The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Simply put, authors should not intentionally try to confuse their readers. Sure, a skilled author can withhold information, portray events from different points of view, or make the meaning of events not clear until later. However, in The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner takes things way too far.

The book is ostensibly about the decline of the Compson family, formerly a leading family in Faulkner's fictitious Jefferson, Mississippi in the generations after Civil War. It's divided into four chapters. The first three are one day in the life of each of the three Compson sons, Benjy, Quentin (who, along with Harvard roommate Shreave, also appears in Absalom, Absalom!) and Jason (IV). The fourth is told from the point of view of an "omniscient" narrator, but places some emphasis on the Compson's negro servant Dilsey. The problem with this approach is that the chapters are in reverse order of understandability:

• Benjy is an Idiot in the clinical sense. He supposedly has the mental capacity of a 3-year old at age 33, except that I don't think I've met a 3-year old that was as incapable as he is. He apparently spends much of his time crying, slobbering, and howling. However, it's not all bad. The section does faithfully record conversations and events, so for example, you might have, "Versh said ... and I cried." The "catch" here is that Benjy has no concept of time. Certain events in 1928 will remind Benjy of something else from 1905 or 1910 and Benjy will suddenly be describing something 20 years in the past. This happens without any warning. It's up to the reader (who at this point in the story doesn't know the characters or events) to figure out what happened when by little flashes of of the story. I felt like I was watching television with the channel continually being changed.
• Quentin is a little easier to follow. He's finishing up his first year at Harvard in 1910, but he also has major issues that he is dealing with. His world and world view is basically coming to pieces around him, so he'll also switch back and forth between events, times, and even fantasies without much warning.
• By the time we get to Jason we're so confused and exhausted that we just want to know what is going on. Jason, for a pleasant change, doesn't disappoint. I've seen Jason described as a "Monster" with no regards for anyone or anything beyond himself. That may indeed be the case. Even so, I found him much more likable than the other brothers. I even felt sorry for what he has to put up with all his life! From reading other reviews, I don't think Jason is supposed to be likable.

As for the story, I suppose it had something to do with their sister Caddy. Each of the brothers' relationships with her is explored. A major point is her promiscuity and the effect it and its aftermath has on each of them and the family.

The Compsons' great-grandfather (not in this book) was supposedly the governer of Mississippi. Their grandfather was a Civil War general. I'm not sure what their father was besides a drunk. At the end of Sound, Benjy has the mind of a tot, Quentin is tot in the German sense, and Jason, the leader of the family, is unmarried and has no interest in marriage, thinking all women are witches (or something like that). So the Compsons end here, it would appear.

Regarding the title, it's from Shakespeare's Macbeth:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

As with my prior experience with Faulkner, this may be a book to be studied. It may be a book that reveals more and more detail each time you read it. Benjy may indeed be the most difficult narrator in all of literature to follow or may be the work of a genius. But, I like to be able to read (or hear) a book once and understand it well enough that I don't have to resort to the SparkNotes (as wonderful of a site as that may be) to know what happened.

Not Recommended.