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The Big Book Project
The Big Book Project is a multi-venue reading experience for bibliophiles fascinated by long or dense works of fiction and interested in discussing them with others, one novel at a time.
The works selected will be capacious novels from the mid-nineteenth century through today that possess an abundant writing style or complexity in structure and themes.
The notion that reading need not be a solitary activity has special resonance with these novels given that there is much to discuss, elaborate upon and question in the authors’ expression of ideas. I like to think of these novels as abundant because I appreciate their richness and volume, characteristics bestow a sort of grace to luxuriate with the text.
The critic and scholar Alexander Nehamas writes that when a work of art beckons, it is because we do not fully understand it but feel the strong desire to do so. And it is this deliberative process, the journey, of trying to understand why a novel is extraordinary that I want to explore with fellow readers at The Big Book Project.
We discuss books like Roberto Bolaño’s 2666
The Big Book Project
Absalom, Absalom! Chapters 4–5: Rosa Coldfield’s Humiliation and Sutpen’s Obsession | The Big Book Project (Video 2 with Dr. Larry Allums)
Welcome back to The Big Book Project, hosted by Lori Feathers. In Video 2, Lori continues her discussion of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! with returning guest Dr. Larry Allums. Together, they unpack the intense drama of Chapters 4 and 5, where Rosa Coldfield’s narration reveals her humiliation at the hands of Thomas Sutpen — and Faulkner deepens his exploration of race, obsession, and the tragic design at the heart of Sutpen’s Hundred.
In this episode, Lori and Larry discuss:
- Rosa’s fateful journey to Sutpen’s Hundred and the death of Charles Bon
- Judith’s shocking composure and Clytie’s defiance
- The detective-story structure of Faulkner’s storytelling
- Sutpen’s bizarre “courtship” of Rosa and his obsession with producing a male heir
- The moral and emotional unraveling of the Sutpen dynasty
- The chilling ending of Chapter 5 — and what may still be “alive” inside the dark house
If you’re reading Absalom, Absalom! along with us, this video helps illuminate Faulkner’s intricate web of narrators, memory, and myth.
📚 Next episode: We’ll continue the conversation with Chapters 6–7.
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Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome back to The Big Book Project
01:10 – Rosa’s journey and the murder of Charles Bon
11:25 – Judith’s calm and Clytie’s defiance
21:45 – Rosa’s narration and Faulkner’s detective style
31:30 – The “courtship” of Rosa and Sutpen’s obsession
49:00 – Reconstruction and loss of Sutpen’s Hundred
1:04:00 – Rosa’s outrage and the theme of humiliation
1:20:00 – The mysterious presence in the house
Keywords:
William Faulkner, Absalom Absalom analysis, The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers, Larry Allums, Faulkner deep dive, Rosa Coldfield, Thomas Sutpen, Southern Gothic, literary discussion, American classics, book club, big books, modernist fiction, Faulkner interpretation