William Faulkner: The Yoknapatawpha Country

I have not yet finished reading this book, as I only got it two days ago, but so far it is everything I supposed it would be. Mr.Brooks's prose is lucid and effective, and his critical judgments are restrained but insightful. If I were recommending a single book to a first-time Faulkner reader, I think it would be this one. As I said, I am not finished with the book and it could go downhill catastrophically in later pages, but I think that is about as likely as an August blizzard in Oxford, Mississippi. Mr. Brooks was one of the great literary critics of the 20th century, and this book seems to me as good as anything he ever wrote. I have no idea why I never got around to reading it before now, but I'm glad finally to have begun doing what I should have done thirty years ago. No one who wants to understand Faulkner will find this book a waste of his/her time.

Excellent study of Faulkner's work by one of Faulkner's finest critics. There's much food for thought here. I have read only about half of Faulkner's novels, and I look forward to reading more. The method I have developed is to read the material without introduction or aide (because I fear spoilers), and after I have read it, I then seek out the help of books like this one. I don't always agree with everything Cleanth Brooks writes, but he is always thought-provoking, and interesting. I'm glad to have this book on my shelf. I have consulted this book many times, and expect to, many times more.

What a treat to read! This is "academic" material that is accessible to anybody, not just scholars or literary critics. If you have read much Faulkner, reading this book will make the experience even better. I want to go back and re-read some of Faulkner's works as I'm sure I'll have a rather different experience now. This is some of the finest writing I have encountered, and very enjoyable; this was not a slog at all, but rather a delight.

Am doing independent Faulkner studies covering Yoknapatawpha County (for a year) and am just starting. This book, along with the Malcolm Cowley introduction in the Viking Portable Faulkner, is my choice for assistance in understanding Faulkner's writing and assessing what makes Faulkner a great American author. It looks good so far and has many recommenders.By the way, the Blotner biography of Faulkner is highly recommended as a pleasurable, if long, read.

Am enjoying reading this book as it helps me better understand Faulkner. As well as insights into his works, it contains a character index.

Loved Faulkner in college and wanted to add a few titles without purchasing new, full price copies. This hardback edition and addition to my library was perfect. Book in excellent condition and price perfect for my pocketbook.

It was probably 1974 that Cleanth Brooks gave me my copy of this book. I was one of a crew working on the trees at his house outside New Haven, Connecticut, and at the end of the job he joined us while we cleaned up. I had recently read "Absalom, Absalom!", and knowing that Brooks was an expert on Faulkner I somewhat presumptuously said something to the effect that I had been highly impressed by it. That sparked a brief conversation, the details of which I forget, which is just as well inasmuch as I probably would now be embarrassed by whatever I said. I must have somehow conveyed that I intended to read more of Faulkner, because at the end of our chat, Brooks said, "Let me see if I can find something for you", and he went back into his house to emerge a few minutes later with what is now my copy of this book.It turned out to be almost forty years before I returned to Faulkner. Over the past year I have read eight of Faulkner's major novels, including, once again, "Absalom, Absalom!". It has been one of the most rewarding reading projects of my life. After reading a novel, I would read the relevant chapter in WILLIAM FAULKNER: THE YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTRY, which invariably enhanced (although to differing degrees) my understanding of the novel. Even a careful and sophisticated reader would miss some of the intricacies of Faulkner's stories without a guide such as Brooks's. On top of that, for the most part Brooks's interpretations and critical commentary are reasonable; his are not nearly as fanciful as those found in many readers' guides written by academics, and I don't recall ever feeling that one of his comments was utter BS. Moreover, Brooks's knowledge of Faulkner's oeuvre is prodigious.The book consists of three general chapters on Faulkner and his work, which to my mind are good but not essential. There then follows the heart of the book -- thirteen chapters each of which is devoted to one of Faulkner's major novels (one chapter covers two novels - "Sanctuary" and "Requiem for a Nun"). The chapters on "As I Lay Dying", "Go Down, Moses", and "Intruder in the Dust" were particularly good. Near the end of the volume are two very helpful appendices of sorts. One consists of genealogies or family trees of six of the families that figure prominently in Faulkner's fiction: Compson, McCaslin, Stevens, Sartoris, Sutpen, and Snopes. I confess that while reading several of the novels I made frequent reference to these genealogies to keep clear in my head the convoluted family relationships. The other appendix is a twenty-five-page character index, listing the specific novels and stories in which each of hundreds of Faulkner's characters appeared.I might be biased by the circumstances under which I came into possession of WILLIAM FAULKNER: THE YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTRY, but I still feel that my strong recommendation of the book as a guide to William Faulkner's major novels is a sound one.

If you are engaged by Faulkner's works and seek the insights of a guide through Billy's Yoknapatawpha country, look no further. Through the decades this is my most trusted Faulkner companion. While I am not a scholar, I have been reading and rereading Billy's works and more than any other author (I've been reading for 50 years) I feel an affinity for his books, to the point I have subscribed to email lists populated by Faulkner scholars.So, while many scholars have approached Billy's works, none (in my humble estimation) surpass Cleanth's insights.Dedicated to Robert Penn Warren, it contains 13 essays devoted to Faulkner's major works, and three offerings on qualities of Faulkner's works. The writing is clear and accessible, not at all cluttered with the multi-syllabic gibberish that characterizes so much scholarship.