The J.D. Williams Library is presenting a new exhibit in conjunction with the 39th annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference and the 50th anniversary of William Faulkner’s death.
The exhibit, “Faulkner and Mississippi,” will include photographs and reproductions of the renowned author’s manuscripts.
“I encourage people to come to see Faulkner materials,” said Jennifer Ford, director of Archives and Special Collections. “There will be interesting materials dealing with Faulkner’s books and Faulkner in the movies.”
The exhibit will be set up in cases outside Special Collections in the hallway on the third floor of the library. It will be open to the public throughout the summer.
“For members of the public who take pride in Faulkner’s contributions to our literary legacy or are curious about his life and career but may not be familiar with his novels and stories, the library exhibit offers a great opportunity to begin ‘getting to know’ Faulkner without necessarily spending night after night curled up with one of his masterpieces,” said Jay Watson, Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies and professor of English. “His typescripts, manuscripts and galley proofs, with their marginal notes and corrections, are fascinating documents of the creative process – even his handwriting is fascinating, tiny and precise, and oddly beautiful on the page.
“Special Collections includes holdings that give us insight into the marketing of his works and their adaptation for film and television, as well as letters that give us glimpses into his private life, which he guarded very jealously. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Faulkner connoisseurs and Faulkner novices alike.”
On July 6, the actual 50th anniversary of Faulkner’s death in 1962, there will be a daylong program of events around Oxford called “A William Faulkner Remembrance.” The day will include
•A marathon reading of Faulkner’s final novel, The Reivers, on the grounds of Rowan Oak, the Faulkner residence, starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending around 3:30 p.m.
•Keynote addresses on Faulkner’s legacy by Faulkner biographer Philip M. Weinstein and writer Randall Kenan, scheduled for the second-floor courtroom in the Lafayette County Courthouse at 4:15 p.m. Faulkner immortalized the courthouse in his fiction.
•An evening screening of the 1969 film adaptation of The Reivers, starring Steve McQueen, scheduled for 8 p.m. at The Lyric on the Oxford Square.