Light in August (The Corrected Text) | William Faulkner | Probably the greatest American novel by...

Light in August (The Corrected Text) | William Faulkner | comparatively straight-forward:

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Light in August (T...

	Light in August (The Corrected Text) William Faulkner Vintage International/Random House, 1990 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 77 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Probably the greatest American novel by a Modern writer

This book is no more about racism than was Twain's `Pudd'nhead Wilson', though both certainly do address bigotry. It address the anxiety of living in the Modern world. It addresses extremes of nature and nurture and much of what lies in between. It is my favorite Faulkner novel and probably the greatest American novel written by a Modern writer.

comparatively straight-forward:

This is a fine book; a character study of numerous characters and a representation of how the demons of the past can come to consume those living today. I do not wish to rhapsodize on the story of race--that is evident within the text and, honestly, is not the main point or the actual sin of the story. Race is less concept then consciousness in this book and the idea of 'racism', here, is more inbred than an actual physical hatred: a part of tradition and learning than something violent people go crazy about. Joe Christmas is someone torn, who is constantly choosing sides until he can no longer be anything. This, as a result, makes him an actual individual, a person outside such superficial considerations and therefore not really qualified to exist in this world. All of the primary characters are outsiders of one sort--all of them are equal and all are fundementally the same in their yearning.

A very powerful book with a unique vision of the way the world works . . .

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A Twentieth Century Poe

I once heard an English teacher describe William Faulkner as "Our Shakespeare". He said that the southern culture provides so much for a novelist to work with and Faulkner works it to the limit. I saw much of Shakespeare in "Light In August" as Faulkner transports us into the minds and culture of the depression era South. Lena Horne, traipsing from Alabama to Mississippi in search of the father of her unborn child, Joe Christmas, the self-proclaimed mulatto outcast, Gail Hightower, the minister whose obsession with the past cost him his wife and pulpit and Joanna Burden the heiress of the Carpetbag family who never became a part of the community in which she lived her life all provide us with an insight into this world.

More than Shakespeare, "Light In August" reveals Faulkner, in my opinion, as a Twentieth Century Poe. In Poe's work it is often the sounds that make the work. In "Light In August", I was entranced by the dialogue and the streams of consciousness which revealed the characters and their world to the reader.

I cared little for the story line, but the sights, sounds and the smells of "Light In August" make it a worthwhile read.

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William Faulkner is a genius when it comes to creating a plot that will always relate to society. However, I must say that although the writing style was magnificent, it was too wordy in the sense that it could almost send anyone into a world of monotony.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

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