Oh what a guy...Faaaaaaaulk-ner!

Me. Kind of.

"How can you read this? There are no pictures!" While not feeling precisely the same sentiment, I've suffered more than a few instances of staring at a page with furrowed brow and intense frown during this undertaking. A lot of these books are just plain hard to read.


So you can imagine my excitement when I began Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! and...I understood it. Not the referencing-Shmoop-and-CliffsNotes-every-other-page kind of understanding, but actual, immediate comprehension of the words on the page. It's like that moment in Spanish class where "¿Dónde está la biblioteca?" ceases to sound like gibberish and actually becomes "Where is the library?" Oh happy day! And yes, that was also a Dodgeball shout out.

"That's me, taking the bull by the horns. It's how I handle business. It's a metaphor. That really happened though."

Now, some might say that Absalom, Absalom! just isn't as difficult to understand as Faulkner's other stream-of-consciousness, multiple-narrative-points-of-view craziness, and that's probably true. Nonetheless, I choose to believe that I am growing as a reader through this project. Just think how smart I'll be when I'm through. And if not smart, I will at least understand the humor in things like the The Reader's Drinking Game.


So here's my word to the wise: if you are going to attempt the Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! is a great place to start. It's not as convoluted as some of his other works and the story is pretty darn juicy. Secret pasts, sordid affairs, potential incest. This has all the makings of a daytime soap. But it's classic literature, so you can feel a lot better about yourself afterwards.


This is not to say the story is without meaning, because Faulkner Dearest packs quite the wallop of symbolism into the character of Thomas Sutpen. Sutpen's character represents the South and shows how ideals and dignity built on the suffering of other men ultimately lead to destruction. Deep. And if you're like me, you'll wonder what's up with the title, and you'll learn about the Biblical story of Absalom (or maybe you already knew it, in which case, good on you and shame on me!). The tale does contain some spoilers, so be ready for that.


Overall, Absalom, Absalom! gets two thumbs up from this gal. Now...onto more Forster! Even happier day!

Pssst...gotta admit, that exclamation point at the end of the title really upped my enthusiasm each time I typed it. What's adding a little extra punch of fun to your day?
Beauty and the Beast image here. Dodgeball image here. Forster image plus hearts by myself. :)