How (and why) to read William Faulkner - Sascha Morrell

Get to know the works of William Faulkner, whose inventive literature made him one of America’s most remarkable writers.

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William Faulkner is considered one of America’s most remarkable and perplexing writers. He confused his audience intentionally, using complex sentences, unreliable narrators, and outlandish imagery. His body of work is shocking, inventive, hilarious, and challenging. So how can readers navigate his literary labyrinths? Sascha Morrell explains how to read one of literature's most confusing writers.

Lesson by Sascha Morrell, directed by Naghmeh Farzaneh, Sarah Saidan.

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[SearchOfSelf]

Faulkner's literary labyrinths are like mirrors reflecting our own biases and blindspots, forcing us to confront the complexities of history and memory 📖

[Anarcath]

Getting to the last word of the 1288 word long sentence leaves you breathless, as if you just ran a marathon, chasing meaning and never catching it.

[harshalbhanarkar]

Please do more such literature videos, I love these videos ❤

[jwcarnal]

I read two Faulkner novels when 18 or 19 while attending a technical college. I wasn't an avid reader back then but in an attempt to broaden my outlook on life I slogged through the first novel telling myself maybe I'll absorb its greatness mostly with my subconscious mind because I sure couldn't understand most of it most of the time. Closing the book after reading the last sentence on the last page I could not honestly say I understood what it was about. I had a general idea of time and place and events but nothing I could explain to anyone to demonstrate my understanding. If this was Great Literature I thought to myself "I guess I'll just have to miss out on that portion of intellectual life." Faulkner is a Southern writer. I was raised in the South and was attending a Southern university. And my English literature professor kept bringing his name up when discussing American literature so... After several months had passed I read the novel again. It was one of the most remarkable experiences in my life. Those reread words now conveyed me into the lives of the characters not as an observer but as one experiencing what the characters were experiencing as to perceptions and emotional reactions to those perceptions. Great literature indeed. The same sequence was need for the second novel as well. Time consuming but well worth it.

[Merrypaws]

If I recall correctly, Faulkner once dissed Ernest Hemingway by saying "He's never been known to use a word that would send a reader to the dictionary."

To which Hemingway replied: "Poor Faulkner. He thinks that big emotion comes from big words."

I find it interesting because both of them are now considered some of the greatest juggernauts of literature, but they approached the craft from polar opposite directions.

[asankajayaweera]

Thanks for introducing a new writer to my reading world. Because of one of your videos, I read Toni Morrison's Beloved which astonishingly painful. So I will definitely read William's books too.

[aestheticbitch]

The fact that every animation is in the highest level. Respect to the animator. Hahahha

[sophiaisabelle]

We appreciate videos like this. They're insightful.

[ronkirk]

I was raised a left coast liberal so I knew little about the deep south, but when I went on to read at least half a dozen of Faulkner's classic novels, I learned not only something about the south, but something about the human condition as well. A pretty great writer with a remarkable body of work. Highly recommended.

[normicall]

More of these literature videos please - it’s been a while

[coolskeleton__]

This is interesting. Fully explains why I constantly get confused throughout his works. Very through explanation!

[jamescolbourne]

I really recommend starting with as I lay dying or light in August, and then tackling sound and the fury or absalom, absalom! after. It can also help to look at something like sparknotes or shmoop after each chapter. He's definitely a challenging writer, but certainly one of the great ones.

[derekmayers-louther]

He was very ahead of his time using The ideas of the sunken boat fallacy way before someone even started talking about those concepts

[gastondeveaux]

The best way I can describe Faulkner's soaring stream of consciousness passages would be to compare them to those 3D drawings where you have to let your eyes get slightly out of focus to see a 3D image within the drawing.
I get that feeling sometimes with his writing, where you just let the words flow over you, like music or poetry. It has to be savoured, and, if necessary, reread after some reflection to get to another layer of understanding.
Faulkner is rarely easy reading, but I am certain I will always keep returning to it. It is very special.

[avinashkishore]

A video of such nature about Clarice Lispector, a lesser known genius, must be made. The meditative nature of her work.

[borntogazeintonightskies]

Nice. I actually recommended a "Why You Should Read William Faulkner" video 3 years ago when they did one for Edgar Allan Poe.

Not saying I had anything to do with this. Just glad that it's a thing now.

[joelkirkpatrick]

Oooo, this looks like a great read! I love books that play with your mind and discuss difficult topics, with strange and interesting characters.

[hyperactive_atlas]

I’ve been bingeing these videos all day
perfect timing for a new upload

[goncalomba]

Thrilled to see that TED ED literature videos are back! Unarguably, a public good 📖

[abhradas]

After such a long time a literature video❤❤❤ please keep uploading on literature Love from India.