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William Faulkner: His Life and Achievements William Faulkner is viewed by
many as America’s greatest writer of prose fiction. He was born in New Albany,
Mississippi where he lived a life filled with good times and bad times. However,
despite bad times he would become known as a poet, a short story writer, and
finally one of the greatest contemporary novelist of his time. William
Faulkner’s accomplishments resulted not only from his love and devotion of
writing, but also from family, friends, and certain uncontrollable events.
William Faulkner’s life is an astonishing accomplishment; however, it is crucial
to explore his life prior to his fixated writing career. In 1905, Faulkner
entered the first grade at a tender age of eight, and immediately showed signs
of talent. He not only drew an explicitly detailed drawing of a locomotive, but
he soon became an honour-roll student: His report card would show no grades
below Perfect or Excellent (Blotner 21). Throughout his early education he would
work conscientiously at reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic; however, he
especially enjoyed drawing. His deportment at school was very high, but it was
not as high as it was at home. When Faulkner got promoted to third grade,
skipping the second grade, he was asked by his teacher what he wanted to be when
he grew up, and he replied, I want to be a writer just like my great granddaddy
(Blotner 23). At last, (in 1914) Faulkner took interest in poetry, but no one in
Oxford could tell him what to do with his poems.
Meanwhile, Faulkner, who is
very talkative, would always entertain Katrina Carter and Estelle Oldham by
telling them vividly imagined stories. Eventually, Faulkner grew very fond of
Estelle in fact, if he heard her voice he would deliberately attempt to be
spotted by Katrina in hopes that she asks him to join her. Estelle soon became
the sole inspirer and recipient of Faulkner’s earlier poems. Coincidentally, a
gentleman named Phil Stone would fall in love with Estelle’s friend, Katrina. As
a result, Katrina had told Stone about Faulkner and his poetry. So one
afternoon, Stone walked to Faulkner’s home to get acquainted, and during his
visit he received several written verses from Faulkner’ poetry collections:
Anybody could have seen that he (Faulkner) had talent…it was perfectly obvious (Blotner
44). Stone not only became Faulkner’s close friend, but also a mentor to the
young writer at the beginning of his career. Stone immediately gave the
potential poet encouragement, advice, and models for his study of literature.
For example, Stone would give practice drills in punctuation, as well as lecture
Faulkner on goals and grammars. Meanwhile, Faulkner’s main interest in school
became athletics such as football and baseball, thus his grades started to
deteriorate: Bill showed absolutely no interest in the education being
offered…He gazed out the windows, and answered the simplest questions with ‘I
don’t know’ (Blotner 39). Eventually, he would quit both athletics and school
altogether. In 1919, his first literary work was acknowledged and published in
The New Republic. The poem is a forty-line verse with a French title that
acknowledges the influence of the French Symbolist, L’Apres-Midi d’un Faune. In
September, Faulkner would enroll in the University of Mississippi, and during
his academic years it did not deter him from writing more poems.
The
Mississippian, the student paper, published Landing in Luck by Faulkner- the
story is a nine-page short story created from his direct experience in the Royal
Air Force flight training in 1916. He has also written several other poems such
as Cathay, which is published in the Oxford Eagle and Sapphic, which is
published in The Mississippian. During the summer, Faulkner became a house
painter in Oxford, and in the beginning of autumn he enrolled in the University
of Mississippi; however, his early pattern of school started to take toll.
Faulkner began to cut classes and finally just stopped going. Although, this
time he participated in a drama club called The Marionettes, and began to
publish book reviews in The Mississippian. In the summer of 1921, Faulkner
decided to take a trip to New York to receive some professional instructions
from editors and critics, since Stone was busy with his academic studies.
Faulkner stayed with a man named Stark Young, where they shared an incredibly
small apartment. Later, Young introduced Faulkner to Elizabeth Prall of the
Doubleday bookstore to see if she wanted some help prior to the Christmas rush.
Reluctantly, Prall accepted and never regretted her choice since. Faulkner made
a good clerk-polite, interested, and one of the best salesman in the store… All
the customers fell for him like a ton of bricks (Blotner 105). During his stay
in New York, Maud Faulkner and Stone became very worried about Faulkner and his
financial troubles. Meanwhile, Stone immediately went to work on behalf of his
friend, and soon became the Assistant District Attorney. As a result, Stone used
his political powers and appeals to influence U.S. Senator Harrison to promise
Faulkner a decent job as a postmaster at the university substation. Faulkner’s
job would last him between 1922 to 1924 with an annual salary of fifteen hundred
dollars. Even as postmaster, Faulkner still found time to write and publish a
short prose poem The Hill, in The Mississippian.
This poem was a great
importance to Faulkner as it served to be the beginning of the rural setting of
his future Yoknapatwpha novels, and his first objective to real life characters.
As a result of friends and unexpected events, William Faulkner would soon write
novels. Consequently, he realized his career faced the best of times and the
worst of times. However, it became clear that his writing would eventually
become his life long happiness. During the late months of June through November
in 1923, there was a correspondence between Faulkner and the Four Seas Company,
a publisher in Boston, concerning Faulkner’s manuscript entitled Orpheus and
other poems. Unfortunately, the publication of the poems was futile without a
financial contribution, which he was unable to provide. However, Stone helped
Faulkner by writing to the Four Seas Company in hopes of offering Faulkner’s
manuscript The Marble Faun. Reluctantly, it was accepted and by the end of the
year the company published 1,000 copies of his novel, which was dedicated to
Faulkner’s mother, and prefaced by Stone. In May, Faulkner finished the
typescript for Soldier’s Pay, which he sent to the publisher Horace Liveright,
who gave Faulkner two hundred dollars in advanced pay. He used the money to pay
for his trip to Europe. While in Paris, Faulkner began to work on the novel
Elmer; unfortunately, it was never completed, but exists today in several
versions. After arriving in England, Faulkner decided to go back home. Upon his
arrival in New York, he immediately began his next novel Mosquitoes, which was
published a year later by Boni & Liveright. In September of 1927, Faulkner
finished yet another novel entitled Flags in the Dust; however, it was rejected
in the following month, and was returned in December. Afterward, Faulkner
received the go ahead by his publishing company to send his typescript to
another company, which is now Harcourt, Brace. Unfortunately, even though the
novel was published, it was reduced to 110,000 words and the title Flags in the
Dust was finally replaced by Sartoris instead. Within the same month, Faulkner
began The Sound and the Fury, which was finished by October.
The published novel
soon became a critical success with only 1,789 copies. In 1928, Faulkner broke
ties with Harcourt, Brace, and signed a new contract with a new publishing house
of Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, which entitled them to Faulkner’s new novel
entitled, Sanctuary. Faulkner took the typescript and decided to correct the
proofs on his honeymoon with his wife, Estelle. Finally, Faulkner’s novel,
Sanctuary, was soon published, and in astonishment 6,457 copies were sold. As a
result, Faulkner soon realized that he is now the most important figure in
American letters. William Faulkner deserved every single award given to him,
because of his intense love and dedication to literature. Nevertheless, it is
just as important to know what he has won, as well as how he won them.
Therefore, in examining and analyzing Faulkner’s work it will help us understand
and appreciate his gift of writing. Throughout Faulkner’s life he has won many
awards on behalf of his talent for literature, and the following are just a few
of his awards: (1950) Nobel Prize for Literature, (1950) American Academy’s
Howell’s Medal for Fiction, (1951) National Book Award for Fiction, (1951)
Legion of Honour in New Orleans, (1955) Pulitzer Prize, (1957) Silver Medal of
Greek Academy, (1962) Gold Medal for Fiction from the National Institution of
Arts & Letters. Even though Faulkner won all these awards, there was at least
one award that had many conflicting views by many American critics.
That award
pertains to the Pulitzer Prize awarded to Faulkner’ novel, The Fable. The story
takes place within a fortress city of Chaulnesmont, two days after the mutiny of
a French regiment. The chief plot is set when a regiment of soldiers refused an
order to fight knowing that the attack would not be successful. The theme of
sacrifice is the central meaning of the novel. Is it on the grounds of military
necessity or expediency, or on the grounds of personal sacrifice for some
universal ideal; as a result, the main question asked is what is actually
achieved by sacrifice. Several critics have pointed out the dualism that runs
throughout A Fable, in which there are presence of good and evil, guilt and
innocence, and bravery and fear. Despite America judging Faulkner’s novel as a
failing accomplishment of its literary goals, A Fable was for the European
readers: The most important novel…a literary masterpiece (Blotner 595). As we
have seen, William Faulkner’s interest in writing was so intense that the
meaning of giving up never crossed his mind. As a result, whenever he
experienced hard times there would always be family and friends to aid him in
his career. In any event, Faulkner proved that with great dedication and
devotion anybody could achieve their goals.
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