The Will of the Child to Do : An Outline of Theme in Faulkner's Major Novels 1926-1936

Abstract

Research for this paper has been in three main areas, and they form a triangle. besides Faulkner's books themselves, I have read, for the purpose of gaining perspective, several of his interviews from the 1950's and as much criticism as I can stand. Added to my own, the interviews and the critical works form another triangle, a commentary, which 1 hope will support above it the writing of Faulkner, when the last line of the pyramid-this paper--has been drawn. Most influential on me of the criticism have been the major works of Olga Vickery, Walter Slatoff, and William Van O'Connor. I admire what each has done. Their work has greatly broadened my area of awareness of Faulkner and increased the challenge of this present task. But the final line, for me, remains undrawn: I have yet to do what I can and what I must. These critics, then, have aided what follows, although there has been little duplication of their theorization.