Critical Companion to William Faulkner

November 1, 2008
These critical companions are part of a series from Facts On File that now includes 24 titles. All titles in the series focus on authors frequently studied at the high school and college levels. The general format of the books is similar, each comprising a brief biography, descriptions of and critical comments on each of the author's works, and a dictionary-style section with entries on subjects related to the author and his works. These two titles concern authors of particular interest for students of American literature. The Vonnegut reference was written by Farrell, an English professor and the author of "Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres". The three authors of the Faulkner reference are also professors: Fargnoli teaches theology and English and has written books on James Joyce, Michael Golay teaches history and has written books on American history, and Robert W. Hamblin is an English professor, the director of the SMSU Faulkner Center, and the author of four books on Faulkner.

The Vonnegut book follows the general format of the series but includes some special features. In addition to descriptions and analysis of each of Vonnegut's books, stories, essays, and assorted writings, Farrell provides brief biographies of each of the characters in Vonnegut's works. There is also a bibliography of the works of Vonnegut's fictional alter ego, Kilgore Trout, that includes a description of the fictional works and where in Vonnegut's writings the work was mentioned. The Faulkner reference is an expanded and updated version of "William Faulkner A-to-Z". This edition has been expanded by approximately 80,000 words and has been rearranged to fit the series format. In addition to the description and critical analysis section, the biography section, and the reference entry section, this book includes a chronology of events in Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying", his Nobel acceptance speech, his appendix to "The Sound and the Fury", and his introduction to "Sanctuary". BOTTOM LINE All books in the series are attractively printed and bound and are priced within the expected range for reference works of this type. Recommended for public, high school, and undergraduate collections. [E-versions are not available at this time, but Facts On File has begun offering ebook versions of its titles through the newly launched Infobase Ebooks platform, so this series may become available electronically in the future.]Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ., Peoria, IL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2009
An expanded and updated version of William Faulkner A to Z (2002), this fine addition to the Critical Companion seriescontains about 80,000 more words than its predecessor, mainly in expandedmaterial oncharacters and critical commentary. Although more words may not necessarily be a recommendation, in this case the quality of both the prose and the information is excellent, resulting in a comprehensive portrait of a complex man and groundbreaking artist. The organization is designed to facilitate ease of use. After abrief biography of Faulkner, the second section consists of alphabetical entries on Faulkners works. Generally, these entries include composition and publication dates, plot summaries, critical analysis, descriptions of major characters, and, in the case of major works, contemporary reviews. Part 3 contains alphabetically arranged entries on people, events, places, and topics that relate to the author. Fictional places that appear persistently in Faulkners work are listed in this section as well. Part 4 contains the appendixes, including bibliographies, library holdings, Faulkners Nobel Prize acceptance speech, his appendix to The Sound and The Fury, and a time line, among other items.The biographical section and part 3 both contain a plethora of well-placed black-and-white photographs, whichextend the text well. It is delightful to come upon reference works that are so intriguing as browsing fare that they are difficult to put down. This is one example.The unwary user who dips into itfor a discrete piece of information may find him- or herself bouncing from entry to entry as this or that bit of information yields insight or creates curiosity. This soundly structured, readably written volume deserves a place in most college and university libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)