I have both negative and positive things to say about William Faulkners novel As I Lay Dying. In the book Faulkner uses a very unique approach for narration. He has very strong sentences and vocabulary, but the story itself was too strange and warped for my enjoyment. Nevertheless there is a vibe given off in this Faulkner Novel that make it a timeless classic. When I started reading this book it only took me the first few chapters to notice that the vocabulary and sentence structure are superb.
Faulkner puts the words in his sentences so perfectly it strikes me as a work of art. Descriptive sentences like this with outstanding vocabulary give the reader a distinct image of what Faulkner is describing It wheels up like a motionless hand lifted above the profound desolation of the ocean; beyond it the red road lies like a spoke of which Addie Bundren is the rim Faulkner uses a myriad of descriptive adjectives, vocabulary and metaphors in this an many of his sentences to give the novel a true ring.
Faulkner novel indeed does have its disturbing strangeness however. The entire family acts as if they each are from a different species of human. Their awkward personalities and strange minds give an unpleasant shutter to the tone of the story making it somewhat uncomfortable to read and even more uncomfortable once you put the book down because it leaves you somewhat bewildered. Perhaps the story would have been better if it were from one narrators point of view instead of a plethora of them.
Positive or Negative its a tough argument to deny that this is truly a classic novel. The artistic sentences and the demented minds of the characters create a whirlwind in the readers mind, sucking them into the book and making them feel as if they were part of the story. It creates emotions that leave you thinking about the story even after you finish it or put it down. It is this addicting trait of the novel that make it a valuable piece of literature history.