By: William Faulkner Publisher: Random House Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Random House Number of Items: 1 Publication Date: August 12, 1956 Release Date: August 12, 1956
Product Description: This magisterial collection of short works by Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner reminds readers of his ability to compress his epic vision into narratives as hard and wounding as bullets. Among the 42 selections in this book are such classics as "A Bear Hunt, " "A Rose for Emily, " Two Soldiers, " and "The Brooch."
More Than Just Southern Gothic For readers coming to Faulkner for the first time, or from having read The Sound and the Fury, the expectation is that his large collection of short fiction, some 900 pages in my edition, will be wall-to-wall southern gothic tales, post and ante-bellum stories of the south and its unique American culture. And indeed, in the Collected Stories there are tales of these aplenty. But refreshingly, Faulkner shows his great power as a writer by throwing a knuckle ball every now and again. There are a string of short stories in this collection which take place in the Great War and involve largely British characters (Turnaround). There is a story about aviators in the Great War (All the Dead Pilots). A story about homeless men in New York City (Pennsylvania Station) and even the writer writing of writers story (Artist at Home). Nothing is more refreshing to than to approach a writer the stature and reputation of Faulker, who made his bones in one type of literary fiction and realize that in addition to his well trodden paths he has range and depth of subject matter.
You can't go wrong here... ... if you like Faulkner. You'll enjoy the stories here; this is also a great starting point for someone just learning to appreciate the genius of this writer.
A Rose for Emily This short story is twisted, but that's why it's so great. The story is dark and gloomy, but it is really interesting. A Rose for Emily recounts the story of an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson. An unnamed narrator details the strange circumstances of Emily's life and her odd relationships with her father, who controlled and manipulated her, and her lover, the Yankee road worker Homer Barron. When Homer Barron threatens to leave her, she is seen buying arsenic, which the townspeople believe she will commit suicide with. Faulkner based the story upon a true incident. The rose indeed was for his friend, Emily Grierson. In the story, the townspeople's points of views on Emily actually reflect the society's value at that moment to some extent. Emily feels that she is released when her father is dead. However, I do not recommend this book if you might get scared easily. The ending might come as a surprise, but that's suspense. Go read it, if you like it a bit twisted.
Wow! Readable Faulkner! As someone who read Flannery O'Conner before ever getting near Faulkner, I must say that he does hold his own with these stories. For better or worse, Faulkner will always be near the top of great American authors. I say for better or worse, because some people can be greatly turned off by his novels, and the difficulty in reading them. While I've been greatly critical of him in the past, I'm still trying to learn and understand his modus operandi. It's been a rewarding learning experience, but one that hasn't been without some exasperation.....I still like O'Conner better!
Wonderful After reading "A Mule in the Yard," "That Will Be Fine," and "That Evening Sun" I was reminded of why this guy is one of the greatest storytellers ever. I know, his writing can be dense and even a times nearly unintelligible, but patience and concentration pays off with Faulkner. And his use of point of view is amazing.
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