Sanctuary | Suggested Reading

Sanctuary Related Titles

The one novel without which the discussion of Sanctuary would not be complete is, in a curious twist of literary history, Sanctuary itself. Unbeknown to most readers, the book with which they are familiar is actually an extensively revised version of a manuscript that Faulkner originally completed in 1928.

One might be inclined to assume that, under the pressure from the publisher, the author amended the earlier text to make it more suitable (i.e. less objectionable) for publication. This is not borne out by the facts. The canonical 1931 edition preserves virtually all the hardhitting material from the original. The only major deletions are the scenes which hint at Benbow's incestuous longing for his sister Narcissa and for his step-daughter, Belle. The reader not acquainted with the 1928 version or with Faulkner's earlier book, Sartoris (1929), where the matter gets more attention, may entirely miss the few allusions...
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