"Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner (1936)

This being the first of Faulkner's works that I have read, I have understood from it a lot more than I have from other works of literature; not only does the variation in style and perspective give it an added dimension of character but so does the liberal use of language and the patchwork style of narrative. It is an unusual book, mostly as a result of an absent narrator, a free-flow nature in which the characters themselves unfold the events through their own perspective.

The story seems irrelevant with Faulkner. It is characters and how they interact with each other, and the shifting of nature and events that make their lives tumble forward quicker and with less control. The narrative style is loose and uninhibited by convention, and the author seems a deity much like the one that exists outwith literature; never to me met, never an outstretched arm for guidance or reassurance. The author observes and conveys with great eloquence and gravity the story through an understanding of his characters and the way they react to situations.

The novel is referred to as a gothic piece and this is unsurprising; much like Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo the characters are made to submit to their own particular fate and the harshness of reality is never played down. There are rough edges and hard truths, and once the story of Thomas Sutpen and his failed plan to make a success of his life (an honest, truthful success, even) unfolds it becomes painfully obvious that this author will not spin things out for the better; the author will allow for events and characters to destroy one another. And the author even lets characters like Thomas Sutpen ruin themselves with stubbornness, with a lack of faith in other people. The characters need not be liked or approved of because they are who they are, and that is how you write with realism. The strange twists of fate in actual life are played out with remarkable honesty and clarity in this patched-together, overcast piece of literature.

Particularly evocative is how Faulkner describes the event of the American Civil War, an event which occurs during the course of the novel and serves to precipitate actions and decisions which may have been postponed. This quote demonstrates the level of suffering and moral confusion that leads to the crisis:

"'It won't be much longer now and then there won't be anything left: we wont even have anything to do left, not even the privilege of walking backward slowly for a reason, for the sake of honor and what's left of pride. Not God; evidently we have done without him for four years, only He just didn't think to notify us; and not only not shoes and clothing but not even any need for them, and not only no land nor any way to make food, but no need for the food since we have learned to live without that too; and so if you dont have God and you dont need food and clothes and shelter, there isn't anything for honor and pride to climb on and hold to and flourish. And if you haven't got honor and pride, then nothing matters. Only there is something in you that doesn't care about honor and pride yet that lives, that even walks backward for a whole year just to live; that probably even when this is over and there is not even defeat left, will still decline to sit still in the sun and die, but will be out in the woods, moving and seeking where just will and endurance could not move it, grubbing for roots and such- the old mindless sentient undreaming meat that doesn't even know any difference between despair and victory...'"
- William Faulkner, "Absalom, Absalom!" (Random House, 1951), p349

It isn't healthy to reveal plots, and is more or less the best thing to offer a little understanding and insight. To reveal a plot would be to reveal a story that should unravel of its own volition and not that of a writer whom has nothing to do with the original author. Best maybe to offer one of the penultimate moments of gothic detail in the novel, which would be understood in context but appreciated only slightly outwith it.

Faulkner weaves Absalom, Absalom! together with honest realism, the kind of writing that I am sure characterized his career as an author. His recognition of failure is not the point; it is the fact that man won't admit to failure, will destroy himself to makes his dreams appear and become a part of actual life. Thomas Sutpen regrettably trusts no-one around him and tries to fashion his own destiny. In setting himself apart and putting himself far from blame for anything he might be held accountable for he casts a lasting shadow over his family and future. A lonesome shadow, which leaves the outside world to paint him as a monster and a devil. In short Faulkner tells the reader with his indirect deity involvement in presenting the story: to hide from mistakes and to hold neighbours in contempt without seeking to understand them is how fools behave. If anything, this is a gothic parable to make that point clear.

I am beginning to appreciate that Faulkner must have sprung into motion generations of songwriters and authors with this appreciative view of human nature. This particular novel has set me on a path with the words "old time" written on it. I set out from here to discover the language of the past and forgotten styles of writing which are capable of bringing to life forgotten generations and events. Faulkner is a very special author and type of philosopher and I am very pleased to be able to appreciate and seek to understand that.