“Michael Gorra approaches his second edition of As I Lay Dying with the
scholarly care, attention, and intellectual suppleness typical of all his
work. Not only does his introduction sparkle―navigating us with ease and
fluency through the history and significance of a novel that precisely because
of what Gorra rightly calls its formal “perfect[ion]” is often admired less
than Faulkner’s other, more “monumental” and “difficult” texts. But Gorra’s
choice of supplementary materials also reflects his commitment to presenting
his readers with a full and unflinching view of Faulkner as an American writer
with an increasingly contentious position within the very canon he helped to
shape.” ―Pardis Dabashi, Bryn Mawr College“Place and time play a significant
role in the literature of the American South, yet this Critical Edition of As
I Lay Dying offers a way of engaging with the work of William Faulkner beyond
the traditional boundaries of Southern literature. The accessible readings and
criticism that are part of this book allow readers to recognize the ways As I
Lay Dying―and all of Faulkner’s literary work―captured an idea of the American
South while at the same time uncovering something universal and profound about
the human condition.” ―W. Ralph Eubanks, University of MississippiThis Norton
Critical Edition is based on the 1985 corrected text and is accompanied by
newly updated and expanded explanatory annotations and an introduction by
Michael Gorra.“Backgrounds and Contexts” is divided into three sections, each
of which includes a concise introduction by Michael Gorra that carefully
frames the issues presented, with particular attention to As I Lay Dying’s
place in Faulkner’s literary life. “Contemporary Reception” includes a
selection of seven reviews, including those by Julia K. W. Baker, Henry Nash
Smith, and Valery Larbaud. “The Writer and His Work” examines Faulkner’s own
claims regarding the composition of the novel and his changing opinions over
time, sample pages from the manuscript, his Nobel Prize address, and
additional writings by Faulkner on Yoknapatawpha County. “Cultural Context”
reprints seven essays and advertisements―three selections new to the Second
Edition―along with other materials that address questions of Southern
motherhood, Agrarianism, and the Southern grotesque.“Criticism” begins with
the editor’s introduction to As I Lay Dying’s critical history and scholarly
reception. Eleven critical essays are included―five new to the Second
Edition―by Olga W. Vickery, Cleanth Brooks, Eric Sundquist, Doreen Fowler,
Dorothy J. Hale, Patrick O’Donnell, John T. Matthews, John Limon, Richard
Godden, Susan Scott Parrish, and Erin E. Edwards.A chronology and a selected
bibliography are also included. Read more Read less