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As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text
A true 20th-century classic from the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Sound and the Fury the famed harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. As I Lay Dying is one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama. Narrated in turn by each of the family members, including Addie herself as well as others, the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. "I set out deliberately to write a tour-de-force. Before I ever put pen to paper and set down the first word I knew what the last word would be and almost where the last period would fall." --William Faulkner on As I Lay Dying This edition reproduces the corrected text of As I Lay Dying as established in 1985 by Noel Polk.
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Community Reviews
Read this a few months ago. It is certainly a unique novel because of the various members of the Bundren family, who all had quirky personalities and their POV chapters were written with different narrative styles that reflected them well (although sometimes it made it hard to make sense of what was happening). Although all of the family members were interesting I wouldn't say any of them were likable characters, in fact some of them were downright frustrating, which made it kind of hard to get through the story sometimes. The plot kept my attention decently as the family started to unravel on their journey to bury their mother. In terms of academically assigned reading it was a fine novel.
This is my first Faulkner(If I don't count the short story ' a rose for Emily'). If we get past what feels like a nonsensical ramble and connect the dots from all the POVs (yeah it has multiple narrators which made it more special because all of the emotions and perspectives are conveyed with more rawness to the reader), the book is very enjoyable well more like reflective and stimulating. I love how Faulkner epitomized death and religion throughout the whole novel. Not only that it also portrays the duality and hypocrisy of many characters, especially Addie's husband Anse who acted like a hero and a great husband but in reality, he was someone who only thinks about himself and his interests . I am sure I have missed or looked past many symbolic representations and I only have understood some of them but I have very much enjoyed Faulkner's symbolic representations it introduces a whole another level to the premise.
I would suggest you read it if you like a deep, depressing and somewhat challenging read.
4 stars out of 5
I would suggest you read it if you like a deep, depressing and somewhat challenging read.
4 stars out of 5
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