Faulkner's Questioning Narratives: Fiction of His Major Phase, 1929-42 (review)

David Minter's biography William Faulkner: His Life and Work remains a landmark in Faulkner studies. His copious research and detailed yet sweeping prose still make his readers "feel in reading, as [he did] in writing, not only respect and gratitude but tenderness too" for his subject. Since Minter's deservedly high standing in the field can be neither helped nor hindered by what I think of Faulkner's Questioning Narratives, I nonetheless must voice disappointment. The book is primarily a collection of previously published essays and public presentations, loosely grouped rather than fully revised. From its introduction to its chapter titles to its concluding lines, Faulkner's [End Page 364] Questioning Narratives does little more than repeat its contention that The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom!, and Light in August are great novels, and so are Sanctuary and Go Down, Moses.