Light in August

Dark—ironic with the title—tale of what it means to be authentic while coming to terms with Southern heritage. There is much to understand when you see that light—the American South in its glory and graphic tumble. Christian allegory and gothic narrative drive this book. The characters are iconic and honest—largely marginalized. Written in 1932, this novel set in that time, has several insights for present day and how to tell stories and learn from the South.

I have colleagues in the STEM fields, on the other hand, who brag about not having read fiction since sophomore lit. This is a mistake. Faulkner observed that the only worthy subject for the poet and novelist is “the human heart in conflict with itself.” They must portray “love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.” Novels, then, can help you develop an intuitive feel for empathy and so for human behavior. Where the heart leads, after all, the mind will follow. Much of this comes, of course, from personal experience, but great novels can add depth… show more.

We tend to look to Black or other minority authors when we want to consider race, but racism is a white problem, and it’s important for white artists to face the issue. Joe Christmas passes for white in the post-Reconstruction South, but believes (without knowing for sure) that he might be partly Black. What would be a non-issue in any sensible society becomes, in a country where race defines a person’s value, the central feature of his life, plaguing his thoughts, driving his every decision, torturing him until his pain explodes in rage and violence. White society demands that the… show more.