William Faulkner Research

I am intrigued by William Faulkner. He comes from the glorified Southern class of the 20th century. He is an incredibly driven and somewhat eccentric individual. He joined the RAF during WWII when he was unable to join the U.S. Air Force due to his height. To join the RAF he had to lie, and when he returned from service he lavishly exaggerated his adventures. I like to think of Faulkner as a "great exaggerator".

His life could be a great novel itself. He dealt with heartbreak, failure, success, and was a bit of an oddball. He notoriously resigned from a position as postmaster of his university. He lost his love Estelle to another man, and he failed as a poet. But, he found great success in writing novels. I thought it was interesting that he even made it to Hollywood as a writer for a portion of his career. I was also fascinated by his interaction with W. E. B. Du Bois and his condemnation of segregation.

It makes sense that The Sound and the Fury  is so dense because Faulkner's life was so dense. When a person has a lot of experiences (including both failure and success), I think it makes that person have more to say. Faulkner is part scoundrel and part gentlemen. I like his inclination to exaggeration; exaggeration is an essential ability for a writer.