Jake Nichols
Mrs. Metcalfe
English 11, Period F
15 October 2013
William Faulkner
Summary of life William Faulkner grew up as a common boy in a small town. His family was well known in that area but outside of town his family was unknown. Like most boys they dropped out of high school to work for his family or to join the army for that the WW’s were going on then. His interest in writing began in the 1920’s and shortly after he fame grew. Being a screenwriter and an author gave him renowned fame across the nation. Faulkner’s works became wildly popular with his bold way of writing about the social topics of the time. His writings earned him the Nobel Prize and being one of America’s best authors.
Literary Period/Historical Setting Faulkner grew up in the early 1900s during the world wars and the great depression. Raised in a small town of New Albany Mississippi. His family was particularly comfortable financially with his grandfather and father owning multiple businesses. Joined the British air force but was sent home before he could see combat. He then lived in France for six months before return back to Mississippi. Became a screen writer which is what he practiced for most of his life, but most famous for his writing in his later years. In his last years of life he became a literary giant. Faulkner grew up during “The Moderns” but is still very renowned in today’s postmodernism. (American Literature) Family Background “Colonel” was a nickname earned by his great grandfather by being a war hero colonel in the army. He was also a politician and business man. He gave a lot of honor to the name Falkner that was passed down to his grandfather, father and then to William Faulkner. Faulkner had big shoes to fill as being a Faulkner. Murry Falkner and Maud Butler Falkner gave birth to a baby boy on September 25, 1897. Being the eldest of the four boys; Faulkner was called the shy and sensitive of the four boys. He never finished high school and immediately started doing odd job work for is dad’s bank. Faulkner had knack for drawing and writing poetry; he would go the library and write parodies of famous stories. Faulkner wanted to join the U.S Air Force but was turned down for his statue. He then joined the British Royal Flying Crops; he had to lie about certain things and change his name from Falkner to Faulkner to sound more European. His first love was Estelle Oldham, who married and then divorced another man and later married Faulkner. Their first child died at infancy, then had a second daughter named Jill. (Baym)
Faulkner’s Accomplishments In 1919, Faulkner enrolled back into school at University of Mississippi, where he wrote his first poems and other short stories for the student newspaper, the Mississippian. In 1924, Faulkner’s poetry collection, The Marble Faun, was published. A 1,000-copyies were sold. He published several essays for The Double Dealer, a local literary magazine. Faulkner had his first novel published, Soldiers' Pay in 1925. His real fame started in 1946, when William Faulkner published his anthology The Portable Faulkner, and Faulkner’s writing reputation was back in the lime light. . Two years later, Faulkner published Intruder in the Dust, which he sold the film rights for fifty thousand dollars. Most of