William Faulkner

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William Faulkner
William Faulkner is one of America's most talked about writers and his work should be included in any literary canon for several reasons. After reading a few of his short stories, it becomes clear that Faulkner's works have uniqueness to them. One of the qualities that make William Faulkner's writings different is his close connection with the South. Gwendolyn Charbnier states, 'Besides the sociological factors that influence Faulkner's work, biographical factors are of great importance…'; (20). Faulkner's magnificent imagination led him to create a fictional Mississippi county named Yoknapatawpha, which includes every detail from square mileage of the county to the break down of the county population by race. Faulkner's work also includes stories from the past and present. David Minter says, 'His works take us into regions and spaces we can never directly know, and also back in the time to worlds lost before we were born'; (Preface X). Of course, Faulkner's personal life has added a certain amount of excitement to his audiences. Faulkner's stories are known to reflect experiences from his own familiar life. William Faulkner should be mentioned along with any collection of classic authors because of his remarkable use of the past and present, as well as for his meticulous detail and comprehensive knowledge of the South in his writings.
William Faulkner's background is a very important detail that will help his readers understand the psychological implications of what he wrote and to appreciate his work. William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897. His parents were Murry and Maud Faulkner. He married Estelle Franklin in 1929. They had two children together, both daughters. The first daughter was named Alabama, and she died nine days after her birth. Jill, the second daughter, outlived her father. William Faulkner died July 6, 1962 at the age of 64. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letter in 1948 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature two years later in 1950. Although William Faulkner's life had the same chronological events as the average person, his life was far more complex an interesting than that of the average person. Faulkner tried to keep his personal life a secret, but he was woefully unsuccessful. Among many of Fa...

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... collection of great authors. The five differentiating characteristics of literature are creative or visionary, specific forms, culturally and historically based, meant to provide enjoyment, and open to interpretation and intellectual challenge. William Faulkner's writing is a perfect example of what literature is meant to be like because it holds each on of the characteristics to be true. William Faulkner is known for his ability to write about the old South. Leslie A. Fiedler states that 'Faulkner [is] primarily a historian of Southern culture, or a canny technician whose evocations of terror are secondary to Jamesian experiments with 'point of view''; (384). William Faulkner's writings are unique compared to other writers because of the way that Faulkner presents the South in comparison from past to present and his ability to make the reader wonder about the point of view. Faulkner's writings are enjoyable and open the reader up to a world of interpretation and intellectual challenge. All of the qualities make William Faulkner's stories literature. However, it is how these qualities are shown to the reader that make William Faulkner fit to be included within any literary canon.

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