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Book Description
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
Product Description
A landmark in American fiction, Light in August explores Faulkner's central theme: the nature of evil. Joe Christmas - a man doomed, deracinated and alone - wanders the Deep South in search of an identity, and a place in society. After killing his perverted God-fearing lover, it becomes inevitable that he is pursued by a lynch-hungry mob. Yet after the sacrifice, there is new life, a determined ray of light in Faulkner's complex and tragic world. (20040702)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This a Faulkner's major work which could be considered as one of the best American novels of the 1930s. On its surface, Light in August seems to be a chaotic narrative of life in the deep South after Reconstruction. However, such a chaos mirrors the chaos of a whole society unable to cope with the shadow of racism. For it is racism, the very truth behind racism, what Faulkner explores in this novel.
Behind the violence and confusion of Faulkner's narrative, there is a glance into the very core of human condition. Faulkner shows how we are, our fears, our secret dreams, our prejudices. Although, Faulkner's style is complex, the reading of "Light in August" is utterly rewarding.
This book represents the best introduction to Faulkner's novels and to the history of the deep South. Anyone interested in American literature should read it.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't read this when feeling depressed about the state of the world - it's Southern Gothic mix of racism, poverty, violence and general depravity will do little to relieve your angst. That being said, the novel is beautifully written and well-worth a read. Faulkner is a master of scene and his sense of pacing is incredible. Overall, an unsettling, but powerful work.
Format:Paperback
This brilliant novel set in the Deep South of the USA in the early part of the 20th century is not easy to read on account of some of the complexities of Faulkner's, at times, almost poetic style of writing. However, it was sufficiently compelling to ensure that I reached the end of it.
Lena is slowly making her way from somewhere in Alabama, searching for the man, who has made her pregnant. He had told her that he had to leave her in search of work. Eventually, she reaches the town of Jefferson in time to see a plume of smoke arising from it.
The smoke comes from a house that has burned down with its owner, a spinster, lying dead inside it.
Brown falsely accuses Christmas, his friend and workmate of murdering her. He is keen to receive the large reward that has been offered to find her killer. Christmas, a young man who believes, as do all the other characters in the story, that he has some Negro ancestry, is an obvious suspect. I will give spoil the story if I reveal that Christmas is lynched.
Faulkner ingeniously interweaves the stories of Lena, Brown, and Christmas along with that of Hightower, Jefferson's disgraced clergyman, and produces a complex tale in which the reader gradually learns about their tragic lives.
Faulkner's stroke of genius in this novel is to make the reader understand that Christmas, who looked just like a white man, had a trace of Negro ancestry. By having all of the characters in the novel believe this is the case, the author is able to describe the innate racial prejudices of many white folk, who lived in the Deep South, in a highly original way.
Adam YAMEY, author of the novel ALIWAL
Lena is slowly making her way from somewhere in Alabama, searching for the man, who has made her pregnant. He had told her that he had to leave her in search of work. Eventually, she reaches the town of Jefferson in time to see a plume of smoke arising from it.
The smoke comes from a house that has burned down with its owner, a spinster, lying dead inside it.
Brown falsely accuses Christmas, his friend and workmate of murdering her. He is keen to receive the large reward that has been offered to find her killer. Christmas, a young man who believes, as do all the other characters in the story, that he has some Negro ancestry, is an obvious suspect. I will give spoil the story if I reveal that Christmas is lynched.
Faulkner ingeniously interweaves the stories of Lena, Brown, and Christmas along with that of Hightower, Jefferson's disgraced clergyman, and produces a complex tale in which the reader gradually learns about their tragic lives.
Faulkner's stroke of genius in this novel is to make the reader understand that Christmas, who looked just like a white man, had a trace of Negro ancestry. By having all of the characters in the novel believe this is the case, the author is able to describe the innate racial prejudices of many white folk, who lived in the Deep South, in a highly original way.
Adam YAMEY, author of the novel ALIWAL
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excrutiating Aweful, but I can't stop reading
This book tells a story that can be likened to a horrible traffic accident caused by mean, wicked, and spiteful people. Read more
Published 17 months ago by J.J. Kilroy
VERY hard work
I've read at least five Faulkner novels and generally like his rambling style, but I found this book really really hard work. Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2004
A Twentieth Century Poe
I once heard an English teacher describe William Faulkner as "Our Shakespeare". He said that the southern culture provides so much for a novelist to work with and Faulkner works... Read more
Published on 14 May 2004 by James Gallen
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