Okay. So. Mr. Coon, you may be wondering, “Why on Earth would a student want to tackle another Faulkner novel—this time on her own?” I wondered the same thing for the first couple of pages of Absalom, Absalom! “Jess, what a bad idea. What a terrible, terrible idea. What were you thinking?” I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
And then I realized that Absalom, Absalom! is a prequel, not a sequel, to The Sound and the Fury.
Things make sense now. For a quick mental breakdown and a good cry session, try reading Absalom convinced that Quentin has already committed suicide. After a few minutes trying to figure out how Quentin could be both alive AND dead, I concluded that he had to be a ghost—which made the novel even better! You should also try reading Absalom with Quentin as a ghost just once. I haven’t read the entire novel yet, but ghost characters make any novel better. Yes, I was a little disappointed when I realized that Quentin wasn’t actually the undead (I toyed with the idea of him being a zombie for a little while—but Miss Rosa’s lack of terror dissuaded me) but the novel does make a ton more sense now, which is always nice.
I was really excited to see that Quentin is a key narrator in this novel too. I felt like I didn’t learn enough about Quentin in S&F to satisfy my taste. He’s such a complex character. When his narration ended in S&F, I was pretty depressed. Quentin’s Absalom narrations stay pretty close to his voice in S&F. I’ve read 1.5 sections and when he speaks (i.e. when that Rosa lady isn’t yapping her lips off) his narration is still rife with religious allusions and confused rhetoric. I can’t wait to get to the section where he’s telling the story—I hear it’s killer! (I really hope someone dies in that section because then that add-on is totally worth it!)
I don’t know how to feel about this Rosa chick. First off, her name puts me on edge. Rosa. Rosa. What’s a Mexican doing in the South? Even an Italian? Sounds like a scam to me. Secondly, she just keeps talking and, while I understand she’s telling a story, what she says is rarely relevant. For some reason, reading the first section left me out of breath. The sentences just went on and on and on. I kept thinking, “Geeze, Rosa! Take a siesta, ‘kay? Just for one second.” Quentin’s few lines were a blessed relief, a siesta for this reader. Her story was confusing (Of course. God forbid Faulkner make anything simple) but intriguing. I’ll definitely have to re-read it, but from what I can tell, there’s a whole lot going on with this family! I loved that she was so young when whatever story she’s relaying happened. It gives her so much bias. Of course, it also gives her a ton to whine about—which she does incessantly. I also find her obsession with Sutpen’s lack of roots fascinating.
I’m hoping there’s someone with a god complex coming up. Those are fun.
Maybe I’ll hold my breath for a ghost/zombie too? (536)
2 comments:
JessiDimes--good first blog. Of course, I always enjoy your conversational style. So here are a few quick observations:
1. Yes, a prequel. Quentin is invited to Miss Rosa Coldfield's house in early September, 1909, just before he leaves for Harvard. Why the invitation? Rosa wants Quentin to do her a favor. Do you know what she wants yet? She wants him to take her somewhere, but where, and why?
2. Miss Rosa still carries, 45 years later, a strong sense of outrage against Thomas Sutpen. Why? What did he ever do to her? There are at least two specific answers to that question, so there's something to look for.
3. Quentin is also learning about Miss Rosa and the Sutpen legacy from his father, who learned it from his father, and he will tell the story to Canadian roommate Shreve during the long cold Boston winter.
This is one of my favorite books, and I have some notes, timelines, etc I can share with you. Mostly, just keep going, and fill in the blanks. Who are Ellen, Henry, Judith, Charles, and Clytie? Who died and how?
Have fun, and keep going, and check JStor for useful critical research.
PS--Definite God complexes in the distance, and at least one walking dead man.
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