Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner

Table of Contents

Summary and Analysis Chapter 1

Without delay, it should be understood that this is perhaps Faulkner's most difficult novel. To the inexperienced reader, some of the difficulties seem insurmountable, but if one perseveres, he will discover why many critics consider this to be Faulkner's greatest novel.

Of the many difficulties, the Faulknerian style is one of the major hindrances for the student unfamiliar with the Faulknerian diction. Another difficulty lies in determining what character is narrating certain aspects of the story, or when Faulkner as omniscient author begins narrating as opposed to one of the characters themselves.

Another difficulty is that a person is often talked about long before he is identified. For example, a character is often referred to simply as "he" long before that character is actually identified, and many small items of information are casually mentioned as though the reader knows the entire story.

The main difficulty, however, consists of how much of the plot is given by the various narrators as opposed to how much of the story is left untold and must be imaginatively recreated by the reader. To facilitate the reader's understanding of the various elements of plot as opposed to the story, perhaps a simple definition or example of the difference between plot and story should be offered. In Absalom, Absalom!, Faulkner tells many aspects of the story, but then he leaves many aspects untold. In other words, the story is larger than the plot. The plot consists of those elements of the story which the author decides