Faulkner's Imperialism - (Southern Literary Studies) by Taylor Hagood (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Faulkner's Imperialism, Taylor Hagood explores two staples of Faulkner's world: myth and place. Using an interdisciplinary approach to examine economic, sociological, and political factors in Faulkner's writing, he applies postcolonial theory, cultural materialism, and the work of the New Southernists to analyze how these themes intersect to encode narratives of imperialism and anti-imperialism. The resulting discussion highlights the deeply embedded imperial impulses underpinning not just Yoknapatawpha and Mississippi, but the Midwest, the Caribbean, France, and a host of often-overlooked corners of the Faulknerian map. One of the few books that considers the broad geographic canvas evoked in the famed writer's work, Faulkner's Imperialism moves beyond South-versus-North paradigms to encompass all the spaces within Faulkner's created cosmos, addressing their interrelationships in a precise, holistic way.

Review Quotes

A smart, well-written application of post-colonial theory to an interesting selection of Faulkner's work. A valuable addition to Faulkner scholarship.--Charles Hannon, author of Faulkner and the Discourses of Culture

Informed by postcolonial and space theory, Faulkner's Imperialism uproots familiar terrain in exploring the 'postage stamp of native soil' and in charting dynamics of power within Faulkner's canon. Taylor Hagood deploys a fresh topography for his expert mapping of myth and place as narratives of empire and strategies of 'imperial impulse' in this all-important contribution to global southern studies. His compelling attention to current cultural discourses and his superb analysis of 'imperial space' produce smart, rewarding twenty-first-century interpretations of a wide range of Faulkner texts, including the under-read Pylon, Mosquitoes, If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem, and A Fable.--Thadious M. Davis, author of Games of Property: Law, Race, Gender, and Faulkner's Go Down, Moses

About the Author

Taylor Hagood is professor of American literature and director of the Study of the Americas Initiative at Florida Atlantic University. His book Faulkner, Writer of Disability won the 2015 C. Hugh Holman Award.