5 Books to Read While Enjoying a Trip Through the Deep South
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and unique features that make this region and its literature world-famous.
At the Southern Literary Table
Talking pickled peaches, greens, coconut cake and more foods that are essential to Southern literature.
Faulkner & Flannery Notes – Week 4
Spring 2014 Books & Film Class Topic – Faulkner & Flannery: Exploring the Southern Gothic Held Wednesdays through February 26 at UL Lafayette Instructor: Dr. Mary Ann Wilson Notes will be updated each Friday through February 28; comment to join in the discussion. On Wednesday, we delved into Faulkner's second novel As I Lay Dying. His most well known and the one that's taught in high school English, this novel has all the elements of the Southern Gothic. "You can't get more Southern Gothic than carting your mother's rotting corpse across the state for burial," says Dr. Wilson. As I Lay Dying is also one of the few books by Faulkner that has much humor in it, but not everyone in class agreed with that. Some viewed the novel as quite dark, but I can admit I chuckled a few times, especially in some scenes with Anse Bundren. It also helps to consider the time period this book is set in — the Depression-era South — and that the Bundren family is poor white trash, only a step up from the African Americans, who are mostly absent in this book. Most of them have their own motives for wanting to go to Jefferson to bury their mother,
Faulkner & Flannery Notes – Week 3
Spring 2014 Books & Film Class Topic – Faulkner & Flannery: Exploring the Southern Gothic Held Wednesdays through February 26 at UL Lafayette Instructor: Dr. Mary Ann Wilson Notes will be updated each Friday through February 28; comment to join in the discussion. We moved on to the Faulkner portion in this week's class, with discussion on three of his short stories and a viewing of two films based on them. The stories included his most famous, "A Rose for Emily," "Barn Burning" and "That Evening Sun." Part of the reason I'm taking this class is to expand my reading and understanding of Faulkner. His short stories — and especially these three — are the perfect place to start. "A Rose For Emily" is probably the best for showing how O'Connor was influenced by Faulkner. Southern Gothic and macabre to the max, it reads like a classic horror movie. In fact, there is a short film version of the story from 1983, starring Angelica Huston. The earliest of Faulkner's stories and the first to be published in a national magazine, "A Rose for Emily" has all of his typical themes: the relationship between parents and children, class divisions and a timeframe based on perception rather than
Literary Friday, Edition 77
Chat & giveaway with Rita Leganski. Lee Smith's "Guests on Earth" video, a tour of Faulkner's kitchen and authors in costume in Literary News. The Mississippi premiere of "As I Lay Dying" in Literary Events and new fiction about lovers in Southern Voice. Happy Literary Friday!
Literary Friday, Edition 74
Author birthdays, the best links from Banned Books Week, Flannery O'Connor's finances and a preview of the Louisiana Book Festival in Literary News. As I Lay Dying in (Non)Required viewing and a story about an unforgettable visit to church in Southern Voice. Happy Literary Friday!
Literary Friday, Edition 73
The Franco as Faulkner backlash, Hemingway's Hamburger, National Book Award Longlist and Louisiana Book Festival authors in Literary News. What We're Reading, booksignings and festivals in Literary Events, and a pair of stories about displaced librarians in Southern Voice. Happy Literary Friday!
As I Lay Dying Trailer is Out
Debuting next week at the Cannes Film Festival, James Franco's "As I Lay Dying" has its first trailer.
Banned Books Week
September 30 kicked off the American Society of Journalists and Authors' Banned Books Week. Started in 1982, the campaign was a reaction to schools and libraries pulling books off the shelves because of their objections to language and subject matter.
Happy Birthday William Faulkner!
Mississippi writer William Faulkner was born September 25, 1897. He would have been 115 today.
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