As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
Jan 1964 · GoodBook Classics
Ebook
136
Pages
About this ebook
As I Lay Dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members—including Addie herself—the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.
Quotes from the book:
“I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth.”
“People to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.”
“He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear...”
Readers' reviews:
“He is the greatest artist the South has produced. . . . Indeed, through his many novels and short stories, Faulkner fights out the moral problem which was repressed after the nineteenth century. We must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for greatness of our classics.” (Ralph Ellison)
“It's actually a very blackly humorous book, and the humor comes out more and more with each reading. Faulkner at his best.” (Paul, goodreads.com)
“Faulkner is one of those rare talents whose use of language makes it feel as if the story is coming out of the center of one's brain, rather than the normally staid input directly through the eyes.” (Paula, goodreads.com)
Quotes from the book:
“I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth.”
“People to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.”
“He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear...”
Readers' reviews:
“He is the greatest artist the South has produced. . . . Indeed, through his many novels and short stories, Faulkner fights out the moral problem which was repressed after the nineteenth century. We must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for greatness of our classics.” (Ralph Ellison)
“It's actually a very blackly humorous book, and the humor comes out more and more with each reading. Faulkner at his best.” (Paul, goodreads.com)
“Faulkner is one of those rare talents whose use of language makes it feel as if the story is coming out of the center of one's brain, rather than the normally staid input directly through the eyes.” (Paula, goodreads.com)
About the author
William Cuthbert Faulkner was born to an old southern family on September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi. He was the eldest of four more sons of Murry Cuthbert Falkner and Maud Butler. Faulkner grew up in Oxford, Mississippi where his family moved in 1902. This history and culture of the American South posed a great influence on Faulkner throughout his childhood and also on his literary work later on.
Faulkner’s mother and grandmother who were avid readers, photographers and painters played an important role in his artistic and visual language education. He enrolled at the University of Mississippi and was also a member of the Alpha Epsilon social fraternity. Faulkner also attended Ole Miss in 1919 but dropped out in November 1920 after three semesters.
Although Faulkner wanted to join the United States Army, he was not accepted due to his short height and joined the British Royal Flying Corps instead. Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldiers’ Pay in 1925. The beginning of 1920s till the outbreak of World War II was the most productive period of Faulkner’s writing career. In addition to numerous short stories, Faulkner published 13 novels.
Some of his most celebrated novels include The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932),and Absalom, Absalom! (1936). Faulker’s short stories such as A Rose for Emily, Red Leaves, That Evening Sun, and Dry September have also contributed immensely to his fame. In addition to these, Faulkner also composed two volumes of poetry The Marble Faun (1924) and A Green Bough in addition to a collection of short crime fiction stories Knight’s Gambit (1949). Faulkner’s work has widely been appreciated for its experimental manner, contemporary themes and the often used stream of consciousness technique.
In 1929, Faulkner married his teenage love Estelle Oldham. They lived at Rowan Oak with their daughter Jill until Estelle’s death after which the property was sold to The University of Mississippi. Faulkner’s other romantic relationships outside marriage included affairs with Meta Carpenter, Joan Williams, Else Johnson and Jean Stein.
William Faulkner died from a myocardial infarction at the age of 64 on July 6, 1962. He is buried at the St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford.
(famousauthors.com)
Faulkner’s mother and grandmother who were avid readers, photographers and painters played an important role in his artistic and visual language education. He enrolled at the University of Mississippi and was also a member of the Alpha Epsilon social fraternity. Faulkner also attended Ole Miss in 1919 but dropped out in November 1920 after three semesters.
Although Faulkner wanted to join the United States Army, he was not accepted due to his short height and joined the British Royal Flying Corps instead. Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldiers’ Pay in 1925. The beginning of 1920s till the outbreak of World War II was the most productive period of Faulkner’s writing career. In addition to numerous short stories, Faulkner published 13 novels.
Some of his most celebrated novels include The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932),and Absalom, Absalom! (1936). Faulker’s short stories such as A Rose for Emily, Red Leaves, That Evening Sun, and Dry September have also contributed immensely to his fame. In addition to these, Faulkner also composed two volumes of poetry The Marble Faun (1924) and A Green Bough in addition to a collection of short crime fiction stories Knight’s Gambit (1949). Faulkner’s work has widely been appreciated for its experimental manner, contemporary themes and the often used stream of consciousness technique.
In 1929, Faulkner married his teenage love Estelle Oldham. They lived at Rowan Oak with their daughter Jill until Estelle’s death after which the property was sold to The University of Mississippi. Faulkner’s other romantic relationships outside marriage included affairs with Meta Carpenter, Joan Williams, Else Johnson and Jean Stein.
William Faulkner died from a myocardial infarction at the age of 64 on July 6, 1962. He is buried at the St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford.
(famousauthors.com)
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