As I Lay Dying - Genre Analysis and American Literary Tradition - Lecture 15

Explore a 50-minute lecture from Yale University's "Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner" course, focusing on William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying." Delve into Professor Wai Chee Dimock's analysis of the novel's genre, comparing it to Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" within the American literary tradition. Examine how the novel balances comic and tragic elements through shifting character perspectives, tracing the losses and gains of Cash, Jewel, and Darl. Discover how these changes reshape the Bundren family dynamics and establish new kinship lines. Investigate the novel's comic economy, the concept of "haves" and "have-nots" within the family, and the reconstitution of relationships. Gain insights into Faulkner's narrative techniques and the complex interplay between tragedy and comedy in this seminal work of American literature.