The Works of William Faulkner Trivia Quiz

Answer: Absalom, Absalom! (1936)

"Light in August", whose main character is Joe Christmas, is significant in various themes, including its depiction of the Calvinist religion; a good start for emergent Faulknerians. "The Wild Palms" is actually two novellas. "Sartoris" is about the Sartoris clan and is the first novel set in Faulkner's famous fictional county (called "Yocona" in this novel), and is a dramatically cut version of his later novel, "Flags in the Dust".

Answer: Nobel Prize Speech, Stockholm, December 10, 1950.

Faulkner's statement reflects his philosophy of writing and is seen in most of his works. About Ernest Hemingway, Faulkner said, "Hemingway has never been known to write a word that would send a reader to the dictionary."

Answer: Joseph Blotner

Joseph Blotner's biography, "Faulkner: A Biography" (1991), includes photos, a bibliography and index. Blotner was a friend and colleague of Faulkner's at the University of Virginia. Dr. Karl Kirkland is a renowned Faulkner scholar who is a contributor to "Teaching Faulkner", a prestigious Faulkner publication and also teaches a course entitled "Faulkner for Medical Students" at The University of Alabama School of Medicine. Clifton Fadiman (1934-1942) and Brendan Gill (1953-1957) were critics at "The New Yorker". Fadiman's intense dislike for Faulkner's work makes interesting reading.

Answer: Yoknapatawpha

Yoknapatawpha (pronounced YOK na pa TAW fa) County is the fictional site of most of Faulkner's novels. The Tallahatchie is a real river in Mississippi. Oktibbeha is a real county in Mississippi. Yocona (pronounced YOK nuh)is also an actual Mississippi river, an abbreviated form of Yoknapatawpha and was the original name for Yoknapatawpha County in the early novel, "Sartoris".

Answer: Choctaw Indian word

While Faulkner never disclosed the source of the name, one
Faulknerian did a study of Choctaw Indian words and concluded it was
a combination of Choctaw words meaning "a plowed field". Cherokee Indians did not live in Mississippi in any significant number, while there was a substantial Choctaw population at one time. I made up the other answers.

Answer: Sutpens and Compsons

The Sutpens were the subject of "Absalom, Absalom!". The Compsons are principally depicted in "The Sound and the Fury". The Snopes are one of the most "pernicious" families in all of Faulkner. (Blotner, J., "Faulkner: A Biography".) The Sartoris clan are referred to briefly in "Requiem for a Nun", later in "Sartoris" (or "Flags in the Dust") and "The Unvanquished".

Answer: A Rose for Emily

The ballet, titled "A Rose for Miss Emily", was performed by the American Ballet Theatre and opened at the New York City Center in January, 1971.

Answer: the hiccups

While on a bear hunt, Luke developed the hiccups. After trying everything to cure them to no avail, one of the other men, Ash, suggested he go see the old Indian medicine man "up on the mound". What Luke did not know was that Ash had already been to the mound and told the Indians to "skeer them hiccups outen him". When Luke arrived, the Indians tied him to a stake and pretended they were going to burn him alive. The hiccups went away! If you want to know why Ash pulled this trick on Luke, read the short story.

Answer: "I bare him on eagles wings and brought him unto me."

This epitaph, taken from the novel, was used on the gravestone of Faulkner's younger brother, who also died in a plane crash.

Answer: Tomorrow

"Tomorrow" was made into a movie of the same name, starring Robert Duvall as the hero of the short story, Jackson Fentry. "The New Yorker" review said the movie was "most soberly and decently made, with a pure ear for the pitch of the South, but it turns a complicated story into a very plain tale". The novel "The Sound and the Fury" is also both a movie and a television adaptation.