The Sound and the Fury (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)

First published in 1929, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury stands as a landmark of Modernist literature. Renowned for its daring narrative style, the novel immerses readers in the inner worlds of the Compson family through Faulkner’s masterful use of stream-of-consciousness. Each section unfolds from the unique perspective of a different sibling–Benjy, Quentin, and Jason–culminating in a final part told by an omniscient narrator. At the heart of their fractured memories and voices is Caddy, the sister whose presence haunts the novel, shaping the destinies of her brothers even in her absence. Faulkner’s bold experimentation with structure and voice, inspired by literary giants such as Henry James and James Joyce, challenges and rewards the reader in equal measure. Once its complexities are unraveled, The Sound and the Fury reveals a story of profound emotional power. This Warbler Classics edition faithfully reproduces the original 1929 edition and features an introduction to the book written by Faulkner in 1933. It also includes a description of the “Compson Appendix,” a character key, and a detailed biographical timeline. William Faulkner (1897-1962) was an American novelist and short story writer renowned for his profound influence on modernist literature and his creation of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a richly detailed setting based on Lafayette County, Mississippi. Faulkner’s work often explored themes of the decay of the South, racial tensions, and complex family dynamics, as depicted in novels like The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), and Absalom, Absalom! (1936). Faulkner earned the Nobel Prize in Literature, two Pulitzer Prizes, and the National Book Award. He spent much of his life in Oxford, Mississippi, where he wrote prolifically; he also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood. His legacy endures as one of the most significant American writers of the twentieth century.