Pylon (novel)

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First edition (publ. Smith & Haas) Pylon (William Faulkner novel - front cover).jpg
First edition (publ. Smith & Haas)

Pylon is the eighth novel by the American author William Faulkner. Published in 1935, Pylon is set in New Valois, a fictionalized version of New Orleans. It is one of Faulkner's few novels set outside Yoknapatawpha County, his favorite fictional setting. Pylon is the story of a group of barnstormers whose lives are thoroughly unconventional. They live hand-to-mouth, always just a step or two ahead of destitution, and their interpersonal relationships are unorthodox and shocking by the standards of their society and times. They meet an overwrought and extremely emotional newspaperman in New Valois, who gets deeply involved with them, with tragic consequences.

Contents

The novel provided the basis for the 1957 film The Tarnished Angels .

Main characters

Minor characters

Reception

A review for The New York Times called Pylon "powerfully told" and praised it from departing from Faulkner's usual themes in his works. [1]

In general, the novel received warm reviews upon release; however, it has since been forgotten, and is considered one of Faulkner's failures. [2] Pylon has also been criticized for over-reliance on the work of T. S. Eliot. [3] One reviewer described Pylon as a "literary vision of apocalypse" and criticized its chaotic and disorganized structure. [4]

References

  1. Strauss, Harold (March 24, 1935). "Mr. Faulkner's New Novel Strikes a Fresh Vein; " Pylon" Is a Powerfully Told Story About a Barnstorming Air-Race Pilot". The New York Times . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  2. Monteiro, George (1958). "Bankruptcy in Time: A Reading of William Faulkner's Pylon" . Twentieth Century Literature. 4 (1/2): 9–20. doi:10.2307/440622. ISSN   0041-462X. JSTOR   440622 . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. Johnson, Susie Paul (1985). ""Pylon": Faulkner's Waste Land". Mississippi Quarterly . 38 (3): 287–288. ISSN   0026-637X. JSTOR   26474782 . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. Pearce, Richard (1971). ""Pylon," "Awake and Sing!" and the Apocalyptic Imagination of the 30's". Criticism. 13 (2): 131–141. ISSN   0011-1589. JSTOR   23098695 . Retrieved February 5, 2024.