William Faulkner as literary inspiration

Turnplow — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:55:53 GMT

Two of my literary favorites, the late Shelby Foote and James Lee Burke maintain(ed) that William Faulkner was/is

their greatest literary inspiration. I love the work produced by these learned gentlemen and by the by I don't consider myself a literary neophyte; but does anyone else share my opinion that a root canal is preferable to an evening with Mr. Faulkner? Am I missing something essential in Faulkner? Is this the reason I don't have royalties rolling into my accounts?

RE: William Faulkner as literary inspiration

profitbob — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:54:30 GMT

You know, I can't stand Faulkner, myself, and I'm glad you gave me a chance to say so in public. I think he is favored by English teachers that are failed writers and who dislike their students.

I have friends who like the guy, though, and I don't get it. They seem like otherwise reasonable people, other than an atrocious taste in literature. Mark Twain is so much better than Faulkner that the two are incomparable. The only inspiration I get from Faulkner is suicidal thoughts. At least a person can read Twain without becoming suicidal or homicidal. Twain's "Letters From Earth" was so good that despite being suppressed by his family and banned in some places, there are still copies to be enjoyed.

If Faulkner was so good, how come only English majors read his stuff? I thought the the whole point of being a "good" writer was to appeal to a large audience, like Twain, or to affect society, like Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".

As far as you getting royalties, read Benjamin Hoff's (The Tao of Pooh) essay on his personal webpage. You'll feel better about your own problems after looking at someone else's misery.

http://www.benjaminhoffauthor.com/