Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner's writing style is different from any that I've ever read. The only way I can think to describe it is by an image of a pattern being woven on a loom - the threads journey in and out of one another, covering in a way the same sort of territory as before, only each time through the pattern becomes fuller and more beautiful.

William Faulkner's narrative in "Absalom, Absalom" crosses back again and again over the same story and each time it does the image becomes a little clearer. Taste, smell, texture, color, odor, emotion - all are brought vividly to life through a wandering but purposeful tale. William Faulkner seems to have spent years with his characters, talking with them and learning all that he can about them. The result of which is that each character's actions and feelings are raw and real and the plot develops naturally from the characters themselves - rather than the characters being contrived from a pre-conceived plot.

William Faulkner opens his story with a description of "...Miss Coldfield in the eternal black which she had worn for forty-three years now, whether for sister, father, or nothusband [sic] none knew, sitting so bolt upright in the straight hard chair that was so tall for her that her legs hung straight and rigid as if she had iron shinbones and ankles, clear of the floor with that air of impotent and static rage like children's feet, and talking in that grim haggard amazed voice..." and immediately draws you into a starkly beautiful and tragic world. He commands your absolute attention, attaching significance to each word written. And he leaves you marveling at the beauty of the story he has brought to life.