Faulkner’s Forefathers in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper

The role of fathers looms large in this Faulkner documentary. In terms of strictly male lineage, William Faulkner appears trapped in this sort of grey world between being his own man and the fact that he was so much like his male ancestors. I estimate this is true of all individuals, struggling to make our way between ourselves as individuals and as shaped by our contexts. In Faulkners case, however, he seems conspicuously geared towards adopting those traits startle shown by his ancestors, the same arrogance, a haughty pride,and a tradition to look for a fight. At the risk of psychoanalyzing far beyond my knowledge, what seemed interesting to me is how the collective Faulkner males seem content to rest on the laurels of their forefathers. Faulkners father, for example, dreams of inheriting his fathers fortune rather than making his own. Faulkner himself loafed through numerous jobs, perhaps only waiting for the colonels writing abilities to be channeled through Faulkners own skil ls and establish him as a writer. The dynamics of such behavior puzzle me. Is this some sort of inher...