As I Lay Dying - wikipedia As I Lay Dying For other uses, see As I Lay Dying ( disambiguation ). As I Lay Dying First edition cover Author William Faulkner Genre Modernist, southern gothic, black comedy Publication date 1930 Preceded by The Sound and the Fury Followed by Sanctuary As I Lay Dying is a 1930 novel, in the genre of Southern Gothic, by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner said that he wrote the novel from midnight to 4 : 00 AM over the course of six weeks and that he did not change a word of it. Faulkner wrote it while working at a power plant, published it in 1930, and described it as a `` tour de force ''. Faulkner 's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th - century literature. The title derives from Book XI of Homer 's Odyssey, wherein Agamemnon tells Odysseus : `` As I lay dying, the woman with the dog 's eyes would not close my eyes as I descended into Hades. '' The novel utilizes stream of consciousness writing technique, multiple narrators, and varying chapter lengths. Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Characters 3 Literary techniques 4 Significance 5 Film adaptation 6 Theatre adaptation 7 References 8 External links Plot summary The book is narrated by 15 different characters over 59 chapters. It is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her poor, rural family 's quest and motivations -- noble or selfish -- to honor her wish to be buried in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the book opens, Addie is alive, though in ill health. Addie and others expect her to die soon, and she sits at a window watching as her firstborn, Cash, builds her coffin. Anse, Addie 's husband, waits on the porch, while their daughter, Dewey Dell, fans her mother in the July heat. The night after Addie dies a heavy rainstorm sets in ; rivers rise and wash out bridges the family will need to cross to get to Jefferson. The family 's trek by wagon begins, with Addie 's non-embalmed body in the coffin. Along the way, Anse and the five children encounter various difficulties. Anse stubbornly refuses to accept any charity, including meals or lodging, from people, so at times the family goes hungry and sleeps in barns. Jewel, Addie 's middle child, tries to leave his dysfunctional family, yet can not turn his back on them through the trials. Cash breaks a leg and winds up riding atop the coffin. He refuses to admit to any discomfort, but the family eventually puts a makeshift cast of concrete on his leg. Twice, the family almost loses Addie 's coffin -- first, while crossing a river on a washed - out bridge ( two mules are lost ) and, second, when a fire of suspicious origin starts in the barn where the coffin is being stored for a night. After nine days, the family finally arrives in Jefferson, where the stench from the coffin is quickly smelled by the townspeople. In town, family members have different items of business to take care of. Cash 's broken leg needs attention. Dewey Dell, for the second time in the novel, goes to a pharmacy, trying to obtain an abortion that she does not know how to ask for. First, though, Anse wants to borrow some shovels to bury Addie, because that was the purpose of the trip and the family should be together for that. Before that happens, however, Darl, the second eldest, is seized for the arson of the barn and sent to the Mississippi State Insane Asylum in Jackson. With Addie only just buried, Anse forces Dewey Dell to give up her money, which he spends on getting `` new teeth '', and marries the woman from whom he borrowed the spades. As is many of Faulkner 's works, the story is set in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, which Faulkner referred to as `` my apocryphal county '', a fictional rendition of the writer 's home of Lafayette County in the same state. Characters Addie Bundren -- Addie is the wife of Anse and the mother of Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, and Vardaman. Anse Bundren -- Anse is Addie 's widower, the father of all the children but Jewel. Cash Bundren -- Cash is a skilled and helpful carpenter and the eldest son of the family. In his late twenties, he builds Addie 's coffin. Darl Bundren -- The second eldest of Addie 's children, Darl is about two years younger than Cash. Darl is the most articulate character in the book ; he narrates 19 of the 59 chapters. Jewel Bundren -- Jewel is the third of the Bundren children, most likely around nineteen years of age. A half - brother to the other children and the favorite of Addie, he is the illegitimate son of Addie and Reverend Whitfield. Most, if not all, of the characters other than Addie seem unaware of this. Dewey Dell Bundren -- Dewey Dell is the only daughter of Anse and Addie Bundren ; at seventeen years old, she is the second youngest of the Bundren children. Vardaman Bundren -- Vardaman is the youngest Bundren child, somewhere between seven and ten years old. Vernon Tull -- Vernon is a good friend of the Bundrens, who appears in the book as a good farmer, less religious than his wife. Cora Tull -- Cora is the wife of Vernon Tull, a neighbor of Addie 's who is with her at her death. She is very religious and this shows in her language. Peabody -- Peabody is the Bundrens ' doctor ; he narrates two chapters of the book. Anse sends for him shortly before Addie 's death. This is far too late for Peabody to do anything more than to watch Addie die. Toward the end of the book, when he is working on Cash 's leg, Peabody gives an excellent assessment of Anse and the entire Bundren family from the perspective of the community at large. Lafe -- Lafe is a farmer who has impregnated Dewey Dell and given her $10 to get an abortion. Reverend Whitfield -- Whitfield is the local minister with whom Addie had an affair, resulting in the birth of Jewel. Samson -- Samson is a local farmer who lets the Bundren family stay with him the first night on their journey to Jefferson. Samson 's wife, Rachel, is disgusted with the way the family is treating Addie by dragging her coffin through the countryside. Other narrators : MacGowan, Moseley, and Armstid Literary techniques Throughout the novel, Faulkner presents 15 different points of view, each chapter narrated by one character, including Addie, who expresses her thoughts after she has already died. In 59 chapters titled only by their narrators ' names, the characters are developed gradually through each other 's perceptions and opinions, with Darl 's predominating. As I Lay Dying helped to solidify Faulkner 's reputation as a pioneer, like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, of stream of consciousness. He first used the technique in The Sound and the Fury, and it gives As I Lay Dying its distinctly intimate tone, through the monologues of the tragically flawed Bundrens and the passers - by whom they encounter. Faulkner plays with the narrative technique by manipulating conventional differences between stream of consciousness and interior monologue. For example, Faulkner has a character such as Darl speak in his interior monologue with far more intellectual diction than he realistically possesses. This is directly playing with conventions of interior monologues because, as Dorrit Cohn states in Transparent Minds : Narrative Modes for Presenting Consciousness in Fiction, the language in the interior monologue is `` like the language a character speaks to others... it accords with his time, his place, his social station, level of intelligence... '' The novel helped found the Southern Renaissance and directs a great deal of effort as it progresses to reflections on being and existence, the existential metaphysics of everyday life. Significance As I Lay Dying is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th - century literature. The novel has been reprinted by the Modern Library, the Library of America, and numerous publishers, including Chatto and Windus in 1970, Random House in 1990, Tandem Library in 1991, and Vintage Books in 1996. and the Folio Society in 2013. Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 for his novels prior to that date, with this book being among them. The novel has also directly influenced a number of other critically acclaimed books, including British author Graham Swift 's 1996 Booker Prize - winning novel Last Orders and Suzan - Lori Parks 's Getting Mother 's Body, which is a reimagining of Faulkner 's novel from an African - American point of view. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked As I Lay Dying 35th on its list of the 100 best English - language novels of the 20th century. The Grammy - nominated metalcore band As I Lay Dying derived its name from this novel. The character Darl Bundren also appeared in Faulkner 's 1935 short story `` Uncle Willy ''. Film adaptation Main article : As I Lay Dying ( film ) In 2013, writer / director James Franco released a film adaptation of the novel. The novel was adapted for the screen by James Franco and Matt Rager. Franco viewed it as a challenge because the novel was described as a story impossible to be transformed into a film due to the multi-narrative voices within it. Franco also stars as Darl Bundren. Theatre adaptation An adaptation of the novel was presented by Theatre Smith - Gilmour from March 8 -- 31, 2013, at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. References Jump up ^ `` As I Lay Dying Genre ''. www.shmoop.com. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 13. Jump up ^ W. Faulkner made the claim in the introduction to Sanctuary, ( Modern Library ed. 1932 ) cited A. Nicholas Fargnoli, Robert W. Hamblin, Michael Golay, William Faulkner ; A Critical Companion Infobase 2008, pp. 43 -- 56 p. 44 Jump up ^ The Modern Library lists it among the top 100 recent novels Archived 2010 - 02 - 07 at the Wayback Machine., accessed Jan. 2, 2009, as does best 100 novels of all times, accessed Jan. 2, 2009. ^ Jump up to : The New Lifetime Reading Plan : The Classical Guide to World Literature by Clifton Fadiman and John S. Major, Collins, 1999. ^ Jump up to : The Western Canon : The Books and School of the Ages by Harold Bloom, Riverhead Trade, 1995. Jump up ^ Peter Ackroyd. Foreword to 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Peter Boxall ( Editor ). Universe Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0 - 7893 - 1370 - 7. Jump up ^ SOURCE : As I Lay Dying, A Norton Critical Edition. Edited by Michael Gorra. Footnote pg. 134... `` Jackson : Here, not the state capital per se but the Mississippi State Insane Hospital, which was located there. '' Jump up ^ 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Ackroyd ( Foreword ), Peter Boxall ( Editor ) Universe Publishers, 2006. Jump up ^ Modern Library 's list of the top 100 recent novels Archived 2010 - 02 - 07 at the Wayback Machine., accessed Jan. 2, 2009. Jump up ^ ISBN 0 - 7011 - 0665 - 4 Jump up ^ ISBN 0 - 679 - 73225 - X Jump up ^ ISBN 0 - 8085 - 1493 - 8 Jump up ^ ISBN 0 - 09 - 947931 - 1 Jump up ^ https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/ Jump up ^ `` A Swift rewrite, or a tribute ? '' by Chris Blackhurst, The Independent ( London ), March 9, 1997. Jump up ^ `` Review of Getting Mother 's Body by Suzan - Lori Parks '' by Dan Schneider, Cosmoetica, 2005 - 04 - 30, accessed Jan. 2, 2009. Jump up ^ Women Pulitzer Playwrights : Biographical Profiles and Analyses of the Plays by Carolyn Casey Craig, McFarland, 2004, page 270. Jump up ^ `` Interview With Tim Lambesis From As I Lay Dying -- in Interviews ''. Metal Underground.com. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 10. Jump up ^ Entin, Joseph. `` Filming Faulkner 's Modernism : James Franco 's `` As I Lay Dying '' ``. Los Angeles Reviews Of Books. Retrieved April 2, 2014. Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1807944/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt External links As I Lay Dying at Faded Page ( Canada ) Full text of As I Lay Dying as an encrypted DAISY Digital Talking Book, from the Internet Archive and bundled with The Sound and the Fury Literapedia Page Preceded by The Sound and the Fury Novels set in Yoknapatawpha County Succeeded by Sanctuary William Faulkner Bibliography Novels Soldiers ' Pay ( 1926 ) Mosquitoes ( 1927 ) Sartoris / Flags in the Dust ( 1929 / 1973 ) The Sound and the Fury ( 1929 ) As I Lay Dying ( 1930 ) Sanctuary ( 1931 ) Light in August ( 1932 ) Pylon ( 1935 ) Absalom, Absalom ! ( 1936 ) The Unvanquished ( 1938 ) If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem ( 1939 ) The Hamlet ( 1940 ) Intruder in the Dust ( 1948 ) Requiem for a Nun ( 1951 ) A Fable ( 1954 ) The Town ( 1957 ) The Mansion ( 1959 ) The Reivers ( 1962 ) Short story collections These 13 ( 1931 ) Go Down, Moses ( 1942 ) Knight 's Gambit ( 1949 ) Collected Stories ( 1950 ) Short stories `` Landing in Luck '' ( 1919 ) `` A Rose for Emily '' ( 1930 ) `` Red Leaves '' ( 1930 ) `` Dry September '' ( 1931 ) `` Spotted Horses '' ( 1931 ) `` That Evening Sun '' ( 1931 ) `` Mountain Victory '' ( 1932 ) `` Barn Burning '' ( 1939 ) `` The Tall Men '' ( 1941 ) `` Shingles for the Lord '' ( 1943 ) Screenplays Flesh ( 1932 ) Today We Live ( 1933 ) Submarine Patrol ( 1938 ) To Have and Have Not ( 1944 ) Children 's books The Wishing Tree ( 1927 ) Related William Clark Falkner ( great - grandfather ) Rowan Oak home Papers and manuscripts William Faulkner Foundation Yoknapatawpha County Compson family Louis Grenier Ikkemotubbe Gavin Stevens Thomas Sutpen Snopes trilogy Southern Renaissance Faux Faulkner contest PEN / Faulkner Award for Fiction BNF : cb12048482g ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=As_I_Lay_Dying&oldid=837220474 '' Categories : 1930 American novels American novels adapted into films Existentialist novels Fiction narrated by a dead person Modernist literature Modernist novels Novels by William Faulkner Novels set in Mississippi Southern Gothic novels Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2018 Articles with Project Gutenberg links Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français Հայերեն Italiano ქართული Nederlands Polski Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 8 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 April 2018, at 13 : 34. 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Question: what is cash building in as ilay dying
Answer: coffin