6. Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury

The podcast episode delves into William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury," specifically focusing on the character of Benjy and Faulkner's narrative techniques. It explores the author's inspiration, the historical context of understanding mental retardation, and how Faulkner's approach diverges from quantitative, objective perspectives. The lecture analyzes Benjy's innocence and his relationship with his sister Caddy, using the sense of smell as a thematic thread to trace Caddy's loss of innocence and its impact on Benjy. The discussion also covers Faulkner's narrative experimentation, such as stream of consciousness and nonlinear chronology, to provide a unique perspective from within Benjy's mind, ultimately arguing that Faulkner provides a form of tenderness through his narrative choices.