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The Collected Stories of William Faulkner by William Faulkner — Summary, Key Ideas & Quotes
1934900 pages✦ 3-min Big ideas★ 3.0 (1)
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What is The Collected Stories of William Faulkner about?
Collected Stories of William Faulkner is a short story collection by William Faulkner published by Random House in 1950. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1951. The publication of this collection of 42 stories was authorized and supervised by Faulkner himself, who came up with the themed section headings. [Barn Burning][1] Shingles for the Lord -- The tall men -- A bear hunt -- [Two Soldiers][2] Shall not perish -- [A Rose for Emily][3] Hair -- Centaur in brass -- Dry September -- Death drag -- Elly Uncle Willy -- Mule in the yard -- That will be fine -- That Evening Sun Red Leaves A justice -- A courtship -- Lo! -- Ad Astra -- Victory -- Crevasse -- Turnabout -- All the dead pilots -- Wash Honor -- Dr. Martino -- Fox Hunt Pennsylvania Station -- Artist at home -- The brooch -- My Grandmother Millard -- Golden land -- There was a queen -- Mountain victory -- Beyond -- Black music -- The leg -- Mistral -- Divorce in Naples -- Carcassonne.
A glimpse inside
The Burden of the Past
Faulkner’s stories are saturated with the weight of history—personal, familial, and regional. Characters often struggle beneath the legacies of their ancestors, whether it’s the decaying grandeur of old Southern families or the unhealed wounds of war and racial violence. This sense of inescapable inheritance shapes destinies, making the past a living force that both haunts and defines the present.
The Complexity of Morality
Many of Faulkner’s stories, such as 'Barn Burning' and 'Dry September,' explore the murky terrain of right and wrong. His characters are rarely purely good or evil; instead, they are driven by conflicting loyalties, pride, and desperation. Faulkner exposes how social pressures, poverty, and prejudice can warp moral choices, leaving readers to grapple with uncomfortable ambiguities.
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6 key ideas, distilled
- 1The Burden of the Past
- 2The Complexity of Morality
- 3Race and Social Injustice
- 4The Power of Place
- 5Experimentation with Narrative Form
Popular quotes from The Collected Stories of William Faulkner
“The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
More by William Faulkner
Frequently asked
Collected Stories of William Faulkner is a short story collection by William Faulkner published by Random House in 1950. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1951. The publication of this collection of 42 stories was authorized and supervised by Faulkner himself, who came up with the themed section headings.
[Barn Burning][1]
Shingles for the Lord --
The tall men --
A bear hunt --