Light in August by William Faulkner - Analysis of Characters and Themes - Lecture 23

Explore a 50-minute lecture from Yale University's "Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner" course, focusing on William Faulkner's "Light in August." Examine how the novel portrays the transformation of strangers' kindness into malice, particularly in the cases of Joanna Burden and Reverend Hightower. Analyze the comedic elements in Joanna's death and the complex ethical dimensions of Reverend Hightower's character. Investigate the parallel narratives of Lena Grove and Joe Christmas, exploring their shared passive consciousness and how they become vessels for others' actions. Delve into topics such as Christianity, Southern hospitality, political theology, and the resentment between Southerners and Northern abolitionists. Note that this lecture contains graphic content and adult language that some viewers may find disturbing.

- Chapter 1. Christianity and Southern Hospitality
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- Chapter 2. The Neighbor as Political Theology
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- Chapter 3. The Resentment of Southerners for Northern Abolitionists
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- Chapter 4. Tragedy as Comedy in the Death of Joanna Burden
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- Chapter 5. The Reverend Hightower and the Malice of Strangers
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- Chapter 6. The Ethical Challenge of Hightower
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- Chapter 7. The Switchability of Joe Christmas and Lena Grove
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- Chapter 8. Kinship Between Lena Grove and Joe Christmas
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- Chapter 9. The Passivity of Lena Grove and Joe Christmas
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