Noise and commotion

Author: (American) William Faulkner, translated by Li Wensuo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Sound and the Fury is Faulkner's mature work, as well as the novel he invested the most effort in and personally favored. The story depicts the family tragedy of the Compson family, a declining Southern aristocracy. The elderly Compson is lethargic, fond of drinking, while his wife is selfish, cold, and always complaining. The eldest son, Quentin, desperately clings to the so-called old traditions of the South, and out of guilt over his sister Caddy's promiscuity, which he believes dishonors the Southern lady's reputation, he even commits suicide by drowning. The second son, Jason, is cold and greedy, while the third son, Benjy, is a moron, with the mental capacity of a three-year-old at the age of thirty-three. Through the interior monologues of these three sons, the narrative revolves around Caddy's fall from grace, with the housemaid Esley later providing a limited perspective on the first three parts, summarizing the entire novel. The novel extensively employs multiple perspectives and stream of consciousness techniques, making it a classic masterpiece of stream of consciousness novels and modernist literature.