The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, such as sibling relationships, Southern aristocracy and sexuality. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 68-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of William Faulkner
• Presentation of The Sound and the Fury
• Summary of The Sound and the Fury
• Character study
  • Benjy Compson
  • Caddy Compson
  • Quentin Compson (Caddy’s brother)
  • Jason Compson IV
  • Dilsey Gibson
  • Caroline Compson
  • Jason Compson III
  • Quentin Compson (Caddy’s daughter)
• Analysis of The Sound and the Fury
  • Origin of the title
  • Form and style
  • Southern society at the beginning of the 20^th century

About The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury is told from the perspective of the three Compson brothers: the intellectually disabled Benjy, the suicidal Quentin and the scheming Jason. The reader is plunged into the brothers’ world thanks to the use of stream-of-consciousness narration, which shifts constantly between remembered events from their childhood and the present day, revealing the brothers’ obsession with their sister Caddy and the family’s gradual disintegration. This narrative style was considered highly experimental when the novel was first published in 1929, and it is still considered one of the most challenging but significant novels of the 20^th century.

About William Faulkner

William Faulkner was one of the most influential American authors of the 20^th century. He grew up in rural Mississippi, which also serves as the setting for many of his novels. Although his work did not initially attract much attention, the controversy that accompanied some of his later works brought him to widespread fame, and his work is now recognized as some of the most experimental and complex literature of the 20^th century. He was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature, and continued to write until shortly before his death in 1962.