"...confusing time with its mathematic progression, as the old do, to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quiet touches, divided from them now by the narrow bottle-neck of the most recent decade of years." -William Faulkner
I love this sentance and its style because not only do these words make an image out of time but they also tell who this image is being seen by, (the old), conveying the elderly's image of time in a way which all readers can invision, understand, and make assumptions about what is being seen, and therefore why it is being seen in such a way. This quote is refering to a character in W.F.'s short story "A Rose For Emily".
Good stuff indeed. I agree with your thoughts on the quote, about how it creates an image out of time and singles out old people, specifically. I have but a few minor issues: authors like Faulkner give us way too much to do as Literature/English teachers and create complex work that striving readers cannot hope to enjoy. Like just spit it out ya know. While I do enjoy W.F., I want to share my thoughts on guys like him. Good thing there is plenty of reading out there that can serve as scaffolding for the average reader to strive to reach a skill level where Faulkner might be somewhat approachable.
ReplyDeleteReally though! That's poetry...
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