Your Guide to The Sound And the Fury

For decades, readers have been mystified and haunted by The Sound and the Fury 's cast of deeply troubled characters—darling and daring Caddy, innocent Benjy, tyrannical Jason and tortured Quentin. See why William Faulkner's fourth novel is considered his first work of true genius.
About the Book It's the book Faulkner said began without a plot. Learn more about the Comptons, a family whose wounds time could not heal.

Use these thought-provoking questions to facilitate your own reading and to hear what others have to say about the book. Why does the narrative voice continually change? Is The Sound and the Fury a Southern Shakespearean tragedy?


While the Compsons cling to the past, the Gibsons look towards a better tomorrow. Print Your Quick Guide Bookmark and get character descriptions for all three Faulkner books at a glance!

Faulkner's characters don't play by the rules—and neither should you! If you want to know how to navigate the shifts in time and keep the story straight, try these quick tips.

The characters in the novel have very distinctive ways of telling their stories. But what are they saying? Take this quiz to see if you can match the speaker with the statement.