Inventing Benjy: William Faulkner’s Most Splendid Creative Leap

Inventing Benjy: William Faulkner's Most Splendid Creative Leap is a groundbreaking work that explores the intersection of Faulkner studies and disability studies. It questions the reasons for the narrative choice of Benjy Compson, the initial first-person narrator in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, and considers his monologue, told by a deaf and cognitively disabled narrator, as an impossible discourse. This paradoxical discourse sets the foundation of a sophisticated poetics of idiocy, revealing a certain depth to characters that were previously only portrayed on a shallow level. The study examines Benjy's discourse as an experimental workshop in which objects and words are exclusively modeled by the senses, and emphasizes how the corporal, temporal, sensorial, and narrative figures of idiocy are reflected throughout Faulkner's work. Faulkner's writing takes on a phenomenological dimension, dismantling and reinventing the intertwined dynamics of perception and language.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2024
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Inventing Benjy: William Faulkner's Most Splendid Creative Leap is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly intersects Faulkner studies and disability studies. Originally published in 2009 under the title "L'idiotie dans l'œuvre de Faulkner" by Presses de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, this translation now makes the book accessible to English-language readers for the first time. Author Frédérique Spill begins by delving into the monologue of Benjy Compson, the initial first-person narrator in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Spill raises intriguing questions about the choice to present Benjy's monologue through the perspective of a deaf and cognitively disabled narrator, challenging readers to consider it as an impossible discourse. This paradoxical narrative, primarily reliant on senses and sensory perception, sets the stage for a sophisticated poetics of idiocy. By employing this unique writing style, Faulkner offers a fresh perspective from a disabled character, revealing a depth previously unseen in his characters. This style encompasses some of Faulkner's most striking forms and figures, marking a significant leap into modernist writing.

Inventing Benjy meticulously examines Benjy's discourse as an experimental workshop, where objects and words are exclusively modeled by the senses. This study views Faulkner's decision to center a disabled character in perception as the inaugural and emblematic gesture of his writing. Spill closely analyzes excerpts from Faulkner's novels and a few short stories, highlighting how the corporal, temporal, sensorial, and narrative figures of idiocy are reflected throughout his work. These writing choices underpin some of Faulkner's most compelling inventions and undeniably contribute to his distinct writing style.

Through this exploration, Inventing Benjy sheds light on Faulkner's profound understanding of the human condition and his ability to challenge societal norms and expectations. It emphasizes the importance of representation and the impact it can have on readers, enabling them to see the world from different perspectives and gain a deeper appreciation of the complexities of human experience. This work is a valuable addition to Faulkner studies and disability studies, offering new insights into the author's creative process and the enduring legacy of his work.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496849007