As I Lay Dying: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

“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.