As I Lay Dying

Rating:
Summary: My mother is a fish.
Review: As I Lay Dying came right on the heels of The Sound And The Fury, and carried that novel's main stylistic technique - the distortion of time and truth by means of the varying, highly subjective viewpoints of completely different narrators - to its logical conclusion. While its predecessor contained a whole section told from the third person, in an attempt to clarify the wild images and impressions roiling in the other sections, As I Lay Dying is told in its entirety in the first person, by fifteen different people, each of whom talks for about four pages at a time. These are people in some way connected to the Bundren family, who got together to take the dead body of their matriarch Addie Bundren to her hometown of Jefferson for burial, in accordance with a longtime wish of hers. Inevitably, chaos ensues, as not one of the family members particularly cares for any of the others, many of them have their own hidden problems eating them from the inside, and there are plenty of things to hamper their progress along the way.

Despite all that has been said about Faulkner's "difficulty," this is not a difficult novel to read. It's certainly much easier than Benjy's or Quentin's chapters in The Sound And The Fury, and those were still comprehensible (after a bit of effort). You are told at the beginning of each monologue who will be talking, and although the prose gets rather oblique rather often, Faulkner does not resort to that cheap modernist trick of convoluted, excessively complex or just completely invented verbiage. The words are simple; it's what they mean that's complicated. The extreme subjectivity, however, sometimes has an unintended negative effect: the scene where the Bundrens try to get across a swollen river should have been gripping, but comes across as muddled.

In order for this novel to have been a complete success, it was necessary to give each narrator a truly unique and distinctive voice. And here is where Faulkner was put to a real test. It's not easy, after all, to write from fifteen wholly unique perspectives. What's surprising is the extent to which he succeeded: you can recognize Anse's hypocrisy, Cash's levelheadedness and sympathy, Cora's superciliousness and Darl's alienation when you see them without having to check the title of the chapter. Dewey Dell's monologues are always more scattered, more impressionistic and more colourful than any others; perhaps Faulkner was making the point that women think in a fundamentally different, more turbulent and more beautiful, way than men. However, he stumbled when creating Vardaman's perspective, which is neither as believable nor as distinct as the others. And many of the less important narrators all sound like watered-down Jason Compsons. In addition, Faulkner occasionally falls into the trap of self-indulgence, most frequently during Darl's existential soliloquies concerning the nature of "is" and "was." These are neither credible nor insightful. Nor is Darl's end particularly convincing; though the events of the book understandably agitate him, what he supposedly does goes against the state of his mind as shown in his chapters.

There are some rather fine parts in As I Lay Dying. Darl's last monologue is just plain disturbing. Peabody's rage at Anse perfectly reflects the sentiments of the reader. Dewey Dell's inner dilemma is affecting. The dialogue is very well written. However, it isn't a _great_ novel. It lacks the tempestuous passions flying in The Sound And The Fury. It isn't as consistently compelling as that novel. It also lacks that novel's doomy atmosphere, its proud epic feel, its moments of reflection and its occasional stabbing poignancy. Basically, the stylistic achievement makes it a worthy step forward, but it is not as illuminating, as powerful or as original as its predecessor, and it isn't an unqualified success.

Rating:
Summary: Addie Bundrun's funeral procession
Review: As I Lay Dying may not be the most difficult of Faulkner's works but is just as powerful as all the rest.

Addie Bundrun lies in her death bed while she listens to her odest boy, Cash, make her coffin. Addie's last wish is to be buried in the town where she was brought up, Jefferson.

The novel is narrated by Addie's husband Anse, her five chilren, and variuos neighbors. Each narration is in the style and intellect particular to the person delivering the narration. The narration of her youngest son Vardamann is simple and childlike while the narration fo her former lover, Reverend Whitfield, is passionate and filled with biblical references.

Addie's husband and children are all very peculiar and the reader gets the impression that Addie is dying simply bacause they have worn her out; especially Anse who's stuborness astounds both family and friends.

The trip to Jefferson is filled with adventure from flooded rivers to burning barns and those that encounter the Bundrun's during their journey are sickened by the stench of Addie's decaying body.

Addie gets her wish even though the journey turns her chilren's live upside down.

Rating:
Summary: Faulkner's contribution to modernism
Review: This is the second of Faulkner's works I have read, the first being "The Sound and the Fury". As with his first work, this novel is also written in the mosaic, multiple perspective and stream of conscience style that is definitive of his work. This book is difficult to read and follow if read in a casual manner, but it is a definitive work and worth the effort. As you read each chapter you likely struggle to place and interpret what you are reading into the rest of the story. As you get closer and closer to the end, the story takes shape much as a mosaic picture takes shape when viewed with a wider perspective.

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst novels I have ever read
Review: This is definatly one of the worst books I have ever read. Faulkner must have just accidently wrote a book or something. The storyline is that the mother of a family dies and they take her to a city to be buried, except it is much boring boring than that and much more disgusting and Faulkner drags it out over about 50 chapters. This book is boring, disgusting, and barely even makes sense. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but Satan himself.

Rating:
Summary: Mark Twain's Retarded Brother
Review: Let me just say first off that if you are really, really drunk, that doesn't always make you a genius. The only drunk smarties were Mozart and Edgar Allen Poe, but they were brilliant before they started drinking. Also, if you have not completed the 5th grade and then write novels, you are not a genius either. I promise. I wish someone would've let Faulkner know that before he stumbled home toasted one night and barfed up this novel. Whoops! Did I say novel? I didn't mean to imply that it was new or fresh in any way. Reading this book-esque object just reminded me of reading Mark Twain. The only subtext was 'Being stupid and poor is artistic now. Ha ha ha.' The subject matter was dull to me. Every character was so appallingly obnoxious that by the end, I wanted them all in the damn coffin. Don't buy this book unless your coffee table legs are uneven and you need something to shove under one of them for stabilization purposes.

Rating:
Summary: siblings
Review: I read this for English class and loved it so obsessively that the minute I finished the last page, I turned back to the first page and literally read it all over again.

What fascinated me about this book is, of course, the complex, well-formed, cynical characters, and above all the relationships they had with each other.

This book is about SIBLINGS, which is a loaded topic, much under-appeciated in film and literature. Sibling relationships are subtle, elusive, obligatory and voluntary at the same time.
We see that Darl is obviously the most eloquent, intelligent, worldly and educated member of the family and we trust his perspective, yet he idolizes his simpleton brother Cash, believeing their relatoinship to be a very close one. This is ultimately Darl's tragic flaw.

He also tends to spend more time with the youngest of the Bundrel clan, Vardaman, taking him aside just to talk. This kind of intimate detail would be overlooked by a lesser author, but speaks volume about Darl's character. He is not plotting against his family; indeed he is trying to save them.

The big debate happening in my class was regarding the possibly inappropriate relationship between Darl and Dewey Dell. Dewey Dell is sexualized throughout the novel but whether her relationship with Darl was incestuous is up to the read to decide.

And of course Jewel. Jewel is cold and withdrawn, but burns inside with love for his mother.

The absurd journey they take and the cruel knowledge the reader garners from Addie about the true nature of her final wish is a perfect set-up for pathos, with futility and loss emenating so acutely from these pathetic characters.

The book was fascinating, the characters were rich and ugly, and Faulkner's innovative style is unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: "Stupidity can be catching"
Review: This book deals with the death of a parent, a story which hits home for most of us, but Faulkner's boast that he would write this in six weeks and never have to put pen to paper again is placed in perspective by considering the same subject in other hands. Hamlet's soliloquy at the burial of Ophelia; the consternations of Leopold Bloom (*Ulysses*) at the Dingham's funeral; the death of the father in Balzac's *Pere Giorget* come to mind as eloquent treatments of death, and do cause considerable puzzlement as what Faulkner might have been drinking when he made his boast. Faulkner admittedly in this early work displays a gift for originality, interesting surprises and twists of plot. Addie's death takes on a homespun 'life must go on' impact with which one can identify, and we see a perspective and point of view as the pitiful Bundren clan persevere through every imaginable insult. And, Faulkner creates picture images which stick to the ribs. Can one forget the mule's feet sticking out of the river; the buzzards following the stench; or the new bride walking out almost before the old one is buried. Nevertheless, it is difficult to view Faulner's novel as other than poaching on sacred territory by a lesser author who questionably renders justice to his subject. The weaknesses here begin with stream of consciousness in sophomoric dumbed down prose reminding of such as Joyce only in in wild imagination. One easily inhales this without dictionary, without thesaurus, and in need of a search warrant to find a truly intelligent sentence or memorable line. After creation of imagery, we suppose that somewhere Faulkner will really strike a chord. But what we get is something like "My mother is a fish" or imbeciles constructing a coffin under their dying mother's nose. Adjectives such as crude, defective, drunk, some to mind. After the imagery expires, what really is left of As I Lay Dying?

Rating:
Summary: A Mass of Confusion in a Single Book
Review: As I Lay Dying is one of the most difficult novels to read. In order to enjoy it, or even understand it, a person must have the time and patience to re-read nearly every sentence in the book at least once. If one does not concentrate fully on this book while leaving all other distractions behind, he will never understand what is going on in the plot. Faulkner wrote each chapter in a different characters point of view from the previous chapter. Switching from one characters thought process to another's in such a short period of time is difficult because the characters think so much differently from each other. The reader gets to see everyone's point of view on the events of the story though this probably is not what he wants because it only makes the novel more difficult to bare. The plot in itself is a macabre and morbid one. The mother, Addie, passed away and the family is going to bury her with her relatives in Jefferson, which is a good distance from the family's own home. Faulkner describes the trip and the state of Addie's decomposing body and it's plethora of scents. The descriptions become quite unbearable for a sensitive reader and are not always enjoyable. As for Faulkner himself, it is understandable why reviewers may regard him as such a renowned writer. Faulkner confuses his readers into believing they must be ignorant for not understanding what is going on, and isn't that what good writing is all about? Perhaps my own youth is at fault for my not enjoying this novel, but if my youth is the problem then I don't think I will be seeing past it anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: One of the classics
Review: This is the third Faulkner book I've read and each one seems to get better and better . . . maybe it's because I'm getting more used to his style. He beautifully recreates another place and time and populates it with a cast of characters that seem sometimes way too bizarre to live but then gives you peeks inside their heads that make you realize that they aren't all that different from us. The plot, in its simplest form, is that Addie Bunden has died and her husband, Anse, made a promise to her before she died that he would bury her in her native town of Jefferson, which is some distance away. So he gathers the family up and starts the journey. Only its not that simple and at times it seems like this is the unluckiest family on the planet, disaster upon disaster just keeps dropping on them out of nowhere. It doesn't help that by and large this is a family that defines the word dysfunctional and they have some interesting ways to deal with adversity (wait until you see the solution for a broken leg!). Faulkner keeps the narrative moving by the then innovative (I guess) technique of jumping to multiple viewpoint and having different people tell the story from different perspectives, often wildly differing in their presentation and tone. The people range from deadly serious to comical and Faulkner's skill at putting complicated thoughts into often beautiful prose is readily apparent here. Just about every section has a line or two that you find yourself reading over again simply to savor how well written it is. The plot curves like a downward spiral, culminating in an ending that I certainly didn't see coming, even if it did make loads of sense. As with any Faulkner book there are probably layers and layers of allusion and symbolism that I missed completely . . . some lines are repeated too often to stand for just their literal meaning. But even just read in a straightforward fashion Faulkner's stream of consciousness techniques and his ability to use setting to its fullest extent will make this a memorable reading experience for those who want a little thinking with their reading. They don't write like this anymore.

Rating:
Summary: As I Lay Dying
Review: The novel As I Lay Dying by William Fualkner is a story about a southern family making the move from a small farming town to burry the mother. The main point of the story is of dying women and her family and the trip that the family has to make together in the acceptance of her passing away. I found the book extremely difficult to get into with the relationship between the characters and with their purpose in the novel. It threw me off in the beginning when the author kept on throwing people in, and then not fully explaining who they were and what part they played in relations to the other family members. I thought the writing was wonderful, the way that Faulkner described the farm and the character's personalities not only made them individual and gave each of them a sense of their own. When he described the way someone would react to the failing health of Addie reflected the way they looked at their own life. For example Darl was a little odd but he cared about everything, ad he really loved his mother. In the beginning when the boys were going away to make that extra three dollars he was the only one that wanted to stay at home and be there for when she died. Darl wanted to be by her side. But jewel on the other hand refused to be pushed around and believed that nothing could ever hurt him or anyone he loved. He held a hard protective shell around himself. He would get upset with Darl if he ever mentioned the fact that their mother was going to die, he refused to accept that she was that sick. I think the fact that he wanted to go away so badly was his way of saying that no matter what when he returned she would still be there alive and well.

I thought that the book was very well written and the end is a total surprise. But to really enjoy it you need to get into it and you need to understand how everyone is related otherwise it is just confusing. The writing is vivid and really sets the mood for the whole novel.