Slide 1: William Faulkner Portrait only. Slide 2: Origins William Faulkner was born in 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, into an old Southern family. His family came from Scotland in the mid-eighteenth century. When he was still young, they moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where he spent most of his life. Slide 3: The Old Colonel and Early Influences His great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, known as “the Old Colonel,” was a famous writer whose novel The White Rose of Memphis sold about 160,000 copies. Another important influence was Caroline Barr, his Black nanny, who raised Faulkner and his brothers and shared African American folktales and memories of slavery. She later inspired Dilsey Gibson in The Sound and the Fury. His mother and grandmother were also artistic influences, and his mother taught him to read before school. Slide 4: Early Years As a boy, Faulkner loved reading and quickly moved beyond children’s books to Shelley, Coleridge and Robert Burns. His talent for storytelling appeared early. He once persuaded his friend Frank McElroy to fetch coal in exchange for listening to his stories. Slide 5: His Tall Tales Faulkner fell in love with Estelle Oldham, but she married another man. During the First World War, the U.S. Army rejected him because of his height. He joined a British aviation training programme in Canada. Although he never saw combat, he returned to Oxford in a pilot’s uniform, claiming he had been shot down over Paris and had a silver plate in his head. Slide 6: Sherwood Anderson Faulkner initially pursued poetry, publishing The Marble Faun in 1924. Writer Sherwood Anderson encouraged him to write prose, visit Paris and, most importantly, write about what he knew. His early novels were Soldiers’ Pay (1926) and Mosquitoes (1927). Slide 7: The Major Novels Faulkner published Sartoris and The Sound and the Fury in 1929, followed by As I Lay Dying in 1930. His short-story collection These 13 (1931) included “A Rose for Emily.” His other important works included Sanctuary (1931) and Light in August (1932). Slide 8: Family Life and Hollywood Faulkner married Estelle Oldham in 1929. Their daughter, Alabama, was born prematurely and died about a week later. As his books initially sold poorly, he worked as a screenwriter for major Hollywood studios, including MGM, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers. Slide 9: Recognition Faulkner’s reputation grew after Malcolm Cowley published The Portable Faulkner in 1946. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1949, awarded in 1950, and two Pulitzer Prizes. He died on July 6, 1962. Slide 10: How to Understand Faulkner
Slide 1: William Faulkner
Portrait only.
Slide 2: Origins
William Faulkner was born in 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, into an old Southern family. His family came from Scotland in the mid-eighteenth century. When he was still young, they moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where he spent most of his life.
Slide 3: The Old Colonel and Early Influences
His great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, known as “the Old Colonel,” was a famous writer whose novel The White Rose of Memphis sold about 160,000 copies. Another important influence was Caroline Barr, his Black nanny, who raised Faulkner and his brothers and shared African American folktales and memories of slavery. She later inspired Dilsey Gibson in The Sound and the Fury. His mother and grandmother were also artistic influences, and his mother taught him to read before school.
Slide 4: Early Years
As a boy, Faulkner loved reading and quickly moved beyond children’s books to Shelley, Coleridge and Robert Burns. His talent for storytelling appeared early. He once persuaded his friend Frank McElroy to fetch coal in exchange for listening to his stories.
Slide 5: His Tall Tales
Faulkner fell in love with Estelle Oldham, but she married another man. During the First World War, the U.S. Army rejected him because of his height. He joined a British aviation training programme in Canada. Although he never saw combat, he returned to Oxford in a pilot’s uniform, claiming he had been shot down over Paris and had a silver plate in his head.
Slide 6: Sherwood Anderson
Faulkner initially pursued poetry, publishing The Marble Faun in 1924. Writer Sherwood Anderson encouraged him to write prose, visit Paris and, most importantly, write about what he knew. His early novels were Soldiers’ Pay (1926) and Mosquitoes (1927).
Slide 7: The Major Novels
Faulkner published Sartoris and The Sound and the Fury in 1929, followed by As I Lay Dying in 1930. His short-story collection These 13 (1931) included “A Rose for Emily.” His other important works included Sanctuary (1931) and Light in August (1932).
Slide 8: Family Life and Hollywood
Faulkner married Estelle Oldham in 1929. Their daughter, Alabama, was born prematurely and died about a week later. As his books initially sold poorly, he worked as a screenwriter for major Hollywood studios, including MGM, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers.
Slide 9: Recognition
Faulkner’s reputation grew after Malcolm Cowley published The Portable Faulkner in 1946. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1949, awarded in 1950, and two Pulitzer Prizes. He died on July 6, 1962.
Slide 10: How to Understand Faulkner
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This overview explores William Faulkner's literary journey, beginning with his origins in New Albany and Oxford, shaped by family influences and self-education. It delves into his transformation from personal myth to a distinctive literary voice, highlighting his experiences and the creation of Yoknapatawpha. The narrative culminates in Faulkner's recognition, including the Nobel Prize, and examines his modernist techniques, particularly in works like "A Rose for Emily," reflecting Southern...