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Go Down, Moses
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Manufacturer: Vintage
Author: William Faulkner
Publisher: Vintage
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $11.16
You Save: $ 2.79 ( 20% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Vintage
Author: William Faulkner
Publisher: Vintage
Average Customer Rating:
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Go Down, Moses Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780679732174
ISBN: 0679732179
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 384
Publication Date: 1991-01-30
Publisher: Vintage
Product Release Date: 1991-01-30
Studio: Vintage
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780679732174
ISBN: 0679732179
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 384
Publication Date: 1991-01-30
Publisher: Vintage
Product Release Date: 1991-01-30
Studio: Vintage
Editorial Review of Go Down, Moses
Faulkner examines the changing relationship of black to white and of man to the land, and weaves a complex work that is rich in understanding of the human condition.
Customer Reviews of Go Down, Moses
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Gasp!
Review: This book says so much about the American South, about the identity crisis that is America as a whole...as poignant now as it ever was circa the Civil War. This is your string-of-consciousness modernistic writing, yet very palatable (as your ordinary reader, I've been bored, baffled, or enraged by what I perceive as the pretentiousness of other 20th century writers labeled as "modernist"). Faulkner's intrinsic sense of cadence and pace is truly a gift: rather than stumbling / getting lost in the narrator's "hiccups" of subconscious, for lack of better words, the lecture just flows; like a William Carlos William poem (if I may draw a far-fetched comparison), it functions in lieu of a seemingly effortless presentation of universal themes (that should strike a chord in any reader with a pulse). This isn't just a book about race....or is it? _Go Down Moses_ was my first foray into Faulkner's prose and it left me very hungry for more. A must read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: You CAN read "The Bear" alone-- just omit part four.
Review: Yes, I know, everyone should read the whole book. But let's get right down to it: you can read "The Bear" by itself. Just make sure you skip over part four.
In my opinion, "The Bear" should be read as a companion to _Moby Dick_. It certainly wouldn't be the same without the influence of Melville's masterpiece. I don't want to give anything away, so go read them both. America's greatest novel and America's greatest novella belong together.
Buy _Go Down, Moses_, read it, and reread "The Bear" again and again.
****
By the way, I often teach "The Bear" to my ninth grade students. They need it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: City of Man, City of Nature
Review: The Southern landscape of field and swamp and woods becomes a prominent character throughout these rich, complex stories. Indeed, I'd imagine most of Go Down, Moses could provocatively serve an environmental history class. 'Pantaloon In Black' is perhaps my favorite here; this haunting tale, full of powerful, archetypal imagery, is mentioned far less often than some of the other, more well-known works, but it struck me immediately. 'The Bear,' with that sprawling coda tackling humankind's relationship with the land, is rather a reading experience unto itself.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Opaque and Exuberant
Review: Go Down Moses was my latest stab at Faulkner. I'd certainly recommend, as someone before me has, a college course or reading group study of this book, and just about any other great Faulkner work. That being said, even a marginal understanding of this book (like mine) is worth the time and effort.
Go Down Moses is a collection of temporally fragmented novellas and stories concerning the McCaslin family's past, present, and future legacy in a southern town. Thematically, Faulkner tackles a bevy of issues--race, slavery, paternity, masculinity, the natural and supernatural. The stories are loosely centered around Isaac McCaslin, descendant of Carothers McCaslin--a plantation owner.
The best regarded and most complex story is considered to be "The Bear." Over a hundred pages long, it follows (often meandering) the hunting team that includes young Isaac, ex-Civil War officers, and a half Choctaw/half African hunter (Sam Fathers) as they obsessively pursue the invincible bear Old Ben through the years. Bursting with imagery and symbolism, "The Bear" will please Faulkner fans and hunters alike.
My personal favorites are "Was" and "The Fire and the Hearth." Lucas, half-black and the oldest living McCaslin save Isaac, searches for buried gold on Carothers Edmonds's plantation, where he farms, while his wife, fed up with his mania, gives him an ultimatum. An unlikely and graceful story of marital bonds and family values, and the triumph of humanity and dignity over birthright
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Beautifully Written but Fragmented
Review: This is in my opinion, not one of Faulkner's best books. It is, however, a beautifully written story of generations of a single exstended family. Because the book is written in that it is made up of several short stories instead of chapters, the story can seem fragmented at times, leaving you wondering what happened to the characters in the last piece. It is difficult at times to keep characters straight, but the best story in the book is by far "The Fire in the Hearth" which follows the Lucas and Molly, this part of the book is often overlooked in the shadow of the long and tedious "The Bear"- but should be read and enjoyed.
Overall the book is a good introduction to Faulkner, but may be a challenging read to some.
Review Summary: Gasp!
Review: This book says so much about the American South, about the identity crisis that is America as a whole...as poignant now as it ever was circa the Civil War. This is your string-of-consciousness modernistic writing, yet very palatable (as your ordinary reader, I've been bored, baffled, or enraged by what I perceive as the pretentiousness of other 20th century writers labeled as "modernist"). Faulkner's intrinsic sense of cadence and pace is truly a gift: rather than stumbling / getting lost in the narrator's "hiccups" of subconscious, for lack of better words, the lecture just flows; like a William Carlos William poem (if I may draw a far-fetched comparison), it functions in lieu of a seemingly effortless presentation of universal themes (that should strike a chord in any reader with a pulse). This isn't just a book about race....or is it? _Go Down Moses_ was my first foray into Faulkner's prose and it left me very hungry for more. A must read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: You CAN read "The Bear" alone-- just omit part four.
Review: Yes, I know, everyone should read the whole book. But let's get right down to it: you can read "The Bear" by itself. Just make sure you skip over part four.
In my opinion, "The Bear" should be read as a companion to _Moby Dick_. It certainly wouldn't be the same without the influence of Melville's masterpiece. I don't want to give anything away, so go read them both. America's greatest novel and America's greatest novella belong together.
Buy _Go Down, Moses_, read it, and reread "The Bear" again and again.
****
By the way, I often teach "The Bear" to my ninth grade students. They need it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: City of Man, City of Nature
Review: The Southern landscape of field and swamp and woods becomes a prominent character throughout these rich, complex stories. Indeed, I'd imagine most of Go Down, Moses could provocatively serve an environmental history class. 'Pantaloon In Black' is perhaps my favorite here; this haunting tale, full of powerful, archetypal imagery, is mentioned far less often than some of the other, more well-known works, but it struck me immediately. 'The Bear,' with that sprawling coda tackling humankind's relationship with the land, is rather a reading experience unto itself.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Opaque and Exuberant
Review: Go Down Moses was my latest stab at Faulkner. I'd certainly recommend, as someone before me has, a college course or reading group study of this book, and just about any other great Faulkner work. That being said, even a marginal understanding of this book (like mine) is worth the time and effort.
Go Down Moses is a collection of temporally fragmented novellas and stories concerning the McCaslin family's past, present, and future legacy in a southern town. Thematically, Faulkner tackles a bevy of issues--race, slavery, paternity, masculinity, the natural and supernatural. The stories are loosely centered around Isaac McCaslin, descendant of Carothers McCaslin--a plantation owner.
The best regarded and most complex story is considered to be "The Bear." Over a hundred pages long, it follows (often meandering) the hunting team that includes young Isaac, ex-Civil War officers, and a half Choctaw/half African hunter (Sam Fathers) as they obsessively pursue the invincible bear Old Ben through the years. Bursting with imagery and symbolism, "The Bear" will please Faulkner fans and hunters alike.
My personal favorites are "Was" and "The Fire and the Hearth." Lucas, half-black and the oldest living McCaslin save Isaac, searches for buried gold on Carothers Edmonds's plantation, where he farms, while his wife, fed up with his mania, gives him an ultimatum. An unlikely and graceful story of marital bonds and family values, and the triumph of humanity and dignity over birthright
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Beautifully Written but Fragmented
Review: This is in my opinion, not one of Faulkner's best books. It is, however, a beautifully written story of generations of a single exstended family. Because the book is written in that it is made up of several short stories instead of chapters, the story can seem fragmented at times, leaving you wondering what happened to the characters in the last piece. It is difficult at times to keep characters straight, but the best story in the book is by far "The Fire in the Hearth" which follows the Lucas and Molly, this part of the book is often overlooked in the shadow of the long and tedious "The Bear"- but should be read and enjoyed.
Overall the book is a good introduction to Faulkner, but may be a challenging read to some.