Student Companion to William Faulkner (Student Companions to Classic Writers) Review

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Student Companion to William Faulkner (Student Companions to Classic Writers) ReviewThis newest title of the "Student Companions to Classic Writers" Series is a real gem. The author, John Dennis Anderson, former director of the Honors Program at Emerson College, is a performance studies scholar who presents performances as Henry James, Washington Irving and, yes -- William Faulkner, all over the United States.
This hardcover edition is sturdy, with a cheerful, colorful cover framing a large, interesting photograph of Faulkner. While the text is beautifully laid out, the marketing folks at Greenwood Press missed a good opportunity to entice additional prospective readers/buyers by leaving the back cover blank.
It would have been helpful if the series template would have been outlined on the back -- that the book begins with a biographical chapter, followed by an examination of the writer's "literary heritage", then chapters devoted to the authors' major works typically studied -- focused on the plot, characters, and major themes, and wrapped-up with a select bibliography and index.
Intended "to meet the demands of students and general readers for accessible literary criticism on the American and world writers most frequently studied and read in secondary school, community college, and four-year classrooms," Anderson has done a truly masterful job of presenting the life and work of one of America's greatest writers whose work and life is, as one might say -- "All over the place..."
I was disappointed that the author was allocated only eight pages for the biographical sketch, not because the author doesn't "cover all the bases," but because it is so well written. One can tell when a biographical sketch is written by someone who has delved into and explored the nuances of the life examined -- Anderson KNOWS Faulkner and this knowledge and insight of this complex man individual is a pleasure to read and consider.
In regard to Faulkner's "Literary Heritage," Anderson does a good job of tracing Faulkner's storytelling roots, outlining the debate by scholars as to whether he should be labeled a "Modernist", his struggle to tap into his gift and developed craft for art and/or money, his screenwriting career, and an assessment of his legacy and influence on other writers.
The rest of the book is a structured look (point of view, setting, plot development, characters, themes, literary devices,and alternative views) at THE UNVANQUISHED (1938), SARTORIS (1929), THE SOUND AND THE FURY (1929), AS I LAY DYING (1930), LIGHT IN AUGUST (1932), ABSALOM, ABSALOM ! (1936), and short stories and short fiction, including "A Rose for Emily." Perfect for the undergraduate struggling to write his first major term paper.
With the many thousands of books, articles, dissertations and theses on Faulkner, the bibliography must have been an agonizing task to put together ! But, I do see tracks of those whose work was probably of enormous benefit, including Dr. M. Thomas Inge's WILLIAM FAULKNER: THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEWS, Harold Bloom's MODERN CRITICAL VIEWS: WILLIAM FAULKNER, and dozens of other niche-works that surely helped Anderson in his efforts.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being truly excellent, I'd say Anderson has -- within the structure that he had to work with -- hit his mark. I give it a ten.
R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University
Student Companion to William Faulkner (Student Companions to Classic Writers) Overview
One of America's greatest writers, William Faulkner wrote fiction that combined spellbinding Southern storytelling with modernist formal experimentation to shape an enduring body of work. In his fictional Yoknapatawpha County-based on the region around his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi-he created an entire world peopled with unforgettable characters linked into an intricate historical and social web. An introduction to the Nobel-Prize-winning author's life and work, this book devotes opening chapters to his biography and literary heritage and subsequent chapters to each of his major works. The analytical chapters start with his most accessible book, The Unvanquished, a Civil-War-era account of a boy's coming of age. The following chapters orient readers to elements of plot, character, and theme in Faulkner's masterpieces: The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom! Also analyzed and discussed are some of Faulkner's most often anthologized short stories, including A Rose For Emily and Barn Burning, and the longer stories The Bear, Spotted Horses, and The Old Man that were incorporated in the novels Go Down, Moses, The Hamlet, and If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem. Clear, insightful analyses of the elements of Faulkner's fiction are supplemented with alternative readings from a variety of critical approaches including gender, rhetorical, performance, and cultural studies perspectives.


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