ONLINE: No writer has explored the theme of identity more variously or profoundly than William Faulkner. Defined, for our purpose, as the struggle to attain a satisfactory sense of worth, identity is complicated by the need for one's worth to be acknowledged by other people who—in Faulkner's writing—will not acknowledge it. (Hence Jean-Paul Sartre's famous statement, "Hell is other people.") Faulkner's characters seek out some act or symbol that will compel other people's acknowledgement. This course will begin with five short stories on this theme: "A Rose for Emily" (gender identity), "Ad Astra" (national identity), "Wash" (class identity), "A Justice" (paternal identity), and "Red Leaves" (race identity). We conclude with a novel, "As I Lay Dying" (family identity). The readings will be difficult at times, but their illumination is precisely the purpose of this course. The lectures will feature a close reading of each of these works in turn. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
