The American Critical Archives is a series of reference books that provide representative selections of contemporary reviews of the main works of major American authors. Specifically, each volume contains both full reviews and excerpts from reviews that appeared in newspapers and weekly and monthly periodicals, generally within a few months of the publication of the work concerned. There is an introductory historical overview by a volume editor, as well as checklists of additional reviews located but not quoted. This book represents the first comprehensive collection of contemporary published reactions to the writings of William Faulkner from 1925 to 1962. These articles document the response of reviewers to specific works and chronicle the development of Faulkner's reputation among the nation's book reviewers. It has often been assumed that a poor reception in the popular review publications contributed to Faulkner's lack of commercial success. The material presented here tends to refute that assumption, clarifies the de- velopment of Faulkner's literary career, and provides a fuller understanding of the part played by book reviewing in the sales, promotion, and success of American literature. AMERICAN CRITICAL ARCHIVES 5 William Faulkner: The Contemporary Reviews The American Critical Archives GENERAL EDITOR: M. Thomas Inge, Randolph-Macon College 1. Emerson and Thoreau: The Contemporary Reviews, edited by Joel Myerson 2. Edith Wharton: The Contemporary Reviews, edited by James W. Tuttleton, Kristin O. Lauer, and Margaret P. Murray 3. Ellen Glasgow: The Contemporary Reviews, edited by Dorothy M. Scura 4. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Contemporary Reviews, edited by John L. Idol, Jr., and Buford Jones William Faulkner The Contemporary Reviews Edited by M. Thomas Inge Randolph-Macon College CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521383776 © Cambridge University Press 1995 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1995 Reprinted 1996 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library ISBN-13 978-0-521-38377-6 hardback ISBN-10 0-521-38377-3 hardback Transferred to digital printing 2005 Dedicated to the memory of Cleanth Brooks, Faulkner's best reader Contents Series Editor's Preface ix Introduction xi Acknowledgments xxiv The Marble Faun (1924) 1 Soldiers9 Pay (1926) 9 Mosquitoes (1927) 17 Sartoris (1929) 23 The Sound and the Fury (1929) 31 As I Lay Dying (1930) 43 Sanctuary (1931) 51 These Thirteen (1931) 65 Salmagundi and Miss Zilphia Gant (1932) 75 Light in August (1932) 81 A Green Bough (1933) 97 Doctor Martino and Other Stories (1934) 105 Pylon (1935) 117 Absalom, Absalom! (1936) 139 The Unvanquished (1938) 167 The Wild Palms (1939) 185 The Hamlet (1940) 207 Go Down, Moses and Other Stories (1942) 227 The Portable Faulkner (1946) 245 Intruder in the Dust (1948) 253 Knight's Gambit (1949) 281 Collected Stories (1950) 299 Notes on a Horsethief (1950) 321 Requiem for a Nun (1951) 327 Mirrors of Chartres Street (1954) 353 The Faulkner Reader (1954) 357 A Fable (1954) 367 Big Woods (1955) 419 The Town (1957) 433 Vll New Orleans Sketches (1958) 471 Three Famous Short Novels (1958) 477 The Mansion (1959) 481 The Reivers (1962) 519 Index 555