Styles of william faulkner
William Faulkner, one of the foremost American novelists in history, is also one of the most heavily criticized. Many critics feel that his style displays brilliant originality, while others complain that his writing is too verbose and difficult to understand. In my paper, I will describe the most important aspects of Faulkner's style, but also mention those for which he is reprimanded for so often. One of the first styles he displays in many of his novels is the repetition of words. In one of his works, Absalom, Absalom, he uses the word "demon" over and over again to describe one character's mania. In the same novel, he continually uses another word, "indolent," to characterize another character. He also repeats such words as outrage, grim, ruthless, fury, and fatality in Absalom, Absalom, to represent the story's significance and tone. In addition to this novel, he uses the tactic of repeating words in many of his earlier works (Beck 53-54). Another aspect of Faulkner's style is his use of lofty words. He uses bombastic words in order to impress the significance of a particular situation upon the reader. One such instance occurs in Absalom, Absalom, when a character is recounting a past lo
shorter sentences, Faulkner uses one very long sentence to relate the character's feelings, as if the character's thoughts were streaming out of his or her conscious. Faulkner, however, does not make the same mistake that many writers who used this technique did, and that was to remove the drama or narrative from the work. One of his best uses of stream of consciousness came in The Sound and The Fury, in which he uses the technique in the first two sections of the book to outline a clear-cut plot for the rest of the novel. Another technique Faulkner uses is allusion. However, unlike writer sof his time who used allusions to song titles, random images and catch line in their work, Faulkner used those same allusions for a title for one of his short stories or novels. He tried to stay away from using the actual allusions in the same work. Another technique Faulkner employs is called unity of action, or in other words, a substantial plot. This is not seen in all other literature because there is usually an understandable plot and because characters act in a drama that has a beginning, climax, and ending. The need for any other unifying devices is unnecessary. This is clearly seen in As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury. Examples of unity of action in The Sound and the Fury include a closely intertwined plot, unity of time, setting, symbolism and motives. None, however, is predominant to the others. Like other well-known authors such as James Joyce and William James, Faulkner uses a method known as stream of consciousness in many of his works. This technique makes the feelings of a particular character known. However, instead of dividing their thoughts into many
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Approximate Word count = 1690
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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