“I discovered that my own little postage stamp of native soil was worth writing about and that I would never live long enough to exhaust it.... It opened up a gold mine of other peoples, so I created a cosmos of my own. I can move these people around like God, not only in space but in time too. The fact that I have moved my characters around in time successfully, at least in my own estimation, proves to me my own theory that time is a fluid condition, which has no existence except in the momentary avatars of individual people. There is no such thing as was—only is. If was existed there would be no grief or sorrow.”

 

Introduction
Though critics and readers alike often wondered what to make of William Faulkner (1897-1962) during his lifetime, today the Mississippian holds a prominent place in American literary history. A modernist writer in the company of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sherwood Anderson, and T. S. Eliot, Faulkner explored the themes of isolation and cultural displacement prevalent in the 1920s and 30s. Faulkner’s experimental literary techniques, including the use of stream-of-consciousness and multiple narrators, simultaneously perplexed and challenged his audience. His inherently Southern writings—tinged with the legacy of the lost quest for Southern independence and its impact on race, gender, and the ever-present influence of the past—also resonated with the rest of the world. The author eventually became an acclaimed Southern literary figure, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, and continuing to write until his death in 1962.

Faulkner created the apocryphal Yoknapatawpha County, which was based on his own Lafayette County, Mississippi, and peopled it with an unforgettable cast of characters. His intricately woven tales explore the depths of humanity, and remain timeless. William Faulkner continues to engage readers today. This introduction to the author seeks to inspire readers to explore his wonderfully rich and complex literary world in more detail.

 

Return to Home

 

 

Scope
This pathfinder is intended for college students and adults interested in the life and novels of William Faulkner, both novices and those who have already begun to investigate Faulkner’s literature. Due to the volume of resources available on the author, this pathfinder is limited to Faulkner’s novels (some titles listed below, however, do contain information relevant to his short stories, poetry, and screenplays). It also focuses primarily on works of a general nature, rather than on discussions of a specific novel (additional resources that reference particular works are listed as starting points for more detailed reader research).

 

Return to Home

 

 

Location
The resources mentioned in this pathfinder are available in the system of libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, most notably at the Walter Royal Davis Library. Each electronic reference tool identified can be accessed from the UNC campus via the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library website.

 

Return to Home

 

 

Library of Congress Subject Heading

Faulkner, William, 1897-1962

--Biography
--Characters
--Criticism and interpretation
--Settings

Novelists, American--20th century
Authors, American--20th century
American literature--20th century
American literature--Southern States
Southern States--In literature
Mississippi--In literature
Yoknapatawpha County (Imaginary place)

 

Return to Home

Browsing Areas

PS3511.A86
Davis Library, 8th floor
This is where the majority of Faulkner resources are held, including individual works, biographies, and literary criticism.

Z8288
Davis Library, 8th floor
Bibliographic sources for Faulkner are located here.

PS221
Davis Library, 7th floor
This section of the stacks holds resources for general literary criticism of early-20th-century American literature.

PS261
Davis Library, 7th floor
Browse this area for general works on Southern literature.

F209
Davis Library, 4th floor
Titles that cover the history of the South are located here.

 

Back to Home

Frequently Mentioned Texts
William Faulkner was an intensely private man. Though he was always courteous, his hatred of publicity and distrust of the public often resulted in lies, hostility, and ironic commentary during his interviews. Yet, with the right mood and the right audience, Faulkner could also offer illuminating interviews that touched on his work, his methods, and the art of writing. After winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, the author accepted a measure of responsibility as public figure and made himself available through speeches, conferences, and seminars. The following titles contain excellent primary source material on Faulkner that provides insight into the mind of the author. All of the volumes can be found in Davis Library on the 8th floor. While these sources may be most valuable for readers familiar with Faulkner, they can also be very interesting for beginners.

Cowley, Malcolm, ed., The Faulkner-Cowley File: Letters and Memories, 1944-1962 (New York: The Viking Press, 1966)
PS3511.A86 Z7

In 1944, Malcolm Cowley, critic and literary historian, approached Faulkner about writing a piece on both his life and work. This volume is the story of their unique literary relationship—as told through their correspondence and Cowley’s commentary. It is a wonderful read, and an essential resource for any student of Faulkner.

Gwynn, Frederick L., and Joseph Blotner, eds., Faulkner in the University: Class Conferences at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 1959)
PS3511.A86 Z53

Faulkner served as writer-in-residence at the University of Virginia in 1957 and 1958. He held thirty-seven conferences, answering questions about his work and various other subjects. This volume contains transcriptions of selected conference sessions, providing insight into Faulkner’s fiction as well as the working of a writer’s mind.

Fant, Joseph L., and Robert Ashley, eds., Faulkner at West Point (New York: Random House, 1964)
PS3511.A86 Z54

Faulkner’s April 1962 visit to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point was one of his last public visits. His press conference and question-and-answer sessions with the cadets are recounted in this volume along with photographs of the trip. Faulkner’s commentary in 1962, delivered less than three months before he passed away, offers an interesting perspective at the end of his career.

Meriwether, James B., and Michael Millgate, eds., Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner, 1926–1962 (New York: Random House, 1968)
PS3511.A86 Z892

A collection of previously published interviews, this volume makes available the text of significant interviews from the beginning of Faulkner’s career to its end, including those from the author’s seminars in Nagano, Japan. Spanning from 1926 to 1962, the texts trace Faulkner’s evolution from a fiercely private writer to a more public literary figure.

 

Back to Home

Biographical Sources
While these titles contain pertinent biographical information, they are also valuable for the context that they provide for Faulkner as a Southern writer. The following reference materials give access to information about related authors and themes particular to the South. Though Faulkner’s works explore themes common to all regions, the author’s connection to the South is a critical aspect of his literature. Even a basic familiarity with Southern literature is helpful for making sense of Faulkner.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen, ed., Encyclopedia of Southern Literature (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1997), 93-100.
Davis Reference, 1st floor, PS261.S515

This is one of the best concise introductions to Faulkner as a man and as a writer, because it places him in his historical and cultural context. It looks at how Faulkner’s work was received, both during his lifetime and after his death, and provides many cross-references. The rest of the volume contains helpful information about other Southern writers, concepts, and topics. It is one of the most current sources available.

Rubin, Louis D., ed., The History of Southern Literature (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1985), 333-342.
Davis, 7th floor, and Davis Reference, 1st floor, PS261.H53

This is an excellent, concise biography of Faulkner that focuses on his literary works. It touches on the major themes of his writings, his style, and the importance of the imaginary Yoknapatawpha County. The volume offers a good overall assessment of Faulkner’s literature and covers the history of Southern literature, which is invaluable for an understanding of Faulkner.

Lloyd, James B., ed., Lives of Mississippi Authors, 1817–1967 (Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 1981), 166-168.
Davis, 7th floor, PS266.M7 L5

This source offers critical studies of Mississippi authors, and its treatment of Faulkner is one of the best. The text covers Faulkner’s literary biography and reputation—during his lifetime and after his death. It considers Faulkner as a Southerner and examines the literary influences on his work.

Schellenger, Paul, ed., Encyclopedia of the Novel, 2 vols. (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998), 1:402-408.
Davis Reference, 1st floor, PN41.E53

For a purely literary biographical entry, this encyclopedia must be consulted. The text centers on Faulkner’s themes, technical experimentation, and modernist philosophy. It also contains a brief biographical sketch and a list of sources for further reading.

 

Back to Home

Guides
William Faulkner created an incredibly complex fictitious world, including the apocryphal Yoknapatawpha County. With his intricate literary style and his interrelated cast of characters, Faulkner wrote novels that are difficult to decipher. These reference materials shed light on the plots, concepts, and people that comprise Faulkner’s fiction. The volumes can be found in Davis Library on the 8th floor.

Hamblin, Robert W., and Charles A. Peek, eds., A William Faulkner Encyclopedia (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999)
PS3511.A86 Z459

This source provides an excellent introduction to the terms, concepts, characters, and life of William Faulkner in a clear and comprehensive encyclopedic fashion. With more than fifty authoritative contributors and a variety of critical approaches—textual, biographical, historical/cultural, modernist, feminist—the entries are for both novices and well-versed Faulkner readers. It is reader-friendly, provides substantial coverage, and the text is clear and easy to comprehend.

Tuck, Dorothy, Crowell’s Handbook of Faulkner (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1964)
PS 3511.A86 Z978

Accessible synopses of Faulkner’s novels that follow the author’s narrative and plot structures are the centerpiece of this handbook. An overview of Faulkner’s place in American literary history, a detailed history of Yoknapatawpha County, a note on Faulkner’s style, quick overviews of Faulkner’s short stories, a dictionary of major and most secondary characters, and a fifteen-page biography of Faulkner are also included. This work would be particularly valuable if used while reading Faulkner, to clarify plot lines and identify characters and their relationships to one another.

Brown, Calvin S., A Glossary of Faulkner’s South (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1976)
PS 3511.A86 Z49

Brown’s glossary is intended for anyone who is not from the South---both English and foreign readers and translators---with the understanding that knowledge of Faulkner’s particular country leads to greater understanding and literary insight. Alphabetically arranged, it covers the Southern language, place names, personal names, flora and fauna, history, and legends that appear in the works of Faulkner that are set in the South.

Cox, Leland H., William Faulkner, Biographical and Reference Guide (Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1982)
PS3511.A86 Z773

Cox’s guide contains an eighty-page biography and full-length chapter critical introductions to major Faulkner novels. The balanced biography contains quotes from the author and covers both literary and personal history, providing a comprehensive introduction to the man. The novel chapters consist of not only plot and character delineations, but also quotations and contemporary reviews—a good introduction to both Faulkner’s fiction and literary criticism.

 

Back to Home

Biographies
Faulkner has been the subject of myriad biographies. The following list includes the standard Faulkner biography as well as some of the most recent studies of Faulkner’s life. The best works combine the author’s life history with an examination of his lengthy literary career, and place him in his cultural and historical context. The newer monographs are also valuable because they incorporate recent Faulkner scholarship. All of these books can be found in Davis Library on the 8th floor.

Blotner, Joseph Leo, Faulkner: A Biography, 1 vol. (New York: Random House, 1984)
PS3511.A86 Z63

This monograph is the one-volume version of Blotner’s 1974 authoritative two-volume biography of Faulkner. However, it has been revised as well as condensed. The newer version incorporated new scholarship, corrected earlier mistakes, and improved its citations. The text still provides the most detailed narration of Faulkner’s personal life, but it is now less cumbersome, with tedious details having been cut out. Gracefully written by a man who knew Faulkner personally, Blotner’s biography remains a standard and insightful work. Though the two-volume version is still valuable, this one-volume biography is more highly recommended.

Williamson, Joel, William Faulkner and Southern History (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993)
PS3511.A86 Z98574

This important volume is a history of Faulkner that is grounded in a history of his Southern culture. It is broken down into three sections—ancestry, biography, and writing—that together present a complete picture of the man. All students of Faulkner should be familiar with Williamson’s significant work.

Minter, David L., William Faulkner: His Life and Work (1980; reprint, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997)
PS3511.A86 Z913

Minter’s writes about Faulkner through the lens of the relationship between Faulkner’s life and work, presenting the man’s life as that of an author, and his literature as the writing of his life. The emphasis is thus on the span of Faulkner’s literary career; the early years are covered fairly quickly. One of the most recent biographies, it examines Faulkner in relation to contemporary changes in literary criticism.

Singal, Daniel, William Faulkner: Making of a Modernist (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1997)
PS3511.A86 Z9686

This intellectual biography focuses on the conflicting Victorian and Modernist cultures that Faulkner struggled to reconcile. It tells Faulkner’s story through a detailed examination of his texts and his vision of southern history, making sense of the author through an understanding of the worlds in which he lived and the characters that he created. Singal’s extensive references to Faulkner’s works make this excellent biography most valuable to one familiar with his oeuvre

Karl, Frederick Robert, William Faulkner, American Writer: A Biography (New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989)
PS3511.A86 Z8588

Karl’s massive biography (1,040 p.) is a psychological portrait of Faulkner as man and artist. Karl depicts the author as torn between the pull of both a conventional existence in his small hometown and literary modernism. He also explores the connection between Faulkner’s oftentimes unhappy personal life and his writing.

 

Back to Home

Bibliographies
The majority of the works listed in this pathfinder are of a very general nature. The secondary literature on William Faulkner is voluminous, and frequently is specific to an individual novel, short story, or theme. These bibliographic works survey literary criticism from the 1920s to 1980s, providing starting points for additional exploration of Faulkner’s life and literature. For secondary literature after 1980, see the “Abstracts and Indexes” section of this pathfinder.

McHaney, Thomas, William Faulkner: A Reference Guide (Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1976)
Davis, 8th floor, Z8288.M22

A chronological and annotated survey of Faulkner’s work from 1924 to 1973, this guide charts the reaction to Faulkner throughout his literary career. McHaney includes foreign criticism, putting the author’s international reputation into perspective. The entries are arranged alphabetically by author within each year, which can make narrow searching difficult, but the index is very complete. The guide is particularly helpful for surveying the changing responses to Faulkner over time, and for covering the early years.

Bryer, Jackson R., ed., Sixteen Modern American Authors: A Survey of Research and Criticism (Durham: Duke University Press, 1974), 223-275.
Davis Reference, 1st floor, PS 221.S625

This source presents a comprehensive overview of secondary literature on Faulkner, with a scope that ranges from a history of literary criticism to race, from influences on Faulkner to religion, and from style and language to guides and handbooks. While the volume is outdated, the topical breakdown is extremely valuable for any reader seeking criticism on a particular aspect of Faulkner’s work.

Ricks, Beatrice, William Faulkner: A Bibliography of Secondary Works (Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1981)
Davis, 8th floor, Z8288.R53

This comprehensive bibliography is grouped into major topical sections, such as biography, works, and general criticism, with subdivisions for individual works. The entries are not annotated, but there is a topical index that contains cross-references for facets of study, persons important in Faulkner’s life, and related authors, and an index of critics. The cross-references and the subdivisions for each novel are particularly helpful search tools.

 

Back to Home

Abstracts and Indexes
The following indexes provide access to biographical information as well as to Faulkner-related secondary literature. They are particularly valuable tools for finding the most current criticism of Faulkner’s work—the articles and books printed after 1980. The indexes are available from the “Electronic Indexes and Databases” listing at the UNC libraries Web site. They may be accessed from the UNC campus, or from off-campus with a valid student, faculty, or staff UNC-CH PID.

Useful search terms include “Faulkner, William,” titles of his novels, such as “Sound and the Fury,” and character names, such as “Compson, Quentin.”

Literature Online (LION) via Chadwyck-Healey
http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/ (L)

LION is an electronic resource for the study of English and American literature. It provides access to more than 260,000 fully searchable literary texts and contains reference tools, secondary sources, biographies, and bibliographies. An author search for “Faulkner, William” produces an excellent online biography that focuses on Faulkner's literary work and contains links to other authors that are mentioned; 5,045 hits for works about Faulkner; and a list of 74 works by Faulkner. The critical works are best for students who are already familiar with the author.

MLA International Bibliography via Silverplatter
http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/ (M)

The MLA International Bibliography, produced by the Modern Language Association, is an index to articles in literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from several thousand journals and series from 1963 to the present. American Literature, which contains articles about Faulkner, is just one of the periodicals that can be searched through this index. A search for “William Faulkner” results in 4,773 hits, so it is most efficient to narrow a search to individual works if possible. A search for “Sound and the Fury,” for example, came up with 258 records, and a search for “A I Lay Dying” produced 163 records.

MagillOnLiterature via EBSCOHost
http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/ (M)

MagillOnLiterature provides editorially reviewed critical analyses and brief plot summaries of the most studied works in the history of literature. A search for “Faulkner, William” leads to a listing of individual works. For each one there is an entry for a list of characters (based on the Cyclopedia of Literary Characters), a synopsis, which includes not just the plot, but a critical evaluation and bibliography (content from Masterplots), and book reviews. The synopsis and critical evaluations are the most helpful resources. There is also a concise author biography.

 

Back to Home

Journals
These journals cover both Faulkner and Southern literature in general, with issues containing recent Faulkner scholarship, book reviews, and up-to-date information about Faulkner-related affairs. Current issues are located in the 1st floor periodical stacks in Davis Library.

The Faulkner Journal (Vol. 1, no. 1, fall 1985- Orlando: University of Central Florida)
Volumes from 1985 to 1999 are on the 8th floor, Davis Library, PS3511.A86 Z4584.

This scholarly journal deals exclusively with Faulkner. It is affiliated with the William Faulkner Society, a society founded to encourage diverse Faulkner scholarship. It is also accessible online at http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~faulkner/.

The Faulkner Newsletter & Yoknapatawpha Review (Vol. 1, no. 1, Jan./Mar. 1981- Oxford, Miss.: Yoknapatawpha Press, Inc.)
Volumes from 1981 to 1999 can be found in the 8th floor stacks,
Davis Folio PS3511. A86 Z78314.

Also known as the Faulkner Newsletter, this four-page newsletter covers recent Faulkner affairs, such as new publications and book reviews, reprints of Faulkner’s works, and conference information. It is most helpful for keeping up-to-date with the most current Faulkner-related activities, but it also provides an interesting glimpse at the continued influence and popularity of Faulkner and his work.

Southern Literary Journal (Vol. 1, 1968- Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press)
Current volumes are located in the 1st floor periodical stacks, Davis Library. Issues from 1968 to 2000 can be found in the 7th floor stacks, PS261.S527.

This highly regarded journal is concerned with the literary and intellectual life of the American South. It features essays dealing with southern writing from colonial times to the present, including pieces on Faulkner.

 

Back to Home

Geographical and Historical Context
Faulkner’s work is intimately connected to the place that he knew best: the South. Knowledge of the history of the South as a distinct region and the impact of its history on its people contributes to a greater understanding of the themes explored in Faulkner’s novels.

Doyle, Don, Faulkner’s County: The Historical Roots of Yoknapatawpha (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001)
Davis, 4th floor, F347.L2 D69

This monograph paints a portrait of the southern historical development of Lafayette County, Mississippi, the real land upon which Faulkner’s mythical county was based. It uses Faulkner’s fiction to guide historical interpretation and history to explain the author’s imaginary world. Chapters on slaves, community, the Civil War, and Reconstruction examine Lafayette County’s history from 1540 to Faulkner’s death in 1962.

Cooper, William J., and Thomas E. Terrill, The American South: A History, 2nd ed. (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1996)
Davis, 4th floor, F209.C64

This textbook offers a comprehensive history of the South from the colonial era to the 1990s. It explores Southern identity following the basic assumption that, while the South is American in its life and culture, it is still a distinctive region. The second edition incorporates new scholarship, and an annotated bibliographic essay explores the major literature on the history of the South. Though designed for undergraduate students, it is a reliable resource for anyone who wants a basic understanding of the South.

King, Richard H., A Southern Renaissance: The Cultural Awakening of the American South, 1930–1955 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980)
Davis, 7th floor, PS261.K45

This monograph is an intellectual history of the South. It examines the literary movement of the 1930s and 1940s in the historical context in which it flourished. While it does provides a valuable base in Southern literary history, the text is very theoretical, and there may be more theory than many readers are looking for.

 

Back to Home

Web Resources
Despite the plethora of Faulkner resources, and the number of hits one receives doing a search for “Faulkner, William” very few of the Web sites contain general yet substantial information. The first two sites listed below cover Faulkner’s life and literary achievements. The last two sites are homepages for professional associations dedicated to Faulkner.

Padgett, John B., William Faulkner on the Web, 10 October 2000,
<http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/index.html>
(5 November 2001)

This is the best Faulkner Web site. John B. Padgett, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English at the University of Mississippi, offers biographical and literary information, information on Faulkner’s home in Oxford, Miss., a Faulkner glossary, and related Web sites. It is well organized, clear, and chock full of accessible information. While it is the most comprehensive site, there are some gaps that have yet to be filled in. The author admits that it is an evolving guide, one that he cannot always keep up with.

Padgett, John B., “William Faulkner,” The Mississippi Writer’s Home Page,
17 October 2001
<http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/faulkner_william/> (5 November 2001)

The Mississippi Writer’s Page is a showcase for writers from the Magnolia state. The section on Faulkner contains a detailed literary and personal biography, which is accompanied by numerous photographs of Faulkner throughout his lifetime. Written by John B. Padgett, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Mississippi, it is the best biography of Faulkner on the Web. The site also includes a list of Faulkner’s publications and a selected bibliography.

Weinstein, Philip, The William Faulkner Society Home Page, 13 June 2000,
<http://www.acad.swarthmore.edu/faulkner/>
(5 November 2001)

The William Faulkner Society is dedicated to fostering the study of Faulkner from all perspectives and to promoting research, scholarship, and criticism dealing with his writings and their place in literature. The home page for this organization contains useful membership information, details on upcoming events, special announcements, and related Faulkner sites. It is an important site for scholarly students of Faulkner, and a good example of professional possibilities.

Leny, Pierre-Andre, The William Faulkner Foundation Home Page,
3 July 2001
<http://www.uhb.fr/faulkner/WF/index.htm>
(5 November 2001)

The William Faulkner Foundation was created at the University of Rennes in France, and is an important research center for Faulkner in Europe. It promotes American Southern Studies by providing research on William Faulkner and access to his manuscripts and other works on Southern contemporary authors. The home page contains information on the Foundation’s festivals and conferences and exhibitions. This site provides an interesting international point of view.

 

Back to Home

Appendix: Selected Works
The following is a list of Faulkner’s major novels and their original date of publication. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of his works.