Set in the Yoknapatowpha County, these seven stories mainly deal with the McCaslin family. I like how in so far every Faulkner novel I've read he focuses on an entire family, each fucked up in their own special way. The scandal in the McCaslins comes from Lucius Quintus Carothers McCaslin (the patriarch) who has illegitimate interracial children with his slaves and then knocks up his daughter. As a result, this novel deals heavily with questions of blood and race. Though Lucas is a more direct descendent of Lucius than the Edmonds he is kept down because of his race. Then there's Uncle Ike who should have inherited the plantation but gives it up to his cousin. Most of the stories focus on Isaac, especially "The Bear," which is the real heart and soul of this novel. Isaac searches to learn humility and pride through hunting, but learns a lot more. He is against the belief that man owns the land- 'on that instant when Ikkemotubbe realized that he could sell the land to Grandfather, it ceased to have been his." The white man's false notion of ownership causes nothing but problems and is kind of like a curse ie. how man ruined the seemingly perfect South with slavery and environmental destruction. And this is why Faulkner is so great- he really picks up on the paradox of this beautiful but cursed land. It's more than just some kind of supernatural curse though, but one that is a direct result of people's greedy and problematic behaviour. When will the curse every be lifted? Of course this curse transcends the South, which is why I like the title. It comes from the last story, when Mollie's grandson is killed and she laments that he was sold by the Pharaoh and is dead in Egypt. Connecting the Africans in America with the Jews in Egypt shows how far back in the past these issues of power and oppression have been affecting all parts of the Earth.

I like the use of the stories to give multiple perspectives from multiple points of time. It started off a little confusing because Faulkner just jumps into it, but once you start to know the McCaslins it clears up! I liked jumping through the generations of the family because you really feel how the past influences the future. The best two stories were the longer ones: "The Fire and the Hearth" because Lucas is a great character and kind of a badass and obviously "The Bear" for so many reasons. Much more than just a hunting story, thank God, though old Ben is a great opponent. Faulkner's writing here is just as great as usual- oh those lovely, hypnotic, winding sentences! ( )

I had to read this book for my Major American Writers class this semester.
My teacher recommended using another source to help get a better understanding of the book while reading it. The discussions in class made it sound interesting, but it was hard to get through the reading.

Tried to read Faulkner several times. I am just not a fan. Currently at 35% and hating it. Maybe I will learn to appreciate him by the end??

It did get better, but I find his style rambling and hard to follow at times. I don't think it helped that a large portion of the book was describing "hunting in the woods" which I have zero interest in. Also the book is composed of 7 short stories that are loosely related, so it lacked the continuity of a traditional novel. It will be interesting to see how this compares to his other works. ( )

Short stories assembled into a novel, somewhat less cohesively than The Unvanquished. Features black characters (Rider and Lucas Beauchamp) narrating large portions of the novel, which is a huge step for Faulkner's career. Some of the stories are better than others, and occasionally hard to get through, but worthwhile. ( )

Short stories assembled into a novel, somewhat less cohesively than The Unvanquished. Features black characters (Rider and Lucas Beauchamp) narrating large portions of the novel, which is a huge step for Faulkner's career. Some of the stories are better than others, and occasionally hard to get through, but worthwhile. ( )