Without much thought, I borrowed this book from a library and waited a couple of months to read it. Then, from the first page, I fell captive to Faulkner's poetic style. More: I found myself stopping several times a page to reflect on a thought that Faulkner had, it seemed, simply dropped into the text, almost sneaked it in lest he be caught in deeper thought than his lyrical writing might warrant. One example that halted my progress for several days: Does thought come before memory, or the contrary? I hadn't read Faulkner since high school and remembered virtually nothing of his work nor even reading it.. I've come to realize that so many of the classics we read as youngsters weren't meant to be understood then, but to draw us back at a later age when we might comprehend. Examples: George Eliott (a feminist? really?), Longfellow, Virginia Wolff (a Lesbian?). Certainly I had no idea of the symbolism that recalls Flannery O'Connor, encountered much later in making my way through my son's high school reading list; this time, when I read that Faulkner was considered a Southern author, my experience with O'Connor helped me to understand the inevitability of symbolism. Now that I live in the South, I understand that symbolism is one of the South's ways of coping with its many contradictions, all woven into a single fabric of everyday life I have yet to research the symbolism in Light in August. That it dwells on race relations is obvious, but I'm sure I don't yet appreciate some of the characters, particularly Reverand Hightower, Yet in a first reading, not catching all of the symbols doesn't somehow matter. I know only that Light in August is among the most beautiful books I have read. The poetic character of Faulkner's writing led me to buy the book for my son,who loves poetry, and I did this early on, before realizing the complexity and depth of Faulkner's message or that symbolism was even important. I knew only that the sentences were framed beautifully, lyrically, musically, and motivated by deep thought. The sheer beauty of the writing, therefore, is what led me to purchase this book for my son. I hope that he loves it as much as I do and that I will continue to love it once I've studied it in greater depth I will not undertake another Faulkner soon. The human soul can bear only so much, and, in the end, the beauty of Faulkner's writing makes his message all the more sad. I was told after finishing the book that Faulkner had beaten his wife. If so, that is sad news indeed, for it diminishes the holy character of this novel. Perhaps artists should be judged by their work alone, or perhaps not. In any event, women are not well treated in Light in August, and perhaps Faulkner had issues with the opposite sex. How very sad, yet how very human! And maybe just as well, because this novel rises above what is commonly considered human, and perhaps it would be better grounded in the human condition. Or perhaps it contains something of heaven and something of paradise lost. It certainly contains hellish episodes, all described both poetically and beautifully in a paradox so typicaly Southern. Anyone who fails to shed tears over Light in August has missed a profound experience.Read full review
People usually complain that Faulkner is too wordy and that they can't get through his books, but there are a few books that are easier to read such as "Light in August." Faulkner groups together unforgettable characters into a story that shows the range of human emotions. The main characters are Lena Grove, a pregnant girl from Alabama. She has shown up looking for Byron Bunch, her soon to be husband who works at a mill. Reverend Gail Hightower seems to have forsaken religion to sit in the study of his house, plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen, and then there is Joe Christmas, a drifter, absorbed by the thoughts of his mixed ancestry. Most of the novel centers on Joe Christmas. He can be both gentle and cruel. Byron Bunch is a simple, hardworking man, shallow on the outside but underneath it all he has understanding and compassion, especially toward Lena. What happens to Joe, his death, is something Faulkner was striving to say about his concerns for the South. The book tries to show that we all do the best we can with the life we have. Some seem to make it through easier with perseverance in the face of their mortality.Read full review
Want to learn how to write - read this book and then go to Hemingway. Excellent literary pieces.
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good writing, although different from many other writers, story interesting and very sad at the same time.
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Good price. Quick delivery
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