Light in August (1932)

After The Sound and the Fury, I found this much more straight forward but still challenging in places. Joe Christmas is part persecuted Christ figure and a partly demonic one. I thought his genesis from abused child to destructive adult was explained in stark terms by Faulkner. Other characters too, like the grotesque Doc Hines and the tragic Reverend Hightower were also unforgettable. It was a very compelling tale with a detailed psychology of characters aswell as being an entertaining storyline. I hope the work continues to be read as it gives such a strong picture of racial bigotry and religious fanaticism. On the stylistic level I loved the poetic compound words he used- it was so descriptive and evocative. The atmosphere of oppressive evil particularly in the section with Joe Christmas's lover, which is all done with the suggestion of perversity, stamped itself on my memory. I want to try all of Faulkner eventually. ( )

I read the edition published by Random House in 1950. Most of the writing was beautiful, but the book was frequently difficult to both follow and understand. However, Faulkner made many moral statements, and presented them by the actions of the characters. There was much pain in this book, and unfortunately much of it still exists. ( )

Fiction

Situado nos dias atuais do autor, o período entre guerras, o romance centra-se em dois estranhos, uma mulher branca grávida e um homem que esconde sua identidade negra com uma pele branca. Usando uma série de flashbacks, a história revela como essas duas pessoas estão conectadas a outro homem que impactou profundamente suas vidas.

Em um estilo narrativo modernista solto e não estruturado que se baseia na alegoria cristã e na narrativa oral, Faulkner explora temas de raça, sexo, classe e religião no sul da América. Ao focar em personagens que são desajustados, marginalizados em sua comunidade, ele retrata o choque de indivíduos alienados contra uma sociedade rural puritana e preconceituosa. ( )

I'm still entertaining the idea of rereading this one one of these days...it was required reading my senior year, and most required reading that year never got a fighting chance. I decided instead to read Crime & Punishment on my own at the same time this was assigned. Crime & Punishment totally won. ( )