Born September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi to a well-known Southern family Created a fictional Southern county (Yoknapatawpha) which served as the setting for many of his novels. His novels present the deterioration of the South and its aristocratic families. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. Died July 6, 1962 in Byhalia, Mississippi Titles and other themes (time, death, narration, nothingness) taken from Macbeth: "She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! 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." — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-27) The Sound and the Fury (1929) Part One: April 1928 – Narrated by Benji, aged 33 Part Two: June 1910 – narrated by Quentin, aged 19 Part Three: April 1928 – narrated by Jason, aged 34 Part Four: April 1928 – Faulkner’s narrative voice as third person narrator focused on Dilsey 1898 – Damuddy (grandmother) dies (Benji 3, Jason 4, Caddy 6, Quentin 7) 1900 – Benjy’s name changes from Maury to Benjamin (age 5) 1909 – Caddy (17) becomes pregnant, Quentin (18) leaves for Harvard 1910 – Caddy’s marriage and divorce 1912 – Mr. Compson dies of alcoholism Characters: Jason & Caroline Compson Children: Quentin, Caddy, Jason, Benji Damuddy: their grandmother Uncle Maury, brother to Caroline, has an affair with Mrs. Patterson Mr. & Mrs. Patterson, neighbors Dilsey: cook Roskus: servant, Dilsey’s husband Children: Versh, Dilsey’s son, cares for Benji the child T.P., Dilsey’s son, cares for Benji the teenager Luster, Dilsey’s grandson, cares for Benji the adult