Synopsis ABSALOM, ABSALOM! is often considered to be Faulkner's greatest book, and one of his most compelling explorations of race, gender, and the burdens of the past. The plot revolves around the character of Thomas Sutpen, son of poor whites in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Densely written and notoriously "difficult," the novel explores the question of why Sutpen's son, Henry, killed Charles Bon, his friend and classmate, and the suitor of his sister, Judith. The action shifts from the early 19th century, when this event took place, to the "present" (1909-1910), when Quentin Compson, a student at Harvard, becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about his ancestor Sutpen--and hence about his family's past--and the relevance of that truth to the present.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1972-01-01 |
Industry Reviews "'Absalom, Absalom!' is no Southern costume drama about bygone times. It has an all-American theme and a present-day relevance. Sutpen's virtues are those of a typical twentieth-century man. So are his vices--his dismissal of the past, his commitment to the future, and his confidence that, with courage and know-how, he can accomplish literally everything." Cleanth Brooks
"The final blowup of what was once a remarkable, if minor, talent." review - Clifton Fadiman
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