'The Sound and the Fury': Favorites

[Scheherazade]

I really hated her, ugh, in April 8th where he's describing the sound of her voice as she repeats Dilsey's name over and over while Dilsey is painfully shuffling around lighting fires and generally seeing to the running of the house. How annoyingly well-written she is.

That was a really good section, I agree, Riesa.

I think Mrs C is a bigger failure because mothers are the most important factor in children's lives, especially during the initial years. Mrs is not only absent as a mother figure but also constantly demanding and attention seeking. Quentin's longing that 'If I’d just had a mother so I could say Mother Mother' speaks volumes. If Mrs C were a caring, attentive mother, the children would turn out differently.

[papayahed]

That was a really good section, I agree, Riesa.

I think Mrs C is a bigger failure because mothers are the most important factor in children's lives, especially during the initial years. Mrs is not only absent as a mother figure but also constantly demanding and attention seeking. Quentin's longing that 'If I’d just had a mother so I could say Mother Mother' speaks volumes. If Mrs C were a caring, attentive mother, the children would turn out differently.

Doh! there was something I bookmarked that Mrs Compson said to Jason that was comepletely whacky...unfortunatly I don't have the book handy.

[Virgil]

I wonder if women will tend to blame Mrs C while men will tend Mr C. Anyone else agree with me, that Mr. C deserves more of the blame? Part of your reaction I think is from see MrsC more often, because she's alive in the present and most of the novel is in the present. We only see Mr C from other's memories, but I think his attributes are more critical to the down fall.

[Scheherazade]

"And Father said it's because you are a virgin: don't you see? Women are never virgins. Purity is a negative state and therefore contrary to nature. It's nature is hurting you not Caddy and I said That's just words and he said So is virginity and I said you don't know. You can't know and he said Yes. On the instant when we come to realize that tragedy is secondhand."

I thought what 'On the instant when we come to realize that tragedy is secondhand.' means that, even though Quentin thinks that his father does not and cannot understand him, his father points out that he had experienced similar things too when he was younger. 'Secondhand' = not new He is trying to tell Quentin too what he is going through is 'normal' for a young man like himself (ie virgin) even though Quentin refuses to look at it that way and would like to see himself as the Romantic hero of a tragedy.

[papayahed]

I thought what 'On the instant when we come to realize that tragedy is secondhand.' means that, even though Quentin thinks that his father does not and cannot understand him, his father points out that he had experienced similar things too when he was younger. 'Secondhand' = not new He is trying to tell Quentin too what he is going through is 'normal' for a young man like himself (ie virgin) even though Quentin refuses to look at it that way and would like to see himself as the Romantic hero of a tragedy.

Doh! that makes sense. Typical teenager. Insensitive adult.

[kelby_lake]

I haven't finished it yet- I'm on Jason's section. I quite like Jason but I went for Quentin because he seems sort of out of place in the family. The Quentin section wasn't my favourite, although the passage where Caddy's asking him to say Dalton's name is nicely written, if not disturbing.