My villain origin story is having to read all of these Faulkner short stories.

It all began when I was assigned this seemingly never-ending task. The words on the pages seemed to dance around, taunting me with their complexity and density.

As I delved deeper into each story, I found myself getting lost in a maze of convoluted plots and characters with hidden motives. The language was so rich and nuanced that it felt like I was trying to untangle a Gordian knot.

With each passing page, my frustration grew. I started to resent Faulkner for creating such challenging works. How could he expect mere mortals to understand his genius?

But as I persevered, something strange began to happen. I started to see the beauty and depth within the stories. I realized that Faulkner was not trying to make my life difficult; he was simply sharing his unique vision of the world.

And so, my villain origin story took an unexpected turn. Instead of becoming a bitter enemy of Faulkner, I became a reluctant admirer. I still may not understand every word, but I have come to appreciate the power and artistry of his short stories.

**The Bear**

“Courage and honor and pride, and pity and love of justice and of liberty. They all touch the heart, and what the heart holds to become truth, as far as we know truth.”

The story follows a boy named Isaac who joins a hunting party for several summers, with the goal of killing Old Ben, an almost immortal and enormous bear. Old Ben is not just a bear but a legend and a symbol of the power and balance of nature. Isaac sees the bear seven times, and on one occasion, he spares its life, forming an unspoken bond with it. Sam Fathers, a Negro who accompanies the party, becomes Isaac's greatest teacher and only friend.

The bear is ultimately killed in a violent scene. A huge, half-mad dog called Lion is severely injured, and Boon, a half-mad and obsessed man, kills the bear with his own hands. Sam Fathers passes away shortly after.

When Isaac turns 21, he recalls the events of that fateful scene from years ago, merging his own reflections on freedom and property. Sam Fathers, Boon, and the bear become living metaphors for slavery, the endless ambition of human beings to subdue nature, and his own beliefs about liberty and justice.

For me, this is perhaps the most complex of Faulkner's tales so far. Yet, at the same time, it is an unbelievably beautiful utopia where it seems possible to believe that humans can coexist in harmony with the natural world, even though our deepest desire may be to rule and ultimately annihilate it.

**The Old Man**

“its folly and pain, which seems to be its only immortality: All in the world I want is just to surrender”

Old Man is a devastatingly poetic account of a convict who is released from jail to assist in a massive flood in Mississippi. After spending a month and three weeks rowing continuously along the overflowing river, the convict experiences freedom once again. He helps deliver a baby, saves several people, and in the end, he voluntarily returns to the deputy to be arrested again and sentenced to an additional ten years for “attempted escape” on top of his previous sentence.

The unfairness of the situation is presented in such an absurd yet logical way that I couldn't help but wonder how it was possible to make sense of these unpredictable and meandering waves of words and sentences that flow with a perfect melody, almost like a soft lullaby.

It is indescribably wonderful, but don't ask me why.

**Spotted Horses**

My first encounter with the highly acclaimed W. Faulkner. I had been anticipating something deeply poetic, some eloquent and rambling prose filled with emotion and hidden meanings.

Something dense and intense like Woolf or Kafka.

However, I couldn't find any of that in Spotted Horses. Set in the middle of nowhere in the Far West, a group of men gather to buy horses in an auction. That's all there is to it. The atmosphere is rustic and austere, and Faulkner doesn't bother to introduce his characters. They seem to materialize out of thin air and disappear just as silently, like imagined spectres.

After this brief experience with Faulkner, I feel frustrated because it's as if I missed something crucial. I have the sense that I was on the verge of grasping it, but somehow it slipped through my fingers. As I said, I'm frustrated.

I'll have to read more to form a proper opinion, but for now, I can't say I enjoyed my first foray into Faulkner's world.

It was truly an interesting yet rather confusing experience.

The story had a unique narrative style, constantly jumping from the past to the middle and then to the present.

As a result, I found myself often wondering if he was talking about events that happened when he was 10 years old, 16 years old, or perhaps even 80 years old.

Despite this confusion, I still liked the story very much.

There was something about its unconventional structure that intrigued me and kept me engaged throughout.

In fact, I would most likely read it again in the future.

I believe that with each reading, I might be able to gain a better understanding of the story and uncover some of the hidden details that I may have missed the first time around.

Overall, it was a memorable reading experience that left a lasting impression on me.

In "The Bear" by William Faulkner, the modernist technique of individualism serves as the bedrock of political and social ideology within the narrative.

Society, composed of independent individuals, gives rise to the complex relationship between the self and possession. This, in turn, institutes a self-endowed purpose.

Possession and materiality become a means of proving invulnerability and propriety. When confronted with untamed nature, an apparently untouchable force, the human desire to control the uncontrollable takes hold.

The line between nature and humanity blurs through the gradient identity of the characters. The bear, symbolizing the essence of nature's strength and unattainability, presents a tangible source of insecurity that humanity feels compelled to slay.

Faulkner, through the use of stream of consciousness, instills a recognition or awareness of possession and the insignificance of prepotency.

The inverse relationship between nature and humanity exposes their respective weaknesses and strengths, raising the question of who truly is the untamable one.

This exploration of individualism, possession, and the relationship between nature and humanity adds depth and complexity to the story, inviting readers to reflect on these profound themes.

I have made every effort to understand Faulkner, but his overly long and convoluted sentences often leave me completely lost.

When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, my IQ unfortunately dropped by 30 points. As a result, by the time I reach the end of one of his sentences, I have entirely forgotten the point he was trying to make.

Without referring to the reviews, I would be completely at a loss and not understand his works at all.

I am striving so hard to prevent brain atrophy and I firmly believe that Faulkner is a brilliant writer. However, his complex writing style simply isn't the right fit for me.

I will continue to explore other literary works that are more accessible and suitable for my current cognitive abilities.

Selected short stories

Faulkner's works are deeply rooted in the fictional territory of Yoknapatawpha, which he created. Although it is centered around Jefferson city and has an area of 2400 square miles with 15611 inhabitants, his novels seem to encompass every corner of the world. The characters in his stories endure the situations imposed by both visible and invisible powers, yet they persevere in life as they have no other options.

In "Absalom, Absalom!", Faulkner refers to Yoknapatawpha, his imaginary land around Mississippi. Based on his writings, Yoknapatawpha has a specific area and population. Most of his long and short works, after "Absalom, Absalom!", are set in this fictional region in the central south of the United States. It is a place where the native redskins, the burdened blacks, the stubborn landlords, and others interact in Faulkner's fictional space, representing a sample of the contemporary American society in Faulkner's time. Many writers after Faulkner followed this beautiful pattern. Although they did not specify the details of their cities and lands with exact numbers, one can infer the characteristics of these places from the lives of the characters, the events in the stories, and the created spaces. "Macondo" by Gabriel García Márquez is one such city-land. Similarly, "Bombay" by Salman Rushdie, and so on. Almost all the great writers after Faulkner consider him as a kind of predecessor, and greats like Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Salman Rushdie, and others learn from Faulkner as a master in their writing.

Faulkner is without a doubt hygienic for the writer's soul (and the reader's as well).

He is gutsy, original, and precise in his writing.

"Spotted Horses" was truly hilarious. I had no idea that Faulkner could do slapstick.

"Old Man" was super exciting and profoundly real, making it a captivating read.

"The Bear" requires one to be deep in the southern consciousness to read it correctly. As a Californian beach bum, I was a little lost in the weeds for the famous second half until I got the hang of it. However, the first half was just as exciting as "Old Man".

My copy of these works is a bit banged up, but I'm taping it and will definitely keep it. It's a precious collection that has provided me with countless hours of literary enjoyment and has expanded my understanding of different writing styles and themes.

I highly recommend Faulkner's works to anyone who appreciates great literature and wants to explore the depths of the human experience.

Like any Faulkner work, you really have to stay with it.

His writing is complex and often requires careful attention and multiple readings to fully understand.

The characters he creates are rich and multi-dimensional, and the stories he tells are filled with depth and nuance.

Faulkner's use of language is also unique, with long, flowing sentences and a vocabulary that can be both challenging and rewarding.

But if you are willing to put in the effort and stay with his work, you will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of the human condition and a greater appreciation for the art of literature.

So don't be afraid to pick up a Faulkner novel and give it a try.

Just remember to be patient and stay with it, and you will discover a world of beauty and complexity that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

I still read this guy for pleasure. How could you not?

Not many people write in the way this man did. His writing style is truly unique and captivating.

Although it is not easy to get through his works, the rewards are more than worth it.

One of his works that has recently become my new favorite is "The Bear". It is a masterpiece that showcases his talent and creativity.

The story is engaging, the characters are well-developed, and the themes are thought-provoking.

Reading "The Bear" has been a truly enjoyable and enriching experience for me.

I highly recommend this work to anyone who loves good literature.

William Faulkner's "The Bear" is widely regarded as the best short story in American literature, and it also holds a rare and precious place in world literature. The story features crude and unpolished language, which, along with the seemingly naive story-telling, combines to create a drama of proportions rarely witnessed. The fathomless theme of maleness adds an extra layer of depth and complexity to the narrative.

I first read "The Bear" in the early 70s when I was a college student in Chicago. From that moment on, it has had a profound impact on me and has continued to possess my thoughts and imagination ever since. In fact, I would go so far as to say that my own prose and poetry are merely a footnote to this magnificent masterpiece. Faulkner's ability to create such a powerful and evocative work with his unique style and vision is truly remarkable and has left an indelible mark on the literary world.

"Old Man"

I have now read "Old Man" twice, yet on neither occasion did I read it within its full context. The first time I read it, it was part of "The Famous Short Novels" which I read and released through BookCrossing but failed to review on this blog. Since then, I have conducted some research on "Old Man" and discovered that it is actually part of a longer and more typical Faulkner novel, "If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem", consisting of two different yet complimentary narratives: "The Wild Palms" and "Old Man". Some reviews claim that these two narratives are separate novellas, while an equal number assert that the two are one novel and cannot be separated as unique stories (even though various book editors might disagree).

From my BookCrossing review, I can see that last time I did not like the book. I know that when I read it, I was in a hurry and also suffering from the early stages of morning sickness (although I was unaware of it at the time). With both readings, I picked up on a "O Brother Where Art Thou?" vibe, the only difference being that this time I found the story humorous and entertaining.

I don't know if I have matured as a reader in 18 months or if I was just in the right mindset, but this second reading of "Old Man" was the first time that I truly felt like I understood what all the fuss was about William Faulkner as a writer.

I have come to the realization that I have less affection for Faulkner compared to others of his era. I truly have a deep love for Steinbeck, and I like Hemingway almost as much. However, Faulkner is more difficult to love. Firstly, there is no doubt that he is remarkable with words. His descriptions are indeed great, but his storylines fail to engage me. He has a tendency to switch the focus of his story in the middle, rather than continuing with the original focus and seeing it through completely. And he is the master of the run-on sentence! A sentence will sometimes flow over the page like a waterfall, only finding the rock that makes it end (the period) a third of the way down. It is kind of fascinating to observe the way these sentences are constructed.

This book consists of three different novelettes. The first one disturbed me as it began with the mistreatment of horses, and I admit that I could not bring myself to finish it. The second, "Old Man", droned on and on about the meandering of the small boat on the flood waters during a 1927 catastrophe, until I was desperate for the boat to finally reach its destination. I had actually watched a movie based on this story and had enjoyed it enough to make me want to read what Faulkner had written. Only, in the book, the ending is extremely disappointing. The movie did a better job of ending the story on a more positive note. The third story, "The Bear", starts out about the boy, Ike, and the big bear, but somehow ends up following a genealogy of people that I couldn't keep track of, and having the people involved in other pursuits. So, I was not at all happy. This is not a book that I would recommend!