The Sound and the Fury

In the early twentieth century, the Deep South was a landscape of profound transformation and tumultuous change, marked by societal decay, loss, and an enduring search for meaning. William Faulkner’s haunting modernist masterpiece The Sound and the Fury, set in Mississippi, portrays the decline of the once-aristocratic Compson family. The novel features the divergent fragmented lives of the Compson siblings—the intellectual disability of Benjy, the brooding rage of Quentin, and the cynical practicality of Jason—as well as the unwavering loyalty of the family servant, Dilsey.

Faulkner’s evocative prose illuminates the complexities of human nature, revealing the impact of societal change on personal identity and family dynamics during a turbulent period in American history. Faulkner’s innovative narrative techniques and deep exploration of themes like time, memory, and history have cemented his legacy as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.