Faulkner's Narrative Styles Author(s): J. E. Bunselmeyer Reviewed work(s): Source: American Literature, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Nov.

, 1981), pp. 424-442 Published by: Duke University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2926229 . Accessed: 26/01/2012 08:49
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Duke University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Literature.

http://www.jstor.org

Faulkner'sNarrative Styles
J. E. BUNSELMEYER Universityof Massachusetts HE VISION at theheart Faulkner's of worksis of lifeas a process I of accretion, overwhelming of connectedness. This vision is embodied thesyntactic that in narration style characterizes Faulkner's and marksphraserhythms "Faulknerian." as as Worksas different The Hamletand Lightin Augustsharea syntactic thatequates style eventsand ideas,past and present, piling up clauses; the style by transforms individualexperience linkingit to everything an by around it. Stylistic analysisidentifies the dominantfeaturesof Faulkner's characteristic as well as the variations stylethat in style create differences tone, rangingfrom comedy to thoughtful in contemplation. Specifically, speechact theory and transformational analysisof grammatical into the ways by patterns yield insights which narrative creates toneand point view. of syntax The communication pointof viewis,perhaps, basic"transof the action" of literary and ordinary language.' In literary narratives, an events related are from evaluative viewpoint (forexample, the in tellable talesimposed upon dinner guests).In Towarda SpeechAct Theory Literary of Pratt considers evaluative this Discourse, attitude as inherent "the literary in becausethe authoror speechsituation" a is but of speaker "notonlyreporting also verbally displaying state affairs, his inviting addressee(s) to join him in contemplating it, to evaluating and responding it. His pointis to producein his it, hearers onlybelief also an imaginative affective not but and involvementin thestate affairs is presenting an evaluative of he and stance towardit."2In Faulkner'stales,the evaluative stancevariesfrom with a character's comic detachment empathy to contemplation;
T 1 JohnSearle, Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy Language (Cambridge, of Eng.: Cambridge Univ. Press,I969), p. I7, discusses speechas an active transaction. 2 MaryLouise Pratt, Toward a SpeechAct Theoryof Literary Discourse(Bloomington: p.
I36.

Indiana Univ. Press, I977),

American Literature, Volume 53, Number 3, NovemberI98I.

Duke University Press.

? Copyright

I98I

by

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

425

these in differencestoneand point viewarecreated different of by syntactic styles. The stylistic features mark contemplative all inherthat the tone ently involve evaluation because present they syntactic relationships. Narration differs themere from of intent and recountingevents-in in style-as Labovhaspointed He found when out. were that events merely reported, werephrased thesimple tense; they in when past evaluation built was intothenarration,was through it "departures from basicnarrative syntax," through syntactic transformations that "suspend action," the introduce evaluation, transform and experience byframing in a point view.3 it of Thus, syntactic in which the style a taleis toldalters way events the and characters evaluated. are Faulkner's contemplative which style, draws readers theprocess into of thought evaluation, marked manyof the syntactic and is by features noted Labovin theevaluative by sections natural of narratives, literature's closest The foregrounded kin. features cluster that inFaulkner's contemplative passages are:
negatives, which define what bywhat notandinvite is is judgement of both through comparison, providing Labov's in words, wayofevaluat"a ing events placingthemagainstthe background otherevents by of which might happened, which not"(pp.380-8I); have but did appositives, which so lengthy so numerous theoriginal are and that nounis lostsight as it is amplified absorbed all thethings of and it by stands andcanbeequated for with; doublemodifiers which "bring a wider in range simultaneous of events" (Labov, p. 388), inviting evaluation the relationship an of between attributes; comparisons that explicitly evaluate whatis bywhat is like; it or-clauses thatembed consideration alternative the of forms action of orperception invite and evaluation through juxtaposition.

Thesesyntactic have a tendencies in common "modeof ordering" an experience; actis amplified, often or doubled tripled, through comparisons, negative comparisons, or-clauses, doubledmodifiers, and appositives.4 Faulkner's In narration contemplation of these stylistic features cluster together, forming foregrounded patterns
3 WilliamLabov, "The Transformation Experience Narrative in of Syntax,"Language and theInnerCity(Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press,I972), pp. 37I-73 and 388. 4 RichardOhmannin Shaw: The Styleand the Man (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan Univ. Press,I962) arguesthat "We orderexperience we orderlanguage...." as

426

American Literature

that absorb reader theprocess thought engage the in of and himin anevaluative ofview. point Faulkner's comedy free these is of stylistic features. comic The passages marked a very are by different syntactic that style doesnot suspend action, rather the but pushes onward piling indiit by up vidualevents. Stacking separate intocoordinate actions syntactic structures the eliminates evaluation in In inherent subordination. Faulkner's comic passages, actions accumulated, at a time, are one as thesentence grows theright; right-branching move to the kernels from action thenextso rapidly there no pausefor one to that is evaluation contemplation. syntactic creates more or This style a distanced comic perspective thenarrated on events. viewpoints The of comedy and contemplation differ; Freud even thought that contemplation interfered thecomic with affect.5Faulkner's In prose, this interference is quiteliteral thelevelof syntax, his conat for templative breaks theflow action embedding style up of by evaluation. right-branching style His comic speeds flow action; the of by heaping deeds, style up the minimizes each event and creates a distanced attitude toward action. the Thesecontrasting of patterns syntactic expansion create differing of comedy conthe tones and templation; quality two the the styles isthe share "Faulknerian" sense ofcrowded accumulation. in Differencesthetoneand styles comedy contemplation of and arenicely illustrated theopening by passages thetwosections of of "Was."6 Thesepassages illustrate central both also that to is styles a kindofsyntactic accretion suits thematic oflife comthat a view as posedof interconnected of relationships layers between times and people. The first section presents contemplative the introduction to Isaacand to thematic on perspectives thepastand possession.
appositive doubling IsaacMcCaslin, 'Uncle Ike,' seventy and past nearer eighty heever than corroborated more, any

appositives

a widower now and uncleto halfa county father and

p. 26I.

and Form, ed. RobertW. Corrigan(San Francisco:Chandler,I965),

6

5 SigmundFreud,"Jokes and the Comic,"trans.JamesStrachey, Comedy:Meaning in WilliamFaulkner, "Was," in Go Down, Moses (New York: ModernLibrary, I940),

PP. 3-4-

Narrative Styles Faulkner's to no one. negative in thiswas notsomething participated or negative but or-clause/neg. evenseenbyhimself, byhiseldercousin, of McCaslinEdmonds, grandson Isaac'sfather's appositives yet by sister so descended thedistaff, notand and withstanding inheritor, in histimethe the negative thenand of whichsomehad thought bequestor, that appositive somestillthought shouldhavebeenIsaac'ssince adj. triple to hiswas thenamein whichthetitle theland clauses had first the from Indianpatent beengranted of and whichsomeofthedescendants his father's slavesstillborein theland.But Isaac was not negative who years, one ofthese widower :-a these twenty appositives in all his lifehad ownedbutone objectmore negative and in thanhe couldwearand carry hispockets doubling hishandsat one time, and thiswas thenarrow whichhe leanmattress ironcotand thestained in usedcamping thewoodsfordeerand bearor forfishing simply or becausehe lovedthewoods; or-clauses to and desired since whoownedno property never negatives as the was no man'sbutall men's, lightand neg./comparison earth were;who livedstillin the doubleadj. cl. airand weather whichhiswife's bungalowin Jefferson cheapframe adj. triple and marriage whichhis father on gavethem their clauses wifehad willedto himat herdeathand which he had pretended accept, to acquiesceto,to humor appositive butwhichwas nothis,will or her,easehergoing negatives or wishesmortmain possession dying chancery not, or-phrases it his himself holding for wife's merely whatever, appositives who had livedin itwith sister herchildren and himsincehiswife's himself holding death, doubling welcome livein one roomofitas he had during to comparison hiswife's timeorsheduring timeor the her or-clauses of sister-in-law herchildren and the during rest hisand after. in he neg./or-phrase notsomething had participated or even the the remembered except from hearing, listening appositive his cometo himthrough from cousinMcCaslin and and hence, his years senior bornin I850 and sixteen doubling hisown father whenIsaac,an beingnearseventy his than was born, rather brother onlychild, appositive

427

428

AmericanLiterature

out than and comparisons cousin, ratherhisfather either, of the the time, olddays. old appositive

havethesyntactic to Isaac to make (excepttorefuse act). Appositives and thus effect deletingagentspresentin the deep structure of actorsand eventsin the surfacestyle.In the deep diminishing structure: (Isaac was) "past seventy";(Isaac was) "a widower"; to (Isaac was) "uncle to half a county";(Isaac was) "father no sister"; (McCaslin of one." (McCaslinwas) "grandson Isaac'sfather's (McCaslin was) "the inheritor"; by was) "descended the distaff"; matrix, onlyeight In (McCaslin was) "the bequestor." the surface into bothIsaac and McCaslinare transformed linesintothepassage, all the othernouns theirnames can be equated with (widower, whichall implytheir to relationship descendant), uncle,grandson, and decreases individuation emphasizes others. The actof apposition move the surfacestyleeven further the relationships; appositives direct, active statements intotherealmof thepassive and awayfrom such as "McCaslin bequeathed."In Faulkner's surfacesyntax, into is McCaslin's action of bequeathing transformed McCaslin's absorbs apposition the and identity inheritor bequestor; syntactic as of actionintoa network equated for McCaslin'spotential individual of The over-allstructure the passage has the same relationships. for existence, each have no individual effect: individual the sections to dependsfor meaningupon its relationship what comes before to is one, and after. The lastparagraph an appositive thepreceding beginswitha pronounthathas no anteand the secondparagraph back Such pronouns usuallyrefer cedent:"thiswas not something." is but here the only referent Isaac's appositional to something, paragraph allow forinconclusive Such syntactic structures identity. which reinforce thematic the and point of structure punctuation, to are or viewthat there no clearbeginnings endings events. Thus,the two themes: establishes vast numberof appositives through style, in thatthere fewisolated or and are actions actors life'slegends, that untilthey inundate consciousness. legends grow,a bit at a time,

one; to is last The entire paragraph an appositive thepreceding qualify continually appositives the within paragraph numerous each often connection the and until separating subject verb and equate, of. is the and of between subject theaction theverb lostsight In the action for is there first paragraph, is noverb, there nomeaningful for

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

429

The overwhelming of relationshipsreinforced other maze is by and clauses and elements style-by of numerous or-phrases adjective of by theredefinitionthings their by opposites, through negation. Liketheappositives, adjective the are clauses a kindofdoubling, for further about they keepgiving information thepreceding clause: "that which somehad thought and somestillthought then should havebeenIsaac'ssince was thenamein which title the his the to landhadfirst granted been from Indian the and some patent which ofthedescendants hisfather's of in slaves bore theland."Isaac still and hishomearequalified many by suchclauses: "whoin all his "whoowned property," lived no "who "which wife's his life," still," father given," had "which wife willed," his had "andwhich had he The pretended accept." clauses to redefine hasgone continually what before light thepast. in of The or-constructionsexpand also descripin tion anevaluative "which used direction: he in woods camping the fordeerand bearor forfishing simply or he because lovedthe woods";"holding himself welcome livein oneroomofit as he to hadduring wife's orsheduring time thesister-in-law his time her or andherchildren during rest hisand after." the of Like theapposithis tives, syntactic construction further from initial leads away the starting to all thethings might substituted it,and point that be for thus of actions people and do can the and presents point viewthat each The of surroundreplace other. process defining things other, by is ing things extended Faulkner's of negatives identify. use by to Isaac"owned property never no and desired since earth to the was notownit; theimportant about relationship thestory thing his to he tells that doesnotowniteither is he since didnotparticipate he in it.Definition reality relationshipswhat of or by they notpulls are whodo not;notjustMcCaslin owned landand participated in the theannualrace,but also Isaac who refuses and ownership who a frame a story providesnarrative for about menwhowouldpossess and owneachother. Thisredefinitionnegation, thestrings by like ofadjective the stretches reader's clauses, consciousnessthesyntax, by which embeds theaddeddetails themiddle thesentence, all into of between and verb-ifthe process apposition not subject of has
intothereader's consciousness twiceas manythings once: notjust at Isaac who ownsno land,but thosewho thinkhe should,and those no man's."Isaac's repeated relationship his house is thathe will to

430

American Literature

eliminated subject verbaltogether. heavy the and The embedding of reaches limits whatthemindcan contain the and makesthe reader through feel, the of in syntax, numbing sense a world which numerous connections interrelationships leastas realas and are at
action.

In contrast thecontemplative that to tone opens first the section of "Was,"thesecond section begins with comic the creation action. of Thestyle the of narration dramatically: shifts
2

When he andUncleBuckranbackto thehouse from discovering that Tommy's Turl had run again,theyheardUncle Buddycursing and bellowing thekitchen, thefoxand and dogscameout of the in then kitchen crossed hall intothedogs'roomand they and the heardthem runthrough dogs'room the intohisand UncleBuck'sroom, thenthey saw them the and heard cross hallagainintoUncleBuddy's room them runthrough UncleBuddy's roomintothekitchen againand this time it sounded thewholekitchen like had chimney comedownand Uncle Buddy bellowing a steamboat like and blowing thistimethefoxand the dogsand five sixsticks firewood came ofthekitchen or of all out together with UncleBuddy themiddle them in of hitting everything sight at in with stick. another It wasa goodrace.

sentence each clause follows, timeand logic,whatever in preceded it: "Whenhe and UncleBuckranback . . . they heardUncleBuddy
cursing. . . then the fox and the dogs came out . . . and they heard themrun . . . thentheysaw themcrossthe hall." The percep-

The syntax the creates rhythms which move reader the through the bizarre around house; alsocreates point viewthat race the it the of theraceand thecharacters involved it arebizarre. lengthy in The sentence clearbecause kindof transformation is the employed to join elements right-branching. reader is As the moves through the

tionof thisseries separate, actions due to thesyntax, of fast is which grows toward the right,ratherthan embeddingappositives and adjectiveclauses betweensubjectsand verbs.The few participial in phrasespass unnoticed the generalforegrounding the rightof The separateactionsare equated by the branching syntactic style. clauses of nearlyequal length.The rightseparateindependent a achieves rhythmic to branching powersuitable a raceand is appro-

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

43I

priately broken theironic, by "It staccato generalization: wasa good race."Such variation phrase in on attention the focuses rhythm short which repeated thevery of thestory, a is sentence, end as at kindofrefrain, applying satirically onlyto thebumbling not hunt of thefoxand dogsbutalso to theequally bumbling semi-annual hunts Buck Buddy TurlandofSophonisba a husband. of and for for The pilingup of separate actions, indethrough right-branching pendent clauses, creates galloping a rhythm thatreduces each individual deedto blurred insignificance. The difference tonebetween first second in the and sections of "Was"-between contemplative the introduction the comic and tale-is due to thedifference between evaluative the embedding of appositives, negatives, adjective and clausesand the accretion of quick, right-branching Yet bothsyntax actions. sharethe patterns "Faulknerian" quality accumulating of things equal weight: of neither syntax pattern grants grammatical priority certain to individual actions others. action contemplation characters' over In or the and readers' minds must sort through accumulation related, an of rather equated events significance. for The sense connectedness actions, andpresent, of ofall past which is conveyed thesyntactic by styles, alsoexpressed thecircular, is by repetitive structure"Was."The hunt a recurrent enacted of is ritual toconfirmsocial a codethat outdated; story ended itwas is the is as Just thesyntax begun. as parallels equates and events, doesthe so patterning theparallel of hunts: Buck's Turl and Sophonisba's for a for husband-both andTurlheadfor woods. hunter Buck the The and hunted further are equatedby the similarity the animal of metaphors express dehumanization entrapment that the and of both-for when example, Uncle Buck's "gnarled thrust neck forward likea cooter's" hebegan "flush," as to and "circle," "bay" Turl(p. 8). Their entrapmentcodes by from pastis further the suggested the by Buck havegiven settings: and Buddy over unfinished house the big tothenumerous slaves they pretend possess haveno realuse to and to for;Sophonisba pretends dignity insisting others the that by call ramshackle Warwick: "when wouldn't it Warplantation call they she wick, wouldn't seem know even to were what about they talking and it wouldsound if sheand Mr.Hubert as ownedtwoseparate the plantations covering samearea of ground, on top of the one

432

AmericanLiterature

other" 9). A similar (p. discrepancy between names the exists the of and characters their Buckand Buddy reality. eschew their anachbirth ronistic names, and Theophilus Amodeus; tries Sophonisba to liveup to hersand fails. Turl is named, likea race Tommy's horse, hismother's as his issue; absence a sir-namethesemantic of is symbol his enslavement. proves of He twicea yearthathis own enslavement enslaves also those whopretend ownandnamehim. to In theframe story Isaac rejects pretensions ownership, at which others presume lastnameentitles to.Eventhearchaic his him stage props the to ritual hunt example, (for Sophonisba's sending Buck the redribbon from around throat) her underline absurdityliving the of by socialcodesof thepast,whichsanction possession which and categorize "Tomey's Turl's arms were that supposed be black to but were quitewhite" 29) differently Buck's Buddy's. not (p. from and Obviously, "Was" examines semantics racism, waysin the of the whichwordsfrom worldwhich"was" continue determine a to perceptions, influence actions, enslave and people. The encoding of present reality anachronistic by verbal "maps"7 from pastis the reflected thesetting, names, title, thestructure the in the the and of actionof "Was,"as well as in its syntactic styles. Whether the narrative syntax "Was"is comic contemplative, of or it conveys the entrapment ofman anaccretion relationships. in of The comic and contemplative are present styles throughout Faulkner's as following works, the of from in analysis passages Light August, "TheBear," Sound theFury, I LayDying, The and As The and Hamlet, TheReivers illustrates. in "Was"the As narrative styles maybe mixed a given in work:there contemplative are in passages comic novels as TheReivers comic such and in about passages novels such and subjects as dying burying arenotordinarily that considered comic. difference The between narrative andtones duetoa is styles in difference the degree concentration stylistic of of as features; Dolezelpoints in Statistics Style: out and "The overall character of is forth the style called of by degree presence absence) a certain of (or modeof expression, rather thanby itsexclusive (or complete use
7 S. I. Hayakawa coined the terms "maps" and "territories"in Language and Thought in Action (New York: Harcourt, Brace, I939), esp. ch. 2 on "Symbols."

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

433

suppression)."8 The degree embedded of or evaluation thedegree of foregroundingright-branching creates of actions in differences narrative Of course, tone. there mixedtones are between comedy andcontemplation. somewhat This binary distinctiontheendsof of Faulkner's narrative continuumintended clarify variation is to how in syntactic contributesvarieties toneand differences style to of in

In Lightin August, "TheBear," The Soundand theFury, and theprocess evaluation presented thesamesyntactic that of is in style begins first the section "Was"andfrom same of the empathetic point of view.The many embeddings onlyreflect contemplative not the style mindor actas a "mirror themind," use Chomsky's of of to phrase;9 they involve reader sorting also in the through relationships between elements the embedded orthrough apposition, negation, clauses, doubleadjectives, explicit and comparison. effect The of these in the transformations narrative syntax toengage reader is the in thoughts Joe inthe ofevaluation, example, the act for of Christmas asheweighs strangeness experience: the ofhis
He layready sleep, for without without sleeping, to as seeming needthesleep, he wouldplacehis stomach for acquiescent foodwhichit did not seemto desire need.It was strange the or in sensethathe coulddiscover neither derivation nor motivation explanation it.He foundthat nor for he was trying calculate dayoftheweek. to the It was as though comparison now and at lasthe had an actual doubleadj. and urgent needto strike theaccomplished off somepurpose act,without appositive/neg. daystoward or either or-phrases short overshooting." or falling neg./doubling comparison negative or-clause negatives doubling/neg.

point view. of

Thatnight strange a came hismind. into thing

The words describe process wellas thecontent thought. the as of The syntactic defines style states thinking feeling what of and by they lackthrough foregrounding the of negatives, which an imply
8 LubomirDolezel, "A Framework for the Statistical Analysisof Style,"in Statistics and Style, LubomirDolezel and RichardBailey (New York: American ed. Elsevier,I969),

pp. IO-II.

10 Light in August

9 Noam Chomsky, Reflections on Language (New York: Pantheon,1975), (New York:Modern Library, I932), p. 3I7.

p. 4.

434

AmericanLiterature

the them against background" "by of thoughts placing evaluation the explanamotivation, derivation, qualities: (Labov,p. 380) ofabsent of the presents point view the the Through negatives, passage tion. of (regardless themotivaareabsent connections suchexplicit that By be afterward). bringing that and tions explanations might given of in both intoconsciousness whatis andis notpresent theprocess contemof a the style thought, syntactic invites point viewtoward and of and The comparisons, doubling adjectives plation. or-clauses, (Labov, events" of range simultaneous in also nouns "bring a wider of p. 388) and invite evaluations sleepand hunger, comparative and of and and sense timelessness its and days acts, ofthe desire need, that need to ordertime.The viewpoint inherent opposite-the and is of is thought a process relating connecting builtintothe style. syntactic conthat passages present other style The samenarrative marks in the of and the templation creates sameeffect engaging reader an the a of evaluative stance, point view.For example, contemplation an involves attitude bear and of wilderness ofthe ofthemeaning the of and the toward both process theobject contemplation.
ever He hadalready then, inherited, without having foot with trap-ruined one seen the oldbear it, big had square miles a that an areaalmost hundred in designation a a earned himselfname, definite for appositive of man:-thelong legend corn-cribs comparison likea living pigs of and down rifled shoats grown and appositives broken and bodily the into woods calves carried andeven doubling negative double adj. he tion back beginning before wasborn...
and of devoured. . .-a corridor wreckage destruc-

appositive

doubling

apposithrough into the Syntactically, bearis transformed a legend is of the apposition, legend hisactions transformed tion;byfurther is The and of into corridor wreckage destruction. bear continually a he with: is for he defined all the things stands andcanbeequated by and out indomitable invincible of an old dead "an anachronism, of and a epitome apotheosis theold wildlife. time, phantom, childless and indomitable, alone;widowered theold bear, solitary, and outreft Priam ofhisold wife of and absolved mortality-old
11 "The Bear,"in Go Down, Moses, pp.
I92-93.

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

435

lived hissons." all The appositives the extend relationship between are the bear thepast and and backtoPriam. bear itslegend also The expanded they defined negation: has notbeenseen;it as are by it with speeds fast rather theruthless irresistible "not but and deliberaof tion a locomotive";is "notmalevolent justtoobig,toobig it but for dogswhich the tried bayit . . . toobigforthevery to country which was itsconstricting scope";it is "notevena mortal beast." The negation extends awareness whatthebearmight the have of but been, is not (not fast, malevolent, mortal)and thus not not implies evaluation what is.Liketheappositives, negatives an of it the bring additional layers meaning consciousness; syntax of into both patterns separate subjects verbs, obscure and and direct connections between and agents events. Often order subject verbis the of and reversed, further obscuring conventional syntactic connections and involving reader theprocess sorting the in of through parts the ofthesentence significance:corridor wreckage destrucfor "a of and back tion the beginning before boywasborn, which through sped, notfast rather theruthless irresistible but with and deliberationa of the locomotive, shaggy tremendous shape."The bear'sactionis introduced a clausedescribing as further appositive the (corridor); theactor comes last.Other sentences patterned thesame are with inverted syntax: "thedoomed wilderness. . through . whichran . . . the bear." old Likethe characters, reader the senses doesnot but knowthecause events subject thesentence) for (the of until A last. minimizes syntactic which style or them apposisubjects absorbs by tion theperfect for is style establishing narrative the that perspective theprocess lifeis lessa process individual of of action thanof the contemplationintricate and of relationships interconnections. Quentin's contemplation timeand its relationship action of to with concludes an explicit statement a point viewthat also of of is in syntax latent the that into patterns transform experience evaluation.
on curtains of the When shadow thesash appeared the I and and seven eight o'clock then was itwasbetween the It intime again, hearing watch. wasGrandfather's when and Father ittomehesaid, gave I of mausoleum allhope and comparison Quentin,give the you it'srather that doubling desire; excruciating-ly you apt willuseittogainthereducto of absurdum all human fit can your experience which individual

436

AmericanLiterature

neg. comparison needs better itfitted orhisfather's. no than his or-phrase/neg.give toyounotthat may I it remember you time, negative butthat might you forget nowandthen a it for negative moment not and spend your breath all to trying negative conquer Because battle ever it. no is wonhesaid. negative They not are even The fought. field reveals only to manhisownfolly despair, victoryan doubling and and is doubling of illusion philosophers fools.12 and The explicitcomparisons, negatives, and doubling of or-phrase, nounsand modifiers have the same effect: transforming all of the event, giftof the watch,intoan evaluation life.The syntax the of emphasizes what cannotbe won, conquered, fought, remembered, possessed, establishes pointof view thatis statedexplicitly and the in theconcluding coda: life'sactions reveal"to man" only"his own and despair." folly The closeness thisvisionof lifeto thepassage of in Macbeth that contains novel's the title reinforced thecloseness is by of Faulkner'ssyntactic styleand the styleof Macbeth'sspeechin despair: negative/appositive Life's a walking but shadow, poor a player doubling Thatstruts frets hour and his the upon stage appositive Andthen heard more. is a tale is no It doubling Toldbyanidiot, ofsound fury, full and negative Signifying nothing.
(V, v,24-8)

This is notto saythatFaulkner foundhis style well as his title as in Macbeth, merely thecontemplative in bothis established but that tone a through nearly identical syntactic style thatsuitsthevisionof life a succession shadows as of signifying nothing. This visionis reinforced only by the syntactic not of structures Faulkner'snarrative style,but also by the over-all, architectural structure theseworks.The four-part of structure The Sound and of the Fury is an extendedapposition that equates each character's evaluation thesignificance events. relationship of of The between the four points viewis parallel;they on topofeachother, of pile creating layersof consciousness. The recurrent huntsin "The Bear" and "Was" are also parallel; the actionprogresses a cyclical in fashion.
12

The Sound and the Ftury (I929;

rpt. New York: Random,Vintage,I946), p. 93.

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

437

Just theover-all as so structure "Was" movesin a circle, does the of structure Light in August, of whichends as it beginswithLena's meandering. are Faulkner's larger narrative structures ofa piecewith thesyntactic of structures hisnarrative Bothstructures style. embody a repetitive visionof life'sevents whichis consistent withQuentin's contemplative evaluation, inherited fromhis father and his father's father-"that battleis everwon" and that"victory an illusion no is ofphilosophers fools." and This vision is shared by Faulkner'scomic novels,which also present as movement a circle.The difference in thefocus: life in is the comicpassagesfocuson the foolishness the moments of when men believetheiractionscan resultin victory. thesemoments, In characters direct their actions a linearfashion in towarda goal that is neverreached;thelinear, right-branching syntactic style captures both the direction the actionsand the insignificance each of of individual motion. The pilingup ofparallel actions equatesthedeeds and creates senseof accretion a and speed. In short, narrative the a creates comicperspective. syntax The horseauction The Hamlet contains ancient in the comicconbetween test greedand gullibility. Fromthepointof viewofvictims and losers,such eventsare not funny;fromthe more distanced of perspective the spectator, theyare. As in the second sectionof "Was," Faulkner engages audiencein thedistanced his comicstance the syntactic In through styleof the narration. The Hamlet the cavorting the uncaught, bought-and-paid-for, is preof but horses sentedin a right-branching that contrasts with the highly style embedded,evaluativestyleof contemplation. Because the comic has style little of embedding, right-branchingclausesand phrases the ofequal weight allowsone actionto supplant another rapidly. "Get to hellout of here, Wall!" Eck roared. dropped thefloor, He to and forthe his covering head withhis arms.The boydid not move, third time horse the soared abovetheunwinking and theunbowed eyes and untouched and onto front head the veranda againjustas Ratliff, still thesock, around corner thehouseand up thesteps. ran carrying the of The horse whirled without breaking pausing. galloped theendof or It to theveranda and tookthe railing and soaredoutward, and hobgoblin floating, themoon. landed thelotstill in It in running crossed lot and the and galloped through wrecked and among overturned the gate the wagons

438

AmericanLiterature

wife stillsat,and on downthe and thestill intact in which one Henry's laneandinto road.13 the

action:the two participial are phrases placed towardtheright;the is one adjective clauseis insignificant. style distinguished the The by a statistical countis notnecessary high"degree" right-branching; of of that to understanding the comictoneis conveyed a cohesion by of kind syntactic features a distinctly different thanthoseassociated with contemplation. The same comic tone and styledominate Ratliff's re-telling theepisodeat thegeneralstore:"It was in my of roomand it was on thefront porchand I couldhearMrs.Littlejohn it hitting overthehead withthatwashboard thebackyard at in all thesametime.4nd itwas stillmissing everybody everytime. I reckon that's whatthatTexas man meantby callingthembargains: thata man would need to be powerful unlucky everget close enough to to one of them to get hurt" (p. 314). Ratliff's concludingcoda provides pointof view he wisheshis auditors adopt,but the the to comic stanceis implicit the preceding in sentences describing the repetitive movements thehorse.The principle repetition the of of is comic principleunderlying slapstickhumor such as the Marx brothers'; Bergson'sterms, in such repetition comic becauseits is natureremindsman of the limitations mechanical placed on his and vitality mechanical bodily by forces. The repetitive maybe style or overdone not going anywhere because"repetition funny merely is and like other for laughter partlya reflex belongsto comedy, as it reflexes can be conditioned a simplerepeated by pattern," Frye of points out.'4The repeated patterns thissyntactic parallelthe style of patterning the action; the rapid,mechanical repetition reminds of of Ratliff thereader theabsence thought getsmengulled. and that in an The comicoccasion Faulkner's novels often occasion is when
13 14

is repetition"and," equating of an feature the Thedominant stylistic in conjunction doesnotinvite that evaluation thesamewayas subor in ordinating which relationshipscausality conjunctions, express "And . . . and . . . and . . ."-the horse runs as themen on time. ranon in "Was."The foregroundingtheright-branching of is so of the heavy thefewembedded that elements notdeter flow the do

(I957;

The Hamlet(193I; rpt.New York:Random, Vintage, 1958), p. 308. NorthropFrye, "The Mythosof Spring: Comedy" from Anatomyof Criticism rpt.New York:Atheneum, I970), p. i68.

Narrative Styles Faulkner's

439

In the action taken is without contemplation. contemplative passages, characters that in realize nogoalis ever achieved; thecomic passages In characters without act of futilities. TheReivers thinking ultimate the illusive is winning race;thecomic a goal toward perspective this hopeis present moment horse is-whenMillie the the announces:
"Man standing the back yardhollering Mr. Boon Hogganbeckat the in backwall ofthehouse.He gotsomething withhim." big We ran,following Boon, through the kitchenand out into the back gallery. was quite dark now; themoon was nothighenoughyetto do It anygood. Two dim things, little and a big one,werestanding the a one in middle of the back yard,the littleone bawling "Boon Hogganbeck! Mister Boon Hogganbeck!Hellaw. Hellaw" towardtheupstairs windows untilBoonoverrode bysimplevolume: him "Shutup! Shutup! Shutup!" It was Ned. Whathe had withhimwas a horse.15

The amusing pointof viewis due to someextent theverbal to excess: repetition "BoonHogganbeck! the of Mister BoonHogganbeck!Hellaw.Hellaw"and "Shut Shutup! Shutup!" conveys up! theexcitementthecharacters, emotional of the excess overrides that contemplation. repetition similar The of phrasing thebeginning at andending the of passage this "He reinforces perspective: gotsomething with big him"-"What had with he himwas a horse." This syntactic is theperfect forraces-ofmenand horsesstyle style the because syntax captures sense motion; example, the the of for in two races TheReivers: in
I cuthim as hardas I could. He broke, faltered, sprangagain; we had alreadymade McWillie a present two lengths I cut him again; we of so went into the second lap two lengthsback and traveling now on the peeled switchuntilthe gap betweenhim and AcheronreplacedNed in what Lightningcalled his mind,and he closed it again until his head was oncemoreat McWillie'sknee . . . (p. 272-73). . . . McWillie whippingfuriously now and Lightning like a responding one neck back; if Acheronhad known any way to run charm,exactly sixty milesan hour, wouldtoo-one neckback; ifAcheron we had decided to stoptenfeetbefore wire,so would we-one neckback (p. 297). the
of the action as in "Was" and The Hamlet; the repetitiveness the of
15

The right-branching syntactic captures actualmovement style the

The Reivers (New York:Random, Vintage, I962), p.
II5.

440

American Literature

and to passages suggests nearly races repetitive doomed that all are from are be lostbya head.The comic limitations no different those the recognized contemplation, suchracesarecomicbecause in but a toward mere ofvictory. actors moving keep illusion of of is This illusion also at theheart theabsurdist comedy the in Deathandburying can bizarre funeral procession AsI LayDying. the for for when become only subjects comedy they provide occasion human theliving assert to what Langer calls"the vital feeling"-the more life.16 of tendency "seizeon opportunities," to to graba little the absurd when goalsbecome its becomes However, "opportunism" or to of of unworthy theexpenditureenergy-merelygo totown to is of absurdist getnewteeth. opportunismFaulkner's The comedy underlies thinks comic less"brainy" the"opportunism" than Langer greed. fact, lackof thought whatmakes opportunism In the is the absurd thecharacters, mules, themother's as the and coffin swirl all in flood: off the
Cashtried shefell andDarl jumped he but off going under went under andCashhollering catch andI hollering DeweyDell hollering to her and at me Vardaman Vardaman vardaman Vernon you you passedme and because was seeing comeup and shejumped he her intothewater again andDarlhadn't caught yet.... her their legsrolling The mules their stiff stiff divedup againdiving legs catch darlcatch head her her slowand then Darl againand I hollering Darl dodged herintothebankdarland Vernon wouldn't and then help
pastthemules. ... fish youlethergetaway.""17 but

"Where ma,Darl?" I said."You never her.You knewsheis a is got

The syntactic stylemakesthe actions swirlaroundeach other, inundating opportunity thought. piling oftherepetitive for The up actions highlighted therepetition "and" and of specific is by of of who this to words. Vardaman, narrates bizarre parody crossing the in limited contemplative abilities his other world, of course, is, by age. His perception thisaccretion separate of of actions not so is in different Benjy's The SoundandtheFury:"Theytookthe from flag andthey out, were hitting. they the back they Then put flag and
16 Suzanne Langer, "The Great Dramatic Forms: Comic Rhythm," from Feeling and Form (1953), as reprinted in Comedy, ed. Marvin Felheim (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich,I962), pp. 248 and 243. rpt. New York: Random, Vintage, 1957), pp. 143-44. I Lay Dying (1930; 17,AS

Faulkner's Narrative Styles

44I

went hit. on, went thetable, he hitand theother Thenthey and to ofthe (p. along fence" 23). Therepetitiveness actions the andI went in are by is described emphasized thestyle whichthey described. in the represents epitome lackofcontemBenjy's syntax Of course, and and he cannot connect, relate, evaluate events, plation; literally in idiot, while is notcomic an acknowledged it is in menwho this and Benjy VardaBenjy's ofmind. style but pretend reason share to in by they caught age andinheritance are because manarepathetic understand. they notcauseand cannot did of theaccretion actions to lack connected their them directly is quality about The pathetic laughs the at nature reminds human us, ofability think. Freud As to because backs"-perhaps and children idiots "hump and pathetic-at we which should of expenditure movement "we seean unncessary and carrying thesameactivity" "our out if spare ourselves we were which superiority wefeel sense a pleasurable ofthe laughter expresses Vardaman and in relation" another 254-55). In thissense, to (pp. of Faulknerian of Benjyare expansions the comicquality other in comprethey who characters areinvolved activities do notfully contemplated. they not of hend, futilitywhich have the in the that Manyof theactions occupy comicscenes Faulkner's in engaged involved if become tragic thecharacters novels might they were in ifthestyle which oftheir insignificance, contemplation out,one Sewallpoints As involved evaluation. Richard presented "from the graduation is of critical aspect tragedy contemplation, is the of to condition suffering-which condition painandfear the of comicstyle Faulkner's contemplated."18 of condition painand fear in right-branching the embodies lack of contemplation its rapid, The morecontemplative passagesare of accumulation actions. of evaluation continual style marked a syntactic thatimposes by in to it, is precedes stands what byall that related it-by all that is or withit. The contemplative to opposition it,or can be equated of from style thenarration, the regardless comic of grows point view This is or of whether author a character doingthenarrating. the for between styleand toneaccounts the consistency consistency and narrative withdifferent formal structures between passages of voices different voice for persistence "Faulknerian" inthe ofthe the
18RichardB. Sewall, The Vision of Tragedy (New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press,
I959), p. 6.

442

AmericanLiterature

in sense of consistency Faulkner'snarrative A characters. further and derives fromqualitiessharedby the contemplative comi'c style styles,which both presentan inundationof consciousness-by thatmarksFaulkner's accretion or thought by action.The syntactic syntactic through experiences individual styles transforms narrative is Both a that connections create worldin whicheverything related. between and the contemplative comic stylesconveyrelationships Faulkthrough stylethepersistent reinforcing of layers experience, peoples,and of of nerianthemes the interconnectednessall times, actions.