The Sound and the Fury
.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | William Faulkner |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Modernist novel Stream of consciousness Southern Gothic |
| Published | 1929 |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith |
Publication date | October 7, 1929 |
| Pages | 326 |
| OCLC | 21525355 |
| 813/.52 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3511.A86 S7 |
| Text | The Sound and the Fury at Wikisource |
The Sound and the Fury is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, published in 1929. Faulkner's fourth novel, it is the second to be set in Yoknapatawpha County and the first featuring the Compson family, both of which would reappear in his later fiction. The novel's highly experimental style, including its use of stream of consciousness and multiple different unreliable narrators, are hallmarks of modernist literature. Its bleak and candid portrait of Southern life in the early 20th century is paradigmatic of the Southern Gothic genre.
The Sound and the Fury centers around Quentin, Benjy, Jason, and Caddy Compson as their wealthy Mississippi family descends into chaos and disorder. Each of the siblings has unique problems that impact the others, such as Benjy's mental disability, Caddy's promiscuity, Quentin's anger, and Jason's impulsiveness. The history of the Compson family is primarily revealed through sudden, unannounced flashbacks, as most of the novel takes place on a single weekend in 1928.
Although it did not at first find commercial success, after the publication of Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, The Sound and the Fury grew in popularity and Faulkner began to receive critical attention.[1] It was very important in helping Faulkner to win the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature. Now considered by scholars to be one of Faulkner's best novels, it has been described as "one of the most complex novels in America's literary history."[2]
- ↑ Morrison, Gail M. "The Composition of The Sound and the Fury". University of Saskatchewan.
- ↑ "The Necessity of Benjy | SEMO". Southeast Missouri State University. Retrieved December 29, 2025.