Brideshead Revisited and The Sound and the Fury

This story is actually one of the few where I watched the movie before reading the book (forgive me, Mom).  But I needed something to do on our 14-hour flight from Dubai to New York in January, and sleep was evading me like never before...something about the plane constantly being in daylight made a difference, I believe.  Evelyn Waugh referred to this novel as his magnum opus at one point, but apparently re-read the book years after he had finished the novel and was none-too-pleased with Brideshead Revisited.  I'm not really sure why he was disappointed, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story; Waugh's Catholic upbringing is evident throughout the book; the story is told through the eyes of the narrator Charles Ryder, who befriends Sebastian Flyte while studying at the University.  Their families could not have been more different, and we see Ryder coming to grips with the important role the Flyte family will play in his life.  While Ryder is not religious, the Flyte family is strictly Catholic, and each member of the family relates to Catholicism in their own unique way.  While the father leaves his wife for a new life in Italy, the matriarch of the family remains firmly rooted in her faith.  Of the four children, the eldest son Bridley and youngest daughter Cordelia remain the most 'faithful' to Catholicism throughout their lives, and yet their faiths seem so different from each other.  The two middle children, Sebastian and  Julia, seem to throw off the binds of Catholicism in their youth with Sebastian turning to alcohol in place of religion and Julia turning to marriage- but in the end, they both return to their family's faith in their own way.  Through it all, Ryder grapples with religion itself and how the Flyte family reacts to religion as a whole and individually.

It is a coming-of-age story filled with friendship, betrayal, love, and confusion.  Waugh addressed some of life's most pertinent questions and complexities, and the characters stay true to themselves.  Waugh's writing style is also easy reading; many people who are not avid readers of classic literature would definitely enjoy this novel.

Oh, Faulkner, why?  I know everyone thinks you're a genius, but most of the time, I just think you're on crack. 

My first encounter with William Faulkner was as a young, doe-eyed 16-year-old; I was taking AP English with Mrs. Massicotte at good 'ole Booker T.  We were assigned As I Lay Dying, and about three sentences into the novel, my thought was, "Huh?"  I mean, I got it- I got the symbolism (no way you could get out of that woman's class without hashing out every single piece of potential symbolism in each and every book), and I got the point of the book, but in my opinion the book was more annoying that anything else.  So it is with The Sound and the Fury...at least until the last two chapters (which is basically the second half of the book since Faulkner decided to pull a 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' and give you very little stopping points throughout the book).  Of course, the only reason why I checked out this book from the library is because of its spot on the list of 100; I outwardly moaned when I saw not only one, but two Faulkner books on the list.  Still, I tried to keep an open mind as I cracked the cover of Faulkner's most well-known work.

Oh goodness.  Faulkner's writing style is by far one of the most unique (okay, and genius too) styles, but it always throws you for a loop.  He writes the four different chapters in a stream of consciousness method (although truly, not to the level of As I Lay Dying), but the reader has to use the contextual clues to figure out exactly whose version you are reading at that moment.  The subject material itself was a little difficult to read as well; Faulkner deals with incest and some of the ramifications of it, and though the material is not explicit, it's still rather disturbing to think about it.

Despite my general dislike of Faulker, I determined a new favorite line of his.  Yes, this one even beats out the one-sentenced chapter of "My mother is a fish" from As I Lay Dying.  The new winner is (drum roll, please): "Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too."  It's a fairly famous statement, but reading this statement in context was even better.  Plus, we live in Kentucky now, so I can more fully identify with this belief.  Another line, more towards the end of the book, had me laughing out loud; I feel it should be applied to certain states' department of transportation: "Yet we spend money and spend money on roads and dam if it isn't like trying to drive over a sheet of corrugated iron roofing.  I'd like to know how a man could be expected to keep up even with a wheelbarrow."  Normally I would insert a snide remark here about MoDOT, but I'm trying to be a nicer individual, so I'll refrain.

In the end, Brideshead Revisited is a book I would, indeed, revisit (sorry, I couldn't resist), but I'm not sure about The Sound and the Fury; it's just one of those books that is better enjoyed in the classroom or reading club setting.

And now, blogger friends, I need some input.  Which book do think I should read next?  Visit the list of 100 here and let me know your opinion.