The Sound and the Fury

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER One of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.The Sound and The Fury is the story of a family of Southern aristocrats on the brink of personal and financial ruin. Set in Jefferson, Mississippi, in the first third of the 20th century, the novel centers on the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats who are struggling to deal with the dissolution of their family and its reputation. Over the course of the 30 years or so relayed in the novel, the family falls into financial ruin, loses its religious faith and the respect of the town of Jefferson, and many of them die tragically. The novel features some of the most memorable characters in literature, including beautiful, rebellious Caddy; Benjy, the manchild; neurotic, haunted Quentin; Jason, a brutal cynic; and Dilsey, their black servant. These troubled character’s voices and actions come together to create Faulkner’s masterpiece, thought to be one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. It received popular acclaim shortly before Faulkner received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. Read more