What Just Happened? Chapter 1 The Sound and the Fury with Benjy - Summary, Analysis William Faulkner

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Okay, so Chapter 1 can be a show stopper for many people. I know it was for me on my first read. Let's talk about Benjy Compson and his view of the world. He is a very unique narrator with his Associative Thinking. We bounce between April 7th, 1928 and many other points in the Compson Timeline. Let's walk through some of the major events and how to make sense of some things for this story.

#FaulknerinAugust2020 hosted by:

Jack's Video on Benjy and his name change:

Table of Contents:
0:00 Introductions
1:10 Narration/Opening Lines
6:16 1928 Timeline
8:28 Associative Thinking
14:17 Major Milestones
18:00 Benjy Compson and Outside World
30:36 Subjective Truth

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====Copyright Info====
Song: Infinite
Artist: Valence
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[TheCodeXCantina]

Table of Contents:
0:00 Introductions
1:10 Narration/Opening Lines
6:16 1928 Timeline
8:28 Associative Thinking
14:17 Major Milestones
18:00 Benjy Compson and Outside World
30:36 Subjective Truth

[iswhat]

The key for understanding chapter 1 for me is remembering that Luster in the present, T.P. in Benjy's teenage years, and Versh is in his childhood

[infinitafenix]

What would I've done without your explanations! Cannot thank you enough :))

[illustriouschin]

I really enjoyed the concept of the Benjy narrator.

[cherry.joy]

oh god, Thank you very much! I really needed this Benjy's section took me on a rollercoaster ride for real! italic's saved me a little bit, but Quentin's section was madness...I really felt his silents and non-silent screams. your video is so helpful! hope II do well on the exam!
Thank you

[ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

”The actions aren’t what matter, in a stream of consciousness.” I’Ve never thought of it that way, but you’re right. The...thought progression? The...mental construct? Mind map? (Idk what you would call it) provides the structure and replaces action. That seems really important to understand, when reading Benjy’s POV.

AMAZING editing guys! Nice job on this.

[AngryNewAger]

Love your videos and discussion. Thanks so much for posting!

[kaberroneill]

You explained this excellently!! I finally understand. Thank you.

[Kadet-qvev]

Great explanation, truly appreciated!

[zahrakz]

Thank you a lot. It was like a class and I loved it. Now I am going to read the first chapter again. I cannot wait.🙏🌿

[ramblingraconteur]

I finally got around to this after a busy week. Great job! The timeline breakdown makes sense. When we discussed the cemetery visit, I think 1913 was the earliest possible time I thought it could have been.

I also just realized that I am making a video on the shift in name. Good times! I will toss that up tonight.

Thanks again for sharing these thoughts on a fascinating piece of writing.

Best, Jack

[Ramseyreadsandreviews]

I had no idea at first that they were playing golf. I even wrote down what are they hitting? It is such an interesting way to tell this story.

When they went from Christmas to swimming in the branch I saw that Benjy had no timeline that he followed. The way he thinks is great.

Also I know I said this in the Voxer chat but I had a hard time with who was black and who was white. The way Benjy thinks does not appear to see color.

[Ali]

I found chapter 2 the most difficult by far my first time through. Chapter 1 was alright once you notice the italics signal a time shift. Didn't have a clue what was going in in chapter 2

[gabbyhyman]

Making thru Benjy, I could track everything afterwards. But it was during the third time reading Benji that it totally fell into place and his narrative lit up the whole novel. Benji might present the true account uncolored by the lenses of his brothers.

[cvzmcgk]

Thanks to translate to different languages to much easier to understand Faulkner and US Hx better. Thanks you doing well!

[donchuko]

For the first reading of the first chapter I would suggest to not try to analyze the timeline at all. I strongly feel that for the first read the chapter is designed to be understood specifically through emotional perception, and let the author to put you in Benjy's shoes. I would say that the biggest genius of this chapter for me is how he presents to you the information relevant for Benjy much more clearly than anything else. You will without any problem understand what does Benjy feel towards Caddie, but you must be some sort of genius to even get that she is his sister. But that's the case. Benjy doesn't understand such things himself and you are watching the story through his eyes. So in the end, again, trust the author here and try to go along Benjy's emotions, that's just fascinating stuff.

P.S. In other words, just let the idiot to tell you the story full of the sound and the fury without any point to it.

[scallydandlingaboutthebooks]

Got to love a Venn diagram (of sorts) and a table. This was great to watch after reading the section "naked".

[BookishTexan]

Love you point that Faulkner is one of the worst sources for the timeline of his own works.
Great Job with this. I learned more about the timeline and I am now rethinking what I was going to say about Quentin and Caddy.

[bighardbooks]

_Bravo!_ gents: What an impressive and detailed and all encompassing analysis of Faulkner and his very complex and complicated novel, thank you so much ... Faulkner says he tells us "What happened, and Why?" Well? I'm still waiting! WTF "happened" that Benny saw w Caddy & Quentin? Then, you mention "Miss Quentin, " Caddy's daughter (who was born eighteen years earlier in 1910--Section Two: Miss Quentin is 17 in 1928), correct? Reading "Benji's Section" I feel as if not only am I "in his mind, " but entirely inside his _body, _ all the triggered sensations etc . . . I also agree that "Benjy's Section" is just as much an "epilogue" as much as it is an _Introduction._

[ezralee]

this account is saving me in college when it comes to reading Faulkner. I must say... I would not mind never reading his work again 😩 As an English major, though, doubtful I will be given that blessing.