A Fable: Analysis of Setting
"A Fable: Analysis of Setting" focuses on the various locales that shape the narrative within the context of World War I. Central to the story is Chaulnesmont, a French town that serves as an Allied headquarters, where significant events unfold, including a court martial and the execution of a corporal and his men. The surrounding countryside and the general's estate play key roles, presenting a blend of surreal and detached atmospheres that characterize the setting. Notably, scenes in the trenches, described vividly in contrast to the town square, emphasize the harsh realities of war, yet the overall tone remains dreamlike.
Additionally, the story touches on backgrounds set in Mississippi and Louisiana, hinting at broader themes of loss and conflict. Paris also features prominently, especially in a pivotal moment involving a former British officer and the burial of the executed corporal at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The narrative’s approach aligns more closely with fable-like storytelling rather than traditional realism, contributing to an intriguing exploration of place and time in relation to the characters' experiences during the war.
A Fable: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1954
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Allegory
Time of work: 1918
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
*Chaulnesmont
*Chaulnesmont (SHON-mon). French town that is a site of Allied headquarters during World War I. Scenes in the novel are set in the town square of Chaulnesmont and in the surrounding countryside, including a country estate serving as the headquarters of General Gragnon. In Chaulnesmont the corporal and his men are executed after their court martial. There are also scenes set in the front-line trenches described as being “below the Bethune slagheap.” These locales as well as others in A Fable have a somewhat detached and surreal quality, as if they were occurring in an unearthly setting. Some locales, such as the foxhole in which the soldiers live, are described in considerable detail, and the time element of each section is usually clearly specified, since the author wants his readers to associate the events and characters with the war. Nevertheless a sense of unreality prevails throughout the book, for Faulkner does not delineate the sights, sounds, and smells of specific places as in most of his novels and stories. The narrative approach he uses in A Fable befits a work that is closer to being a fable than a realistic novel.
*Mississippi
*Mississippi. A set piece told as a background story concerning the theft of a race horse in 1912 contains scenes in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Mississippi scenes might be read as being set in Yoknapatawpha County.
*Paris
*Paris. Several scenes are set in the French capital, including one in which a former British army officer identified only as the Runner goes to Paris to seek out the characters involved in the theft of the race horse. In one of the major coincidences of the novel the corporal who instigates the peace movement among Allied and German soldiers and has been executed for treason is buried in the city’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
St. Mihiel
St. Mihiel (sah[n] mih-heel). French town to which the body of the executed corporal is taken by his sisters. St. Mihiel parallels Nazareth in the life of Christ.
Bibliography
Brooks, Cleanth. William Faulkner: Toward Yoknapatawpha and Beyond. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1978. Criticism of the five Faulkner novels that take place outside of Yoknapatawpha County. Finds A Fable to be less realistic than other Faulkner novels and therefore weaker.
Butterworth, Keen. A Critical and Textual Study of Faulkner’s “A Fable.” Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1983. Compares A Fable to Faulkner’s great novels, then explains the events of the novels and elaborates on the characters and their significance.
Dowling, David. William Faulkner. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989. Includes a chronology and sections outlining the major works completed during different periods in Faulkner’s life. Gives considerable criticism of A Fable and finds it to be the last great novel written by Faulkner.
Leary, Lewis. William Faulkner of Yoknapatawpha County. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1973. A good general guide and introduction to the life of Faulkner. Traces his biography and work with some reference to A Fable.
Reed, Joseph W., Jr. Faulkner’s Narrative. New Haven: Conn.: Yale University Press, 1973. A view of Faulkner’s writing technique, form, and thematic devices. Examines his voice and narrative style and the impact of that style on other writers. Useful references to A Fable.