William Faulkner

William Faulkner is a key figure of the American modern novel. Since his contribution is undeniable, the study of his work in schools is absolutely mandatory. However, literature teachers have severe differences of opinions regarding whether teaching students about the impact on the American literature is worth considering or not. Although William Faulkner is superficially studied in high schools, as the syllabus is based on few short stories, such as "Barn Burning", symbolizing the bildungsroman theme, and "A Rose for Emily". The question comes when teachers have the chance to take their students in Faulkner’s journey. Some are convinced that William Faulkner’s novels are far too sophisticated for high school level, and instead of reaching the overall message of William Faulkner’s work, they will get quite confused. 

 

On the other side, literature teachers who take Falkner for the magnificent contributor to the American modern novel, consider that William Faulkner's presence in literature class is fundamental for high school students’ comprehension of the American literature essentials. As you can imagine, many teachers are reluctant to William Faulkner work when it comes to teaching as the stylistic approach might become disconcerting for most of literature class attendees, regardless of their responsiveness to William Faulkner’s writings. 

 

However, many literature teachers who have understood the importance of studying Faulkner have made use of conventional and nonconventional tools to bring Faulkner’s work closer to their students. This way teachers have draw many parallels between William Faulkner biography and many of the characters and plots in his novels. In general, this connection technique is a common didactic strategy in literature class, yet, many have forgotten its benefits. Others teachers state that they have compelled classes devotion to William Faulkner’s work, through the introduction of the William Faulkner audio collection. Even though they listened to few excerpts, this strategy has successfully captured listeners’ attention. Furthermore, alternating audio chapters to silence reading is surely the unique strategy of offering insight into William Faulkner’s major themes and style. So, before jumping to conclusions that William Faulkner is not approachable for most of high school students, perhaps, literature teachers should make use of the symbolism we usually encounter in Faulkner’s work. 

 

Even though, all students are pretty reluctant to non-conventional writing styles, and Faulkner is surely on top o f the list, literature teachers should not gave up their intentions to introducing William Faulkner, on the contrary they should look for original unexpected parallels between Faulkner’s novels and students’ interests. For more info about William Faulkner, visit http://williamfaulknerbiography.com/.