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Pylon (novel)
Pylon (novel)
Pylon (novel)
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First edition (publ. Smith & Haas)

Pylon is the eighth novel by the American author William Faulkner. Published in 1935, Pylon is set in New Valois, a fictionalized version of New Orleans. It is one of Faulkner's few novels set outside Yoknapatawpha County, his favorite fictional setting. Pylon is the story of a group of barnstormers whose lives are thoroughly unconventional. They live hand-to-mouth, always just a step or two ahead of destitution, and their interpersonal relationships are unorthodox and shocking by the standards of their society and times. They meet an overwrought and extremely emotional newspaperman in New Valois, who gets deeply involved with them, with tragic consequences.

The novel provided the basis for the 1957 film The Tarnished Angels.

Main characters

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  • The Reporter – An alcoholic, dependent on loans from his editor. His interest in the romantic triangle that comprises the protagonists in the racing group — initially for a news story — becomes a fascination and finally an obsession, including a powerful but unrequited attraction to Laverne. He tries to help the trio but is ultimately responsible for the tragedy that destroys the group.
  • Laverne Shumann – Mechanic and former wing-walker and parachute jumper. She is openly involved with both her husband, pilot Roger Shumann, and jumper Jack Holmes.
  • Jack – Laverne's son (presumably by Roger Shumann). His actual parentage is undetermined. The reporter nicknames him "Dempsey" because of his willingness to fight anyone who asks him, "Who's your old man?"
  • Roger Shumann – Racing pilot, and presumptive father of Jack, whose quiet competence and acceptance of great risk largely supports the family.
  • Jack Holmes – A show jumper and Laverne's lover. Possible father to little Jack.
  • Jiggs – Main mechanic. Jiggs' obsession over a pair of cowboy boots in a store window opens the novel. His alcoholic binge (catalyzed by the Reporter) boosts the story toward its ultimate tragedy.

Minor characters

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  • Matt Ord – Legendary pilot, known throughout the world of aviation and barnstorming. More or less retired from flying, he is part owner of Ord-Atkinson Aircraft Corp. Provides Roger Shumann with an airplane. (Probably a loose combination of both Matty Laird and Jimmy Weddell of Weddell-Williams Flying Service of Patterson, La.)
  • Dr. (Carl) and Mrs. Shumann – Roger Shumann's parents, who live in Myron, Ohio. Dr. Shumann had wanted his son to be a physician.
  • Col. Feinman – New Valois mogul and chairman of the sewage board, who owns the airport where much of the novel's action takes place. (Probably loosely modeled after Levee Board president Abraham Shushan, for whom Shushan Airport — later New Orleans' Lakefront Airport — was originally named.)

Reception

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A review for The New York Times called Pylon "powerfully told" and praised it from departing from Faulkner's usual themes in his works.[1]

In general, the novel received warm reviews upon release; however, it has since been forgotten, and is considered one of Faulkner's failures.[2] Pylon has also been criticized for over-reliance on the work of T. S. Eliot.[3] One reviewer described Pylon as a "literary vision of apocalypse" and criticized its chaotic and disorganized structure.[4]

References

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Pylon (novel)

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Pylon is a by American author , first published in 1935, that depicts the rootless, high-risk lives of aviators during an and Mardi Gras celebrations in the fictional city of New Valois, Franciana (standing in for New Orleans, Louisiana), amid the . The story centers on ace pilot Roger Shumann, his wife Laverne—who serves as the group's mechanic and shares an intimate bond with parachutist Jack Holmes—their young son, and an unnamed newspaper reporter who becomes entangled in their world of stunt flying, races, and precarious existence. Roger's fatal crash during a daring exhibition underscores the novel's portrayal of a post-World War I generation living on the edge, detached from conventional society and personal histories. Unlike most of Faulkner's works set in his fictional , Pylon unfolds in an urban, carnival-like atmosphere that contrasts the ephemeral freedom of the aviators with the corrupt, stagnant society around them. The narrative employs Faulkner's signature modernist techniques, including stream-of-consciousness and fragmented perspectives, to evoke the frenetic pace of air races and the hollow revelry of , while themes of alienation, self-sacrifice, and the futility of human bonds dominate. Written rapidly in late 1934 as a diversion from his more ambitious Absalom, Absalom!, the book draws directly from Faulkner's experiences as a civilian at New Orleans' Shushan Airport, where he encountered real-life daredevil pilots whose transient lifestyles inspired the characters. Published by Harrison Smith and Robert Haas, Inc., Pylon marked a departure in Faulkner's oeuvre toward experimental brevity and urban settings. Upon release, Pylon received mixed critical reception; some reviewers praised its vivid departure from Faulkner's themes and its "powerfully told" intensity, while others found its stylistic density challenging. The novel's exploration of technology, desire, and mortality later influenced scholarly analyses of and culture in literature. In 1957, it was adapted into the film , directed by , which brought renewed attention to its themes of loyalty and nomadism.

Background and composition

Writing process

In 1934 and 1935, grappled with ongoing financial difficulties despite the earlier commercial success of novels like , prompting him to take on screenwriting assignments in Hollywood to support his family and maintain his estate. These gigs, including work on scripts such as The Road to Glory under a contract with starting in December 1935 at $1,000 per week, provided essential income amid his rapid spending on pursuits like . By summer 1935, his cash needs were so acute that he considered selling original manuscripts of earlier works to make ends meet. Faulkner composed Pylon rapidly over approximately six weeks in late 1934, completing the draft in time for its publication on March 25 of that year. He wrote the novel in longhand on yellow legal pads, his customary method for initial drafts, producing an incomplete 151-page autograph manuscript that reflects the urgency of the process. This swift creation interrupted work on Absalom, Absalom!, highlighting the pressures of his divided creative and financial obligations during this period. The novel incorporates autobiographical elements drawn from Faulkner's personal aviation interests and limited flying experiences, which he pursued intensely in the early 1930s. Having earned his pilot's license in December 1933 and purchased a Waco biplane that he flew frequently before giving it to his brother Dean in 1934, Faulkner infused Pylon with details from his time observing barnstormers at New Orleans' Shushan Airport during Mardi Gras in 1934. These encounters, combined with his own operation of aircraft and formation of "The Flying Faulkners" air circus with his brother Dean, shaped the story's portrayal of rootless aviators. Unlike Faulkner's typical works rooted in his fictional , Pylon is deliberately set in the invented New Valois—a stand-in for New Orleans—marking a departure from his mode to explore a more modern, urban environment. This choice allowed Faulkner to experiment with themes of transience and technology outside the familiar landscape, blending factual observations of the city with imaginative elements during his 1934 visit there for a film script.

Influences and context

The profoundly shaped the precarious existence depicted in Pylon, mirroring the economic instability faced by itinerant workers across America, where barnstormers and other transient laborers scraped by on the margins of society, often one mishap away from ruin. Faulkner's portrayal of the novel's aviators as rootless performers reflects this era's widespread joblessness and nomadic survival strategies, as the characters navigate a world of fleeting opportunities in air races and exhibitions amid national financial collapse. This socioeconomic backdrop underscores the novel's exploration of human resilience under duress, drawing parallels to the broader proletarian struggles that permeated and culture during the decade. Faulkner's personal fascination with aviation, sparked in the 1910s, directly informed Pylon's thematic core. As a teenager around 1915–1916, he was captivated by early aviators and even constructed a rudimentary flying machine from makeshift materials, fueling a lifelong interest in flight. In 1918, he attempted pilot training with the Royal Flying Corps in Toronto, adopting a fabricated Canadian identity to enlist, though he did not complete the program and returned home embellishing tales of aerial exploits. This early exposure, combined with his later attendance at the 1934 air show during Mardi Gras festivities at New Orleans' Shushan Airport—where he encountered real barnstorming teams—provided vivid inspiration for the novel's high-stakes aviation scenes and itinerant flyer archetypes. The novel's stylistic innovations echo the fragmented, urban modernism of contemporaries like , evident in Pylon's disorienting narrative shifts, wasteland imagery of mechanized decay, and a chapter explicitly titled after Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," which intertextually engages themes of alienation and temporal . Faulkner's prose also parallels Hemingway's spare, economical style in its rhythmic intensity and focus on action over introspection, though adapted to capture the chaotic velocity of air races and excess. These influences align Pylon with urban modernist fiction, emphasizing technological alienation in a rapidly industrializing . Set against the cultural ferment of 1930s America, Pylon captures the era's blend of festive escapism and aviation fervor, particularly the Mardi Gras celebrations that fused revelry with technological spectacle at events like the Shushan Airport dedication. This optimism, ignited by Charles Lindbergh's 1927 transatlantic flight, propelled public enthusiasm for air races and barnstorming as symbols of progress, even as economic woes tempered such dreams with underlying peril. Faulkner's work thus reflects a grappling with modernity's promises and pitfalls, where embodied both heroic aspiration and existential risk.

Publication history

Initial release

Pylon was first published in March 1935 by Harrison Smith and Robert Haas in New York. This marked the debut of the novel as Faulkner's eighth book-length work of fiction, coming after Light in August (1932) and preceding Absalom, Absalom! (1936) in his oeuvre. The initial trade edition featured a print run of approximately 6,000 copies, priced at $2.50 per copy. In addition to the standard binding, a limited edition of 310 copies was issued, signed by the author and bound in three-quarter blue cloth over silver boards. The publisher marketed the book as a significant departure from Faulkner's typical Southern Gothic narratives, highlighting its urban adventure elements set amid the excitement of aviation meets in a fictionalized New Orleans.

Subsequent editions

Following its initial 1935 publication by and Robert Haas, Pylon saw numerous reprints and inclusions in collected editions without significant authorial revisions by himself. The novel appeared in Random House's 1962 edition, which reproduced the text photographically from the first printing, preserving the original while introducing minor typographical adjustments typical of mid-century reprints. Later, Vintage International issued a in 2011, maintaining the unaltered narrative structure from the debut but with updated formatting for modern readers. A key development came in the series, where Pylon was included in the 1985 volume Novels 1930–1935, edited by Joseph Blotner and Noel Polk. This edition presented a corrected text based on collations of manuscripts, typescripts, galleys, and early printings, aiming to eliminate unauthorized editorial interventions from the 1935 version, such as standardized punctuation and "corrected" misspellings that altered Faulkner's intentional stylistic choices. These changes restored elements like erratic dashes and deliberate grammatical irregularities, reflecting Faulkner's experimental without introducing new authorial content, as Faulkner made no substantial revisions to the novel post-publication. International editions began emerging in the late , marking Pylon as an early Faulkner work to reach global audiences in . The first Italian edition appeared in from Mondadori, translated as Oggi si vola by Lorenzo Gigli, making it the inaugural Faulkner rendered into Italian and published amid the cultural climate of . The French , titled Pylône and rendered by René-Noël Raimbault, was issued by Gallimard in 1946, one of the earliest European versions to appear after . Subsequent translations followed in various languages during the mid-20th century, expanding the novel's availability beyond English-speaking markets. Due to its 1935 publication date under U.S. copyright law, Pylon is scheduled to enter the on January 1, 2031, after the 95-year term expires, potentially enabling free digital releases on platforms like . As of 2025, no digital editions exist, with availability limited to licensed e-book formats from publishers such as .

Setting and plot

Fictional setting

Pylon is set in the fictional city of New Valois, located in the imaginary state of Franciana, which serves as a thinly veiled representation of New Orleans, Louisiana. The action unfolds over a single week in the early 1930s, amid the Great Depression, capturing a period of economic hardship and social flux. This temporal framework blends the festive chaos of the annual Mardi Gras carnival with the emerging industrial modernity of aviation technology, creating an atmosphere of heightened transience and impermanence. The festivities infuse New Valois with elements of parades, , and anonymity, transforming the city into a realm of temporary revelry and that underscores themes of fleeting identity and communal . These aspects, including antic passing floats and drifts, amplify the novel's portrayal of urban life as a hollow , where traditional Southern exuberance underlying decay. The coincides with these events, merging the parade's clatterfalque-like pomp with the mechanical roar of , to evoke a sense of unreal, tinseldung frivolity. Central to the setting are key sites that symbolize the rootless existence of the characters: the airport hangars and air race grounds at the newly opened Feinman Field, where pilots compete around towering pylons, representing perilous ambition and the conquest of the air; and seedy, transient hotels that reflect financial and impermanent lodging. These locations establish an atmosphere of constant movement and instability, with the hangars as hubs of mechanical vitality contrasting the city's moribund streets. The fictional setting juxtaposes Southern traditions embodied in —rooted in historical and cultural pageantry—with the disruptive force of aviation, highlighting a tension between entrenched regional heritage and the anonymous, forward-thrusting world of modern technology. This contrast portrays New Valois as an "unreal " of ephemeral and undone multitudes, where festive collides with the raw risks of aerial innovation.

Plot overview

Pylon is set in the fictional city of New Valois during a and revolves around a nomadic group of barnstormers struggling to survive through stunts and races. The central figures include pilot Roger Shumann, his wife Laverne who serves as a and is also the lover of fellow aviator Jack Holmes, their young son Jack, and the group's Jiggs. An unnamed newspaper reporter, assigned to cover the event, becomes increasingly obsessed with the barnstormers' unconventional lives and inserts himself into their world, providing assistance with money, food, and lodging while grappling with his own and detachment. As the unfolds, the narrative depicts high-risk activities including parachute jumps and competitive races between Shumann and Holmes, highlighting the precarious financial and physical dangers the group faces. Interpersonal tensions arise from the ambiguous paternity of the Shumanns' son, the strain of their hand-to-mouth existence, and the reporter's romantic fixation on Laverne, which leads to ethical dilemmas and impulsive decisions affecting the team's safety. The story builds through a series of interconnected events, such as the acquisition of a faulty and overlooked mechanical issues, culminating in a tragic crash during a pivotal race that claims Shumann's life. In the aftermath, the surviving members confront profound loss and the fragility of their bonds, with Laverne facing rejection from Roger's family and the group ultimately dissolving amid the ephemeral chaos of the atmosphere. The plot underscores the barnstormers' isolation from conventional society, emphasizing fleeting human connections forged in the shadow of mechanical peril and personal recklessness.

Characters

Primary characters

Roger Shumann is the stoic aviator and family provider at the center of the team, embodying quiet heroism through his unwavering commitment amid the perils of aerial performance. As a confident and competitive pilot, he leads the group with pragmatic focus on earning a living for his wife and son, prioritizing survival over conventional stability. His role highlights a sense of that anchors the nomadic of the flyers, reflecting Faulkner's portrayal of resilient in transient professions. Laverne Shumann, Roger's wife, functions as a versatile , former parachutist, and mother, pragmatically managing the polyamorous dynamics of her relationships while contributing actively to the team's operations. Resilient and decisive, she navigates economic dependencies with a free-spirited , embodying adaptability in a world of risk and impermanence. Her captivating presence and practical outlook define her as a pivotal figure in sustaining the group's unconventional family structure. Jack Holmes, the daring parachutist and Laverne's lover, personifies impulsive thrill-seeking as an integral member of the flying team, bringing passion and volatility to their shared ventures. Tall, jealous, and emotionally intense, he engages in practical partnerships that blur traditional boundaries, often sparking conflicts that underscore his role in the group's tense interpersonal web. His contributions as a performer emphasize a life defined by adrenaline and relational ambiguity. The Reporter, an unnamed and gaunt —although referred to as "Lazarus" once in the text—serves as the voyeuristic chronicler whose and obsessive tendencies propel his entanglement with the barnstormers, catalyzing their narrative visibility. Quiet and lacking a defined identity, he observes with superficial detachment while providing material support, his idealistic yet sentimental nature revealing a parasitic fascination with the flyers' marginal world. Through his perspective, the explores themes of observation and alienation.

Secondary characters

Jiggs serves as the team's primary , portrayed as a short, stocky, heavy-drinking figure whose financial desperation and negligence underscore the precarious existence of the barnstormers. Often torn between basic needs like food and shelter, he exhibits sly and predatory traits, such as his fixation on a pair of over practical concerns, and his failure to inspect critical components nearly precipitates an early disaster in the narrative. As a former parachutist who briefly rejoins the group in that role, Jiggs embodies the raw, unpolished underbelly of the circuit, providing a chaotic contrast to the more skilled pilots through his irresponsible actions that heighten the story's tension. Jack, Laverne's young son, acts as an innocent foil to the adults' reckless and unconventional lives, frequently displaying belligerence when teased about his uncertain parentage—bearing the names of both potential fathers, Jack Holmes and Shumann. Nicknamed "Dempsey" by the reporter for his combative spirit, the boy shares close, familial bonds with the team, sleeping alongside them and addressing members by first names, which highlights the blurred lines of their makeshift family dynamic. His presence emphasizes the human cost of the barnstormers' nomadic peril, particularly in his eventual placement with 's parents for stability. Matt Ord functions as a rival figure in the competitive aviation world, depicted as a legendary, semi-retired pilot renowned for his barnstorming exploits and co-ownership of the local airfield with his brother. Wealthy and opportunistic, Ord loans his plane to Roger, illustrating the cutthroat blend of rivalry and commerce that permeates the sport. His interactions with the primary characters advance subplots involving financial desperation and ethical compromises within the air show environment. Colonel H. I. Feinman, as chairman of the New Valois Board and the airport's benefactor, symbolizes the commercial exploitation inherent in the spectacle, wielding to dictate event and participant outcomes. He monopolizes premium accommodations for dignitaries, forcing itinerant teams like the Shumanns into makeshift lodgings, and holds sway over critical decisions, such as disqualifications or approvals, that directly impact the flyers' survival. Through his bureaucratic control, Feinman contrasts the barnstormers' freedom with the commodified structure of modern air shows, briefly intersecting with the protagonists during promotional activities. Dr. Carl Shumann and Mrs. Shumann, Roger's parents residing in modest circumstances in , represent conventional societal norms amid the novel's themes of transience and moral ambiguity. Having financially supported Roger's pursuits to the point of ruin—losing their home and relocating to a simpler life—the couple reluctantly takes in young Jack at the story's close, providing him a stable upbringing free from the uncertainties of his mother's world. Their mistrust of outsiders, exemplified by Dr. Shumann's act of burning the reporter's gifted money, underscores their adherence to traditional values, offering a grounded to the primary characters' itinerant chaos in a single, poignant familial reunion.

Themes and motifs

Aviation and modernity

In William Faulkner's Pylon (1935), aviation emerges as a central motif symbolizing the precarious of modern progress, particularly through the depiction of pilots who embody human vulnerability amid the relentless speed of machinery. , the practice of itinerant pilots performing daring stunts and races for crowds, serves as a for the fragile trajectory of America, where individual daring contrasts sharply with the mechanical indifference of flight technology. The novel's aviators, such as pilot Roger Shumann and mechanic Jiggs, navigate a world of constant risk, their lives suspended between exhilaration and catastrophe, highlighting how technological advancement amplifies human fragility rather than transcending it. This tension underscores Faulkner's portrayal of flight not as triumphant liberation but as a high-stakes gamble in an era of uncertainty. The airplanes in Pylon further critique industrialization by functioning as emblems of alienation and illusory escape, transforming the sublime potential of flight into a mechanism of social disconnection. Built on a metaphorical wasteland—such as the swamp-bound New Valois airport—these machines promise transcendence but deliver isolation, with pilots reduced to commodified performers in profit-driven s that prioritize over safety. Crashes and mechanical failures recur as symbols of technology's false promises, evoking a broader disillusionment with industrial modernity where speed and mask underlying exploitation and . Faulkner's narrative thus exposes as a false refuge from economic and existential voids, reinforcing themes of a mechanized world that erodes human bonds and authenticity. This thematic framework draws from the historical context of post-World War I air races, which flourished in the 1930s amid the , blending national optimism with underlying instability. Events like the , held annually from 1929 onward, captivated audiences as symbols of American ingenuity and recovery, yet they often featured barnstormers risking lives in outdated aircraft for meager prizes, mirroring the era's economic precarity. Set against the 1935 in a fictional New Orleans, Pylon reflects this duality, with its pylon races evoking real spectacles that fueled public hope while exposing the perils of unregulated progress. Faulkner's ambivalence toward technology permeates the novel, informed by his own aviation experiences and the era's iconic feats, notably Charles Lindbergh's 1927 , which initially romanticized flight as heroic . While Faulkner once expressed fascination with 's thrill, he later lamented its , viewing it as diminishing personal agency—a sentiment echoed in Pylon's pilots, who pursue aerial glory yet confront its dehumanizing toll. This duality positions the novel as a cautionary exploration of , where 's allure coexists with profound skepticism about its societal costs.

Unconventional relationships

In William Faulkner's Pylon, the central romantic entanglement forms a polyamorous triangle among aviators Roger Shumann, his wife Laverne Shumann, and parachutist Jack Holmes, defying conventional monogamous structures through their shared domestic and sexual intimacy. Laverne, married to Roger, maintains an ongoing affair with Holmes, and the trio cohabits in a fluid arrangement where Holmes is referred to as Laverne's "other ," reflecting a deliberate rejection of traditional marital exclusivity in favor of mutual dependence for survival in the precarious world of . The Jiggs further integrates into this communal setup, underscoring the group's collective bonds beyond romance. This dynamic challenges 1930s norms of roles and , portraying love as pragmatic and egalitarian rather than possessive, with Holmes's integration into the family unit underscoring a communal bond over individualistic romance. The novel's depiction of parent-child relationships further illustrates the strain imposed by this nomadic existence, particularly through the uncertain paternity and emotional neglect of the couple's six-year-old son, Jack Shumann (nicknamed ). The boy's father is ambiguously either or Holmes, a fact that fuels taunts from other children—"Who's your old man today, kid?"—and exacerbates his sense of instability, as the family drifts from to without roots. 's aging father rejects Laverne's lifestyle, refusing to fully accept the unless she abandons the transient life, highlighting intergenerational conflict over familial duty; meanwhile, and Holmes prioritize their pursuits and Laverne's affections, leaving the boy in temporary care and fostering superficial bonds marked by absence rather than nurturing. This portrayal critiques how economic precarity in the Depression era disrupts conventional lineage and caregiving, rendering parenthood a casualty of mobility. The unnamed reporter serves as a disruptive outsider whose obsessive fixation on Laverne intrudes upon the trio's insular loyalty, transforming his journalistic curiosity into a destructive pursuit that threatens their equilibrium. Initially drawn to the group by Laverne's allure—"a wild wench" evoking untamed desire—he fixates on her as an emblem of the aviators' freedom from societal ties, yet his advances, including attempts to buy intimacy with money (which suspects and discards), expose the fragility of their unconventional setup. The reporter's own of paternal absence mirrors the Shumann child's plight, but his inability to form stable attachments amplifies his role as an interloper, contrasting the group's resilient, if transient, loyalties forged through shared adversity. Overarching these bonds are themes of amid transience and the imperatives of Depression-era , where relationships endure not through permanence but through adaptive to the . The aviators' ties, unbound by "no ties; no place where you were born," prioritize economic and emotional interdependence over lasting commitments, with Laverne's symbolizing a radical reconfiguration of intimacy as a bulwark against destitution. This fluidity, influenced by the era's hardships, underscores Faulkner's exploration of human connections as provisional yet vital, challenging readers to reconsider fidelity in contexts of impermanence.

Style and structure

Narrative techniques

Faulkner's Pylon employs a third-person omniscient narration that allows for broad access to characters' inner thoughts and external events, frequently shifting focalization to create a layered perspective on the unfolding drama of the . This omniscient approach provides an objective overview while delving into subjective experiences, blending the narrator's reliable voice with characters' perceptions to heighten the novel's psychological intensity. The narration incorporates stream-of-consciousness shifts among key figures, such as the pilot Roger Shumann and the reporter, capturing fragmented mental states amid the high-stakes sequences. These shifts immerse readers in the characters' chaotic inner worlds, reflecting the disorienting speed and risk of life. Non-linear elements are woven into the narrative through flashbacks that interrupt the present-day air events, revealing characters' pasts and motivations in disjointed bursts. For instance, recollections of Roger and Laverne's earlier encounters surface during tense race moments, distorting chronological flow and emphasizing how history haunts the precarious present. This fragmentation, achieved via successive breaks in time and unidentified details, mirrors the novel's modernist experimentation and challenges readers to piece together the timeline. Such techniques produce a sense of disorientation, underscoring the instability of the aviators' existence and the blurred boundaries between past traumas and current perils. The novel's multiple perspectives, particularly through the reporter's unreliable lens, further complicate the by introducing and subjectivity into the omniscient framework. The reporter, often acting as a vicarious observer, filters events through his own frustrations and fantasies, such as envisioning dialogues between other characters, which casts doubt on the narrative's objectivity. This unreliability extends to other viewpoints, like those of the mechanic and parachutist, creating a polyphonic effect where truths emerge from conflicting accounts. The result is heightened disorientation, forcing readers to navigate and question the reliability of in a world of mechanical speed and human frailty. Complementing these devices, Pylon is structured in short, episodic chapters that echo the frenetic rhythm of the air circus, with each segment capturing a discrete burst of action or . These concise units propel the forward in rapid succession, mimicking the abrupt takeoffs, loops, and landings of the planes, while avoiding prolonged exposition. This episodic form reinforces the overall disorientation, as the fragmented chapters parallel the characters' transient, high-velocity lifestyles and the novel's thematic exploration of modernity's dislocations.

Language and symbolism

Faulkner's prose in Pylon is characterized by its dense, poetic quality, featuring long, convoluted sentences that evoke the velocity and chaotic intensity of aerial flight. This "exasperated volubility," as described by critic Warren , mirrors the frenetic pace of the aviation world, with tumbling floods of phrases that build rhetorical urgency and reflect the characters' inner turmoil. The elevated, ornate language, often resembling Shakespearean opulence or dramatic choruses, incorporates neologisms and compound words—such as "corpseglare" or "wirehum"—to intensify the of modernity's . Central to the novel's symbolism are the pylons themselves, the race markers that serve as emblems of life's precarious boundaries and inevitable falls, encircling the aviators in a mechanical orbit of precision and peril. These structures underscore the tension between human ambition and technological limits, framing the narrative's exploration of risk and compulsion in . Airplanes, too, function symbolically as vessels of both escape and disillusionment, their flights evoking a technological sublime intertwined with themes of sexuality and post-war restlessness. The contrast between dialogue and formal narration highlights social class divides, with the pilots' colloquial speech—raw and individualized—clashing against the lyrical, embroidered third-person voice that dominates the text. This stylistic opposition, as noted by , emphasizes the alienation of the working-class aviators from the observational elite, using realistic to ground the otherwise ornate . Carnival motifs, particularly the setting, symbolize hidden identities and societal facades through masks, crowds, and spectacles that blend revelry with underlying tragedy. These elements, including the wasteland imagery of the New Valois airport, evoke death and rebirth, reinforcing the novel's fragmented, allusion-laden style influenced by modernist precursors like .

Adaptations

Film version

The 1957 of William Faulkner's Pylon, directed by and released by Universal-International Pictures under the title , stars as the reporter Burke Devlin, as the pilot Roger Shumann, and as his wife and parachutist LaVerne Shumann. The screenplay was written by George Zuckerman, who had previously collaborated with Sirk on (1956), and the film was produced by Albert Zugsmith. Shot in black-and-white , it premiered in New York on January 6, 1958, and captures the novel's setting amid a 1930s air show in New Orleans. In adapting the source material, Zuckerman's streamlines the narrative into a more linear plot structure, diverging from Faulkner's fragmented and modernist approach, while softening explicit sexual elements—such as the novel's implied and ambiguous paternity of the Shumanns' child—to adhere to Hollywood's Production Code restrictions. This shift emphasizes melodramatic tensions in the characters' unconventional relationships and the perils of aviation, prioritizing emotional spectacle over the book's experimental style and thematic ambiguity. Initially met with mixed reviews and modest box-office returns, The Tarnished Angels has since gained recognition as a , valued for Sirk's masterful visual compositions and ironic critique of American society, though it remains less celebrated than Faulkner's original .

Reception

Initial reviews

Upon its publication in March 1935, Pylon received mixed initial reviews, with critics praising its vivid action sequences and energetic prose while faulting its chaotic structure and underdeveloped characters. In a favorable notice, F. W. Dupee's review in The New York Times Book Review on March 24 described the novel as "powerfully written," highlighting its "explosive power and time-stopping intensity" that evoked the raw energy of Faulkner's earlier works like and As I Lay Dying. Dupee commended the book's tense, motion-filled depiction of and modern life, though he noted it lacked the substantive depth and perspective of . Other responses were more critical, emphasizing the narrative's disorganization and lack of emotional resonance. , writing in the , dismissed Pylon as "a sloppy, disgusting, nauseating performance by a half-articulate southerner who never entirely learned his job as a ," underscoring its fragmented style and perceived moral confusion. Reviews in outlets like New Masses critiqued the novel's experimental form for failing to deliver deeper on its rootless aviators, despite potential proletarian themes. Initial sales reached nearly 10,000 copies within days of publication. Critics frequently compared it unfavorably to Faulkner's more acclaimed novels, such as , viewing it as a lesser effort despite its technical bravura.

Critical reassessment

In the mid- to late twentieth century, particularly from the 1950s through the 1970s, scholarly appreciation for Pylon grew as critics reevaluated its modernist elements, distinguishing it from Faulkner's more regionally focused Yoknapatawpha novels. , in his 1978 study William Faulkner: Toward Yoknapatawpha and Beyond, praised the novel's innovative narrative techniques and symbolic imagery, interpreting as a for fragmented modern consciousness and urban alienation, thereby positioning Pylon as a significant, if unconventional, contribution to Faulkner's modernist experimentation. This period marked a shift from earlier dismissals, with and others emphasizing the novel's structural complexity over its perceived thematic disjointedness. During the 1980s and 2000s, critical focus expanded to the interplay of gender and technology in Pylon, with feminist readings highlighting the character Laverne as a figure of subversive agency amid mechanized modernity. Scholars analyzed Laverne's parachute jumps and unconventional relationships as challenges to patriarchal control, where her sexuality—tied to the phallic symbolism of flight—disrupts male voyeurism and exposes vulnerabilities in the novel's aviator community. For example, examinations of female subject positions in Faulkner's work portray Laverne as embodying a "whore" archetype not due to moral failing but as a projection of male anxiety over women's autonomy in a technology-driven world. These interpretations underscored Pylon's prescient critique of how industrial progress reinforces gender hierarchies. In the 2010s and 2020s, reassessments have increasingly incorporated and history, framing Pylon as an underrated meditation on environmental violation and technological . Richard P. Sugg's 1981 analysis influentially depicted the novel's setting as a modern "Waste Land," where airplanes symbolize humanity's destructive intrusion upon the earth, a theme echoed in recent that view the racetrack and skies as sites of ecological desecration. Michael Zeitlin's 2023 monograph Faulkner, , and Modern War further elevates Pylon by contextualizing its aerial motifs within early twentieth-century developments and wartime legacies, arguing that the novel's chaotic energy captures the era's ambivalence toward progress as both liberating and catastrophic. Overall, contemporary scholars identify Pylon as an experimental outlier in Faulkner's oeuvre—a deliberate urban counterpoint to his canon—transforming it from a perceived into a vital, innovative text that probes modernity's discontents. This evolving view contrasts with the mixed reviews, affirming the novel's enduring thematic depth.

References

  1. https://www.loa.org/books/42-novels-1930-1935/
  2. https://www.themodernnovel.org/americas/other-americas/usa/faulkner/pylon/
  3. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mqrarchive/act2080.0003.004/77:11?page=root;size=100;view=text
  4. https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20221141
  5. https://www.bbrarebooks.com/pages/books/WF096/william-faulkner/pylon
  6. https://read.dukeupress.edu/modern-language-quarterly/article/83/2/141/315702/Today-We-Fly-Tomorrow-We-Fall-William-Faulkner-s
  7. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/road-glory-faulkners-hollywood-years-1932-1936
  8. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=faulkner&bi=0&bx=off&ds=30&fe=on&sortby=1&sts=t&tn=pylon&x=0&y=0
  9. https://dokumen.pub/faulkner-a-biography-one-volume-ed-1578067324-9781578067329-9781429460514.html
  10. https://academic.oup.com/mississippi-scholarship-online/book/46332/book-pdf/50574419/upso-9781496841124.pdf
  11. https://www.thehistoryreader.com/historical-fiction/faulkner-the-pilot/
  12. https://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/display/wfaudio30_1.html
  13. https://ugapress.org/9780820370996/faulkner-and-the-great-depression/
  14. http://publikacio.uni-eszterhazy.hu/3460/1/Simon_49-64.pdf
  15. https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/faulkner-william/pylon/85201.aspx
  16. https://userweb.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kxd4350/diss/engl214/juan/novel.html
  17. https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/153423/william-faulkner/pylon
  18. https://sobrief.com/books/william-faulkner
  19. https://www.biblio.com/book/pylon-william-faulkner/d/1437631818
  20. https://www.amazon.com/Pylon-Vintage-International-William-Faulkner/dp/0307946789
  21. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/05/books/new-authentic-edition-of-faulkner-novels-set.html
  22. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1986/02/09/grammar-errors-restored-in-latest-faulkner-collection/
  23. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/01/26/a-scholar-takes-faulkner-at-his-word/
  24. https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Pylone-Pylon-Roman-Traduit-langlais-Raimbault/32081153965/bd
  25. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2025/
  26. https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/464268/
  27. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/pylon-william-faulkner
  28. https://www.proquest.com/openview/3a4b39fa3135462380e15effe31f1b3c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1820945
  29. https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/24/archives/mr-faulkners-new-novel-strikes-a-fresh-vein-pylon-is-a-powerfully.html
  30. https://www.enotes.com/topics/pylon
  31. https://www.enotes.com/topics/pylon/characters
  32. https://www.enotes.com/topics/william-faulkner/criticism/faulkner-william-79720/john-t-matthews-essay-date-1990
  33. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/pylon-analysis-major-characters
  34. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24907751
  35. https://dea.lib.unideb.hu/bitstreams/5ccf5474-15bd-445a-b1db-f5020781d0c6/download
  36. https://www.historynet.com/1930s-national-air-races-speed-and-spectacle/
  37. https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/national-air-races-begin-us
  38. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=masters
  39. https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2005160.pdf
  40. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=osu1061234845&disposition=inline
  41. https://aedean.org/actas/4/1-ReflectionsOnFaulknersNarrativeTechniques.pdf
  42. https://www.amerlit.com/novels/ANALYSIS%20The%20Style%20of%20Faulkner.pdf
  43. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92364/the-tarnished-angels
  44. https://www.cineaste.com/fall2019/the-tarnished-angels
  45. https://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=11250
  46. https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/best-rock-hudson-movies/
  47. https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780511831881_A23680064/preview-9780511831881_A23680064.pdf
  48. https://esirc.emporia.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/505/97.pdf?sequence=1
  49. https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/30/archives/book-notes.html
  50. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/23665
  51. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24908258
  52. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7560/751149-010/html
  53. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/new-william-faulkner-studies/faulkner-and-women/41F4BED0F493FE54B916387C98D6E56D
  54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26474782
  55. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/faulkner-aviation-and-modern-war-9781501376054/
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