Verified Document

Faulkner's "Barn Burning" Annotated Bibliography William Faulkner's Annotated Bibliography

¶ … Faulkner's "Barn Burning" Annotated Bibliography William Faulkner's "Barn Burning"

Ford discusses the narrative aging of the main character in "Barn Burning." Through the eyes of the brutalized child there is no real sense of his father's (Abner's) motivations and/or the son's characteristic numbness created by the self-preservation associated with the tragedy of abuse a cultural and personal phenomena. The work details by describing several passages in the work, and especially interactions between the father and son the aging of the young character in the historical context of post-civil war south, reflecting on what he might deduce about his father's character with maturity. The work provides a significant insight into a challenging aspect of the narrative, as the very brief recollection of the abused child, i.e. The few days of childhood that serve as the setting for the story, would not if told as a simple narrative have offered much insight into the character of the father. The work details the scene in the story where Sarty is struck by his father for having the desire to testify against him at the opening trial scene. When the father strikes the boy, the narrator ages him mentally, to conjecture regarding how an older person or even a man...

Another insightful passage details the same narrative technique with regard to the "niggardly" fire Abner builds to warm his family while camping between homes. The character of Sarty simply accepts that these are the types of restrained fires that his father builds, while the aged character speculates as to why the arsonist (Abner) would choose such a small fire when he has the compulsion to burning other people's things, through a brief retelling of his war history. The literary analysis serves as an insightful interpretation of the narrative technique
Ford, M. (1998). Narrative legerdemain: Evoking Sarty's future in 'Barn Burning'. Mississippi Quarterly, 51(3), 527.

In Loges literary criticism he discusses the importance of names in the "Barn Burning" demonstrating that Sarty's name was derived from Colonel John Sartoris, who "represents those ideals of truth and integrity," which are clearly part of Sarty's character and often the source of his challenges of good over evil and…

Sources used in this document:
Loges, M.L. (1998). Faulkner's BARN BURNING. Explicator, 57(1), 43.

Zender discusses the pivotal moment in "Barn Burning" where the reader must ask the question of if Sarty effectively killed his father. The work then goes on to detail the manner in which the reader might first grapple with and then come to terms with the actions of the boy. Zender follows the psychological thought process by developing the line of reasoning that the reader first accepts the "killing" on face value, then as a symbolic act that is necessitated by maturation. The work offers clear insight into the understanding of the plot and character in the work, and leads the reader to recollect thought processes regarding this coming of age incident in the work which ends by allowing Sarty to make his lifelong choice, alluded to by the father (Abner) in an earlier scene where he tells Sarty that he is getting to be grown and therefore must learn to choose if he plans to stick with his family or choose to lose them as a result of choosing to side against them. The literary criticism is foundational to a greater understanding of the work itself and its position as a starting point for Sarty as a man in the historical and cultural context of the post-Civil War south, when so many individuals and families were learning to deal with the aftermath and the personal loss of the war.

Zender, K.F. (1989) Character and symbol in "Barn Burning."College Literature 16 (1) 48-59. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25111801
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

William Faulkner's Story Barn Burning
Words: 448 Length: 2 Document Type: Annotated Bibliography

Barn Burning William Faulkner's story "BARN BURNING" "Barn Burning": Annotated Bibliography Brown, Calvin S. (1962). Faulkner's geography and topography. PMLA, 77 (5): Retrieved: http://www.jstor.org/stable/460414 Topography and spacial relations have a uniquely important role in William Faulkner's literary works. Faulkner's works are often interpreted as literal depictions of his life growing up in Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner's stories such as "Barn Burning" are located in the American South and derive much of their character and atmosphere from

William Faulkner Haunting: Stream of
Words: 1160 Length: 4 Document Type: Thesis

Together, the chapters present a beautiful glimpse into the minds' of Faulkner's characters, as well as a peek at the author's own stream of consciousness, his process of getting a fully formed story from his mind to the paper. Other than as I Lay Dying, Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," contains elements of stream of consciousness. This can be best realized through segments of the story in which the narrator

EVA Peace and Addie Bunden
Words: 1769 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

When pushed too far, when too greatly damaged, when the soul has been taken away, when the resilience is gone, all that is left is the act of birth, the cold and empty soul, and a generalized feeling of resentment and anger coming from mother and directed at life and history and the self. Faulkner's Addie's rotting body is an act of revenge, Eva's burning of her son is

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now