PublisherRandom House Publication date 1936 Pages384 ISBN0-679-73218-7 OCLC407010 Dewey Decimal 813.52 LCClassPS3511.A86 Preceded byPylon Followed byThe Unvanquished Absalom, Absalom!is a novel by the American authorWilliam Faulkner, first published in 1936. Taking place before, during, and after theAmerican Civil War, it is a story about three families of theAmerican South, with a focus on the life ofThomas Sutpen. Contents 1Plot summary 2Analysis 3Influence and significance 4See also 5Notes 6External links Plot summary [edit] Absalom, Absalom!details the rise and fall ofThomas Sutpen, a white man born into poverty inWest Virginiawho moves toMississippiwith the complementary aims of gaining wealth and becoming a powerful family patriarch. The story is told entirely in flashbacks narrated mostly byQuentin Compsonto his roommate atHarvard University, Shreve, who frequently contributes his own suggestions and surmises. The narration of Rosa Coldfield, and Quentin's father and grandfather, are also included and re-interpreted by Shreve and Quentin, with the total events of the story unfolding in nonchronological order and often with differing details. This results in a peeling-back- the-onion revelation of the true story of the Sutpens. Rosa initially narrates the story, with long digressions and a biased memory, to Quentin Compson, whose grandfather was a friend of Sutpen's. Quentin's father then fills in some of the details to Quentin. Finally, Quentin relates the story to his roommate Shreve, and in each retelling, the reader receives more details as the parties
