teaching faulkner.docx

teaching faulkner.docx

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teachingfaulkner

teachingwilliamfaulknerinhighschooladvancedplacementclassrooms

RichardS.Turner

Introduction

 AsahighschoolEnglishteacherfortwenty-nineyears,IhavebeenaclosecolleagueofmanyteachersofAmericanliterature.Tomyknowledge,mycolleagueshavenevertaughtanovelbyFaulknerandhaveonlyoccasionallytaughttheoneshortstoryincludedintheliteraturetext.TheyhaveusuallyignoredtheNobelPrizespeechthathasalsobeenincludedintheliteratureanthology.AlthoughIhavetaughtBritishliteratureduringmycareer,IhavealwaysmaintainedafascinationfortheliteratureofWilliamFaulkner.Ihavereadallofhisnovelsandmostofhisshortstories.IbelievehimtobethegreatestAmericanwriterofthetwentiethcentury.ItismycontentionthattheliteratureofFaulknershouldbetaughtinhighschoolsandthatseveralofhisnovelsandshortstoriesshouldbeincludedintheEnglishcurriculumofallhighschoolsinAmerica.ItismyhopethatthefindingsofthisstudyilluminatespecificreasonsthathisliteratureisbeingtaughtandvariousreasonsthathighschoolAdvancedPlacementEnglishteachersareavoidingFaulkner'swork.ThefindingsmayenablehighschoolcurriculumdevelopersandEnglishteacherstoreexaminetheextenttowhichFaulknerisincludedinthecurriculumandhowheistaughtintheclassroom.

ThehighschoolEnglishcurriculumiscloselyconnectedwiththespecificliteraturetextwhichhasbeenadoptedbytheschooldistrict.Teachersusuallyfollowachronologyofselectionsprovidedbytextbookcompanies.MosttextsusedinhighschoolscontainatleastoneshortstorybyFaulkner.Theselectionsmostoftenincludedare"ARoseforEmily,""BarnBurning,""SpottedHorses,"andsectionsof"TheBear."ManytextsincludetheNobelPrizespeech.

TheEnglishcurriculuminmosthighschoolsincludesasupplementalreadinglistwhichconsistsofrecommendedliteraryselectionschosenbytheteachersasadepartment.Theseselectionsarenovelsorplaysthatarenotincludedintheliteraturetextbeingusedintheclassroom.Theremaybecertaintitlesthatarerequiredbythedepartmentandmustbetaught,butforthemostpart,theyareselectionsthatteacherschoosebecausetheyfeeltheyareimportanttoteachandbecausetheyenjoyreadingandteachingthem.

SeveralnovelsandshortstorieswrittenbyWilliamFaulknercanbeincludedonhighschoolreadinglistsandiftaughtwouldenhancestudentexperiencesofAmericanliterature.MalcolmCowleyinhisclassicintroductiontoThePortableFaulknersaid,"Faulkner'snovelshavethequalityofbeinglived,absorbed,rememberedratherthanmerelyobserved.Andtheyhavewhatisrareinthenovelsofourtime,awarmthoffamilyaffection,brotherforbrotherandsister,thefatherforhischildren-alovesowarmandproudthatittriestoshutouttherestoftheworld"（p.xxviii）.ItisdifficulttoimaginesomeonereadingthefinalscenesofLightinAugustandnotbeingmovedbythefateofJoeChristmas.ItishardtoimaginethatareadercanexperiencethejourneywiththeBundrenfamilytoburyAddieinAsILayDyingandnotbeabetterpersonfortheexperience.InAsILayDying,Faulknerusednineteendifferentnarrators-someonlyonce,othersseveraltimes-totellasinglestory.Thiswasanoriginalanduniquestylethatnootherprominentwriterhasattemptedsince.WhatstudentcanexperienceFaulkner'sencapsulationoftheworldinTheSoundandtheFuryandnotcometoadeeperunderstandingofhimselfandhisplaceinthatworld?

CananyreaderexperienceGoDown,Moseswithitsindignities,insufferableviolence,andunspeakablewrongsthattheSouthernwhitehasinflictedontheBlackandnotcometoadeepersensibilityofhumanmoralityforallofmankind?

Literatureallowsstudentstounderstandtheheritageofthepast.FaulknerteachesusbetterthanmostwriterswhatitmeanstobeanAmerican,notjustanAmericanfromtheSouth.Wemusteachlearntosharetheheritagewroughtbyslaveryandlearntounderstandtheprejudiceandgreedthatforgeditsdevelopment.Morethanmostwriters,Faulknerisabletoleadustoapersonalunderstandingof"man'sinhumanitytoman."

Thereareauthorswhoaremorelyricalandromantic,authorswhocanmoveusmomentarilybyarhetoricaleloquence,butFaulknerathisbestmovesusbecausewebecomeactivelyinvolvedwithhischaracters.Cowley（1946）says,"itisbyhisbestthatweshouldjudgehim,aseveryotherauthor;andFaulknerathisbest-evensometimesathisworst-hasapower,arichnessoflife,anintensitytobefoundinnootherAmericanwriterofourtime"（p.xxv）.InGoDown,MosesFaulknercreatedyoungIkeMcCaslinwholearnstheonenessofallnatureandthatblooddoesnotmatter,thatSamFathers,Negro,White,andIndian,isSamFathers,aman.Healsolearnsloveandpityforalllivingcreaturesandthatthereisacodeofnaturebywhichweshouldalllive.InTheSoundandtheFury,Faulknergivesusoneofhisgreatestcreations,thehumbleNegroservantDilsey.ShehasremainedthesteadfastcenteroftheCompsonhousehold.AccordingtoEdmundVolpe（1964）,"Thesourceofherstrengthisherhumanity.Sheisincapableofthinkinginabstractions,intermsofservantoremployer,NegroorWhite,hersisagenuineresponsetoindividualsandtolife"（p.124）.

FaulknercreatestheembodimentofevilinthecharacterofPopeyeinhisnovelSanctuary.Heliesoutsidethecircleofhumancorruptionandisalinkbetweenhumanandcosmicevil.Heisacharacterwhoisalientothenaturalworldandtothehumanspecies.WithFaulkner'screationoftheNegroLucasBeauchampinIntruderintheDust,heisabletopaytributetothestrengthandenduranceoftheNegrorace.Lucasistooproudtoacquiesceinsubmission,tooself-containedtobeeitheroutcastorrebel.AccordingtoIrvingHowe（1975）,LucaschallengesmanyofthenotionsFaulknerhadpreviouslyexpressedaboutNegroes.Heis"amemberofanoppressedgroupwhoappearsnotasacatalogueofdisabilitiesorevenvirtues,butasahumanbeinginhisownright.Heisnotaformofbehaviorbutaperson,not'Negro'butaNegro"（p.129）.PerhapsHowespeaksforeveryreaderwhohascometoloveFaulkner's"living"characterizations:

"EventhosereadersdistrustfulofFaulkner'sstyleorrepelledbyhisviolencemustbestruckbytheamplitude,vitality,andhighcoloringofthefiguresthatmoveacrosstheYoknapatawphalandscape.AlthoughFaulkner'splotsaresometimestoocumbersomeandtrickyforthemattertheyconvey,andhisreflectionscanbecometurgidandpretentious,hischaractersseldomfailus"（p.4）.

SpeakinginPakistanin1957,Faulknersaid,"itismenandwomenthatmatter,thecharacters.Idon'twritethestories.Whenthecharacterscomealive,theywritethestoriesthemselvesbybehavingastheyshould"（Inge,p.151）.FaulknerhasnevercreatedasinglecharacterofthemagnitudeofShakespeare'sHamletandFalstaff,Melville'sAhaborFlaubert'sEmmaBovary.HisgreatnessliesinthedevelopmentofabodyofcharacterswhichsurelyrivalsthosecreatedbyShakespeareandDickens.Andtomywayofthinking,itisthismasterfulbodyofcharacterizationtowhichhighschoolstudentsshouldbeexposediftheyaretotrulyunderstandthehumanspiritasitisembodiedinthestudyofAmericanliterature.

ThisdissertationprovidesthereaderwithanewinsightintooneofAmerica'sforemostwritersoffiction.ItgivesteachersofAmericanliteratureanextensivechronologyofliterary,pedagogical,andcurricularcriticismonFaulkner.Italsoprovidesteacherswithanumberofvaluableteachingmaterialsthatcanbeusedinthehighschoolclassroom.ThisstudycapturesthevoicesofAdvancedPlacementhighschoolteacherswhoenjoyteachingFaulknereachyear,thevoicesofstudentswhoengageinthatstudy,andthevoicesofteacherswhochoosenottoincludeFaulknerinthecanonofwriterstheyassigneachyear.ThisdissertationacquaintsandreacquaintsreaderswithFaulkner'swritingthroughthecommentaryofliteraryscholars,themyriadoffascinatingcharactersfromhisfiction,andthevoiceofFaulknerhimself.EachpagemakesapassionatecasefortheinclusionofFaulknerinthehighschoolclassroomandthelanguageartscurriculumdocument.

 ConclusionsandRecommendations

 InAprilof1939,WilliamFaulkner,describinghisownsenseofmasterywhilefinishingTheHamlet,wrotetohispublisher,RobertHaas,"IamthebestinAmerica,byGod"（Minter,p.178）.Therearecertainlyhighschoolteachers,asreflectedinthisstudy,whowoulddisagreewiththisself-assessmentbyFaulkner.Theyarequicktocriticizehiswritingasunstructured,incomprehensible,racist,andfilledwithrepugnantsexandviolence.TheypointtoexamplesofstreamofconsciousnessthatrunforseveralpagesorvulgarityasseeninthecharacterPercyGrimmwhosaysofJoeChristmasinLiqhtinAugust,"JesusChrist...HaseverypreacherandoldmaidinJeffersontakentheirpantsdowntotheyellowbelliedsonofabitch?

"（p.512）TheseAdvancedPlacementteachersareadamantlyopposedtoteachingFaulknerintheirclassrooms.ButthisstudyalsorevealsthatFaulknerandhisfictionarealiveandwellinmanyhighschoolAdvancedPlacementclassrooms.TeacherswhoembracehiswritingpointoutthatithasabeautifuleloquenceasreflectedinanentiresectiondevotedtothecharacterAddieBundreninAsILayDying:

 Andthenhedied.Hedidnotknowhewasdead.Iwouldliebyhiminthedark,hearingthedarklandtalkingofGod'sloveandHisbeautyandHissin;hearingthedarkvoicelessnessinwhichthewordsarethedeeds,andtheotherwordsthatarenotdeeds,