Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner

By William Faulkner

Book Overview

"Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner" offers a profound exploration of the human condition through the lens of the American South. This collection showcases Faulkner's unparalleled ability to weave intricate narratives within the boundaries of short fiction, demonstrating the same depth and complexity found in his most celebrated novels.

Set primarily in the fictional landscape of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, these stories delve into themes of honor, social decay, racial tension, and the inescapable weight of history. Readers will encounter Faulkner's signature atmospheric prose and complex psychological characterizations that solidified his reputation as a titan of 20th-century literature. From the haunting decline of old families to the visceral struggles of rural life, this anthology captures the breadth of Faulkner's literary genius.

As the work of a Nobel Prize-winning author, these stories remain essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the intricacies of Modernist literature. Each piece serves as a testament to Faulkner's mastery of language and his deep empathy for the flawed, resilient inhabitants of his southern world. This collection is a vital gateway into the evocative and challenging world of one of America's greatest storytellers.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025469828
• ISBN13: 9781025469829
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

GREAT SET OF CLASSICS

This is a great set of classics that I intend to read again. It is from this prolific novelist that we have a countering view that the American good ol' days of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in the South, were actually not so desirable after all. It is by reflecting upon this perspective that I found "A Rose for Emily", "Barn Burning" and "Dry September" to be the most memorable stories. These particular three had a sequence of developments that focused and reflected upon ugly truths that were hidden behind public veneers of "Southern niceties". In essence, the outcomes were essentially America's fictional and somewhat factual answer to the rampant pornography throughout England during what was regarded as the pristine Victorian Era. Also, Faulkner had an uncanny way of depicting how societies with unwritten rules of proper mannerisms would be unraveled thanks to a bullying, uncouth citizen or family. His writing style was that of using actions and events that set the transition from what each person was like at the surface to what he or she was really like all along and how those around him or her would be affected in the aftermath. If you are interested in stories about how a person, individually, might have either gotten along or contrasted with the norms and tones of an immediate culture, especially in rural America, Faulkner is the ideal author. And again, this is an excellent collection for those who want to start reading Faulkner. A slight word of warning: some of you might find it shocking that there were troubles and prejudices that set parts of America on edge, especially if most of your exposure to U.S. History has been largely sanitized. As a recommendation, if you enjoy the stories but find some of the terms unfamiliar or the endings ambiguous, I suggest purchasing William Faulkner A to Z as a reading companion.

A life cannot be complete without Faulkner--

Since reading "A Rose for Emily" as a boy, I have been hooked on Faulkner. I kept a worn out copy on hand to show to my teachers who accused me of using run-on sentences (some of his sentences took an entire page.) He is a true master and when I feel homesick, after being too long in some foreign country, I read a Faulkner story and remember the South where I grew up. "The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." --W. Faulkner "Faulkner is the greatest artist the South has produced." --Ralph Ellison

The greatness of the long- distance runner

Just as most athletes excel in one particular event, so many writers find their greatest work in one genre , primarily. Faulkner is an impressive storyteller but the work he is most remembered for is his long- distance works, his novels, "The Sound and the Fury" " Light in August" "Absalom, Absalom" among others. The stories here nonetheless provide a real sense of Faulkner as a writer. The unmistakeable Faulkner style with its complex and Latinate sentences , its cumulative enveloping rhythm, its penetration of the inner lives of its characters, in grotesque and often extreme relationships, including those in which there is often real violence, is here in these stories. Among the stories in this collection are "A Rose for Emily" " Dry September" "That Evening Sun" "Lo" "Red Leaves". Turnabout" . I would say to truly know Faulkner at his best and fullest it is necessary to read the novels. But the stories too give the feeling and flavor of this great American master's work.

Nice Collection

This is a great collection for someone who hasn't read much Faulkner. Everyone needs to have at least read "A Rose For Emily" and "Red Leaves."

WHO'S AFRAID OF WILLIAM FAULKNER?

Faulkner scares readers. Before I read, re-read and loved "Light in August," I had tried books like "Absalom, Absalom" and "The Sound and The Fury" countless times only to get bogged down in the convoluted grammar and personal symbolism as well as the dialogue. For some reason, when I was ready to really read and concentrate, it was certainly not easy, but it was a great, distinct pleasure....one that has stayed with me. Faulkner is, as novelist and essayist Ralph Ellison calls him, "...the greatest artist the South has produced."This Modern Library compilation of some of Faulkner's short stories is a perfect place to start to read this author, or to keep returning for his keen insights into the heart and nature of the Southerners he created from the Southerners he knew. There are thirteen stories here and they include one of Faulkner's most famous, "A Rose For Emily" a tale of great love and, perhaps, necrophilia. My personal favorite, depressingly sad though it is, is "Dry September" which tells of the extreme violence not only of small town whites to blacks but of whites to whites. Every one of these superb stories is a gem, masterfully written. Most were intended for magazines and so are much more straight forward and "simple" than the novels.My only complaint and it is with Modern Library, is that, except in two cases, we are not told when Faulkner wrote the stories nor when they were published. Even so, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.