Proposal

INTO THE WORLD OF WILLIAM FAULKNER

"To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi"

Destination: OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI     

PROPOSAL

   

   My goal is to dive into the same environment that used to be Faulkner's inspiration for his works and particularly, As I Lay Dying’s fictional town of "Jefferson". I am making my own journey towards my Jefferson, hoping to have unique and eye-opening experiences much like the Bundrens did. Perhaps I won't be involved in the crossing of any rivers without a bridge but I want to get the same kind of psychological effect that they did. Whereas they journeyed from the "old" South to the "new" South, I am doing the complete opposite. Stepping away mile by mile from modernity, I wish to enter into a different mindset and add my own color to the black and white photographs of the environment Faulkner used to live in. I want to focus mainly on the landscapes and the people I come across. Much of that magic may be gone now, but I know that there are remnants of it worthy enough to go explore and see for myself. Faulkner often expressed his love for the South and its people. The sights and the conversations he had were presumably his main inspiration. This is why his characters come across as genuine and as readers we are able to identify ourselves in them. I want to place myself as much in his perspective as I possibly can. I want to stand in the same spot where he decided that Addie Bundren was to be buried in Jefferson, regardless of the risks that came with that. His love for the land is inspiring; truly, no one could ever see it like him. The ghost of Faulkner, the “Faulkneresque” qualities are very much alive in Oxford, Mississippi. I am on a journey to uncover as much of this as I can. Speaking with people, exploring local artwork, taking in the colors of the land firsthand, eating great food, simply breathing in the atmosphere of this little magical town Faulkner called “home”; these are all ways I will accomplish this. I feel this is the best way to delve into the mind of William Faulkner – by exploring the town he managed to immortalize.