely a good start.
Mosquitoes
Took me a really long time and to be honest I skimmed most of the second half. One of the most utterly pointless books I have ever read in the sense that there wasn't too much of a plot and nothing really happened throughout most of the book. Gets 2 1/2 b/c some minor sections were interesting and b/c I found W.F's descriptions of the landscape (esp the swamp) and some of the characters' emotional states to be well-written and realistically portrayed. Otherwise, honestly I would say it is not even worth the time to read it.
Flags in the Dust
A bit more developed in terms of characters and plot than his first two books, but had the potential to be so much better. The biggest problem is that some of the most interesting scenes - that create tension and drama in the novel - are never resolved. There is an entire secondary plot that seems, at the beginning, like it will be the focus of the action as the story unfolds, but Faulkner never really follows up on this aspect of the book. It is also a bit confusing in parts because so many people have the same names, and it isn't always clear who is being referred to. I do realize that Faulkner had a specific reason for doing this; he is trying to show the Sartoris legacy and tradition is bound up in the names of the family members as if they develop a particular set of characteristics or a certain personality type simply because of their name. I think that point is made very clear at the end of the book when the new Sartoris is named. 3/5 stars.
The Sound and the Fury
I am so happy I finally read this book. I think I started it in 8th grade, but never could get through the beginning. Trying to follow the flow of the story through the perspective of Benjy amidst numerous flashbacks through time, characters, and space was, I think, a bit too much. However, this time around, I didn't find it that confusing - except for maybe the first 5 or so pages. Really Faulkner does a good job of leaving clues in the text as to when certain events occur whether early in the story when the characters are young, or later when the whole family has nearly disintegrated. The Compson Appendix definitely helps clarify some issues that Faulkner was not completely clear about in the novel itself. The ending was a bit random, but maybe considering the "stream of consciousness" style of the work that was to be expected. My absolute favorite part was with Dilsey at the end when she goes to church. The passages during the revival with the out of town preacher are amazing. Try reading them out loud (I did, it was great). Faulkner nailed this section. 4/5 Stars
