Faulkner's Narrative Strategies and the Nature of History in Absalom, Absalom!

Absalom, Absalom! is not only about family history but also about the nature of reconstructing history. Faulkner shows us what will happen if we give too much credit to the person having the authority; he first makes us listen to Rosa, so we just listen without doubt until we arrive at the question of the objectivity of her narration, when we get to know Sutpen's design. Meanings of "facts" change depending on who perceives the facts. The incremental repetition of the narrative in the novel resembles the process of our thinking mind and the process of history being constructed. Time is a significant element in determining the meaning of an event, not only because the event cannot be understood without its social, cultural context of the contemporary, but also because only the later events make it possible for the perceiver to categorize it in its proper place in history. Furthermore, through his narrative strategy, Faulkner suggests that imagination play a large part in recreating history. He blurs the distinction between facts and imagination, making us regard Shreve's and Quentin's conjectures as facts in several ways. The conversation between father and son, and the two brothers, which is an imagination constructed through the clues Mr Compson has offered, becomes a fact willingly accepted by the readers as well as Shreve and Quentin. The people in the past, present, and future may be very much unlikely to agree on the same event, because the gap in temporality will keep widening our perceptions. Faulkner demonstrates the nature of history in such a way that we can compare our understanding of the Sutpens' history in the earlier and later part of the novel through repetitions.