num_pages: 316
description: Published in 1936, Absalom, Absalom! is considered by many to be William Faulkner's masterpiece. Although the novel's complex and fragmented structure poses considerable difficulty to readers, the book's literary merits place it squarely in the ranks of America's finest novels. The story concerns Thomas Sutpen, a poor man who finds wealth and then marries into a respectable family. His ambition and extreme need for control bring about his ruin and the ruin of his family. Sutpen's story is told by several narrators, allowing the reader to observe variations in the saga as it is recounted by different speakers. This unusual technique spotlights one of the novel's central questions: To what extent can people know the truth about the past?
language: English
title: Absalom, Absalom!
titlecomplete: Absalom, Absalom!
characters: Thomas Sutpen, Ellen Coldfield, Judith Sutpen, Wash Jones, Jim Bond, Jason Compson III, Charles Bon, Quentin Compson III, Henry Sutpen, Rosa Coldfield, Shreve
genres: 20th Century, Literature, American, Classics, Literary Fiction, Novels, Southern Gothic, Southern, Historical Fiction, Fiction
ratings_count: 43569
places: Mississippi, Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, The United States of America
publisher: Vintage