Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Dialect - As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner is often praised for his raw writing style. His style allows the reader to get inside the minds of characters, and he does this through stream of consciousness writings and dialogue. The dialect of the characters is very apparent to the reader. Though, it helps the reader to fully immerse themselves in the culture of Mississippi during the 1930s. There is a sharp contrast between those who have lived in Mississippi their whole lives, like Vardaman, and those who have lived elsewhere, like Darl. Since Darl has been to war and became educated, his dialect is a bit easier to follow. He speaks with proper grammar and an impressive vocabulary. Unlike most other characters, who use lots slang and have not yet mastered the art of subject-verb agreement. 

1 comment:

  1. I agree with Caleigh that Faulkner's writing style is very raw. I too found it interesting to see the stark contrasts between the narration of each character, for they each have very different and distintic dialects. The comment Caleigh made about Darl being easier to understand and follow is very interesting. I think this is true because we have more in common with Darl than any other narrator. Like Darl, we are educated and have a broader understanding of the world than Vardaman or Jewel. I agree that the uneducated narrators are difficult to understand. I am interested to see how this affects the rest of the novel.

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