William Faulkner and the Metamorphosis of Literature

“Read, read, read. Read everything-- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it.” - William Faulkner. Born in September of 1897, William totally re-wrote classical literature in the 19th century, even beyond his death in July of 1962. Faulker’s work was crawling with sub-plots, details, hidden inspiration, and key elements from previously famous novelists. William Faulkner revolutionized modern literature by taking the ideas of other writers and adding personal inspiration, description, and emotion to his work.

Faulkner wrote many beautiful pieces of literature, including Intruder in the Dust, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Pylon, and many other works famous for their originality. One of his most popular novels is A Rose for Emily, which was inspired by his independent mother, one can assume that Emily’s character is based on Maud Faulkner. (“123”). Before Faulkner, writers had a basic structure with hardly any detail and emotion weaved into their writings. Taking after his great-grandfather’s footsteps, William struggled passionately to become a writer in his early years. His first novel published was Soldier’s Play, which was published in 1926. Soldier’s Play is a book about a group of soldiers, beautifully described in the opening scene, overflowing with detail. The novel is simply a dialogue between drunk characters, but Faulkner has a way of painting mental images with his words. “Faulkner has vey skillfully imitated the way the human brain processes images and puts them into words. As readers, we are really placed inside the various character’s heads.” (“Schmoop”). Along with his mother, Faulkner used previously succe...

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...d lying and greed. If people all over the world... would do this, it would change the earth.” By writing novels, poems, and short stories that were beautifully and openly honest, William Faulkner developed a new writing style using description and the inspiration of admirable writers.

Not only did William Faulkner revolutionize the literature of his time period, he also effected the writings of today. By thinking outside of the box and going beyond the usual standards and rules of writing, Faulkner created an entire new pathway for generations of writers to come to follow. One day, maybe future writers will look to William and use his originality as inspiration to branch out and spark a new revolution of literature.

Works Cited

Shmoop Editorial Team. "As I Lay Dying Writing Style." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.