The Sound and the Fury - Definition and Overview

The Sound and the Fury is a novel written by American author William Faulkner. Published in 1929, it was his fourth novel. The novel is written in a stream of consciousness style and is split into four sections: the first from the viewpoint of Benjy Compson, a mentally-retarded man; the second from the point of view of Quentin Compson, a depressed college student; the third from the point of view of their sardonic brother, Jason Compson; and the fourth section from a third person limited omniscient narrative point-of-view, centering on Dilsey and expounding on religious faith.

The title of the novel is taken from Macbeth's soliloquy in act 5, scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing...