50 pages 1 hour read

William Faulkner

Absalom, Absalom

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1936

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Essay Topics

1.

Faulkner employs a complex narrative structure in Absalom, Absalom! with multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators. How does this style enhance or challenge your understanding of the story’s events and characters? What themes or ideas does this structure help convey?

2.

The novel explores the theme of the South’s decline after the Civil War. How does Faulkner use character relationships, plot developments, and symbolism to illustrate the changing social and economic landscape of the South during this period?

3.

Absalom, Absalom! is a prominent work in the Southern Gothic genre. What elements of Southern Gothic can you identify in the novel, and how do they contribute to the eerie, atmospheric quality of the story?