''Requiem for a Nun'' is a work of fiction written by

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most o ...

. It is a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to Faulkner's early novel ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

'', which introduced the characters of

Temple Drake Temple Drake is a fictional character created by William Faulkner. She appears in the novels ''Sanctuary'' (1931) and ''Requiem for a Nun'' (1951). The 1962 play ''Requiem for a Nun'' and the films ''The Story of Temple Drake'' (1933) and ''Sanctuar ...

, her friend (later husband) Gowan Stevens, and Gowan's uncle Gavin Stevens. The events in ''Requiem'' are set in Faulkner's fictional

Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County () is a fictional Mississippi county created by the American author William Faulkner, largely based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of Oxford (which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faulk ...

and

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, in November 1937 and March 1938, eight years after the events of ''Sanctuary''. In ''Requiem'', Temple, now married with a child, must learn to deal with her violent, turbulent past as related in ''Sanctuary''. ''Requiem'', originally published in book form, was later adapted for the stage. It was also a co-source, along with ''Sanctuary'', for the 1961 film ''

''.

Form and theme

Like many of Faulkner's works, ''Requiem'' experiments with narrative technique; the book is part novel, part play. The main narrative, which is presented in dramatic form, is interspersed with prose sections recounting the history of the fictional

. Each prose section focuses on a specific institution (the courthouse, state house, and jailhouse respectively) that serves as the setting for the following dramatic section of the story. The major theme of ''Requiem'' concerns spiritual redemption for past evil deeds through suffering and the recognition of one's guilt. The word "nun" in the title refers to the character Nancy, a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

convicted of murder, and has been understood to carry both its

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

-slang meaning of a prostitute, and its contemporary meaning of a woman who sacrifices herself to save sinners.

Synopsis

In Jefferson, Mississippi, Nancy Mannigoe, who was formerly employed as a

nursemaid A nursemaid (or nursery maid) is a mostly historical term for a female domestic worker who cares for children within a large household. The term implies that she is an assistant to an older and more experienced employee, a role usually known as n ...

by Temple Drake Stevens (Mrs. Gowan Stevens), is found guilty of the murder of Temple's six-month-old daughter and sentenced to death. Eight years earlier, as described in ''Sanctuary'', Temple fell into the hands of a gang of violent

bootleggers Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made an ...

and was raped and imprisoned in a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...

through the drunken irresponsibility of her escort, Gowan Stevens. Afterwards, Gowan married Temple out of a sense of honor and responsibility, and they had two children. The Stevenses have resumed their place in the respectable, well-to-do society of the county, and appear to have a normal life, but their marriage is strained by Temple's past and the unspoken idea that on some level, she enjoyed or got some excitement from her brothel experience. Temple hired Nancy, a black drug addict and occasional prostitute, in order to have someone to talk to who understood her. Gowan's uncle Gavin Stevens, who is serving as Nancy's defense attorney, believes Temple is withholding information about her daughter's death, and confronts Temple outside the presence of her husband Gowan. Temple indicates that there were reasons why Nancy killed the baby, and that Nancy was neither mentally ill nor malicious, but avoids revealing any more information, instead going on an extended trip to California. Several months later, a week before Nancy's scheduled execution, Temple returns to Jefferson and contacts Gavin. After drugging her husband Gowan with a sleeping pill so he will not overhear the conversation, Temple confesses to Gavin that although Nancy did kill the baby, Temple herself also had a hand in the killing and wants to stop Nancy's execution. Gavin urges her to appeal directly to the Governor of Mississippi, although it may be too late to save Nancy. Unbeknownst to Temple or Gavin, Gowan has overheard the entire conversation. The day before Nancy's execution, Temple goes to the state capital,

, and confesses to the governor that prior to her baby's killing, she had planned to abandon her husband and family and run away with Pete, the younger brother of her former lover Red. As described in ''Sanctuary'', Temple as a 17-year-old virgin was brutally raped with a corncob by the impotent gangster

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Degenfelder, p. 552. Degenfelder, from

Worcester Public Schools Worcester Public Schools (WPS) is a school district serving the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest school district in the state behind Boston Public Schools. Leadership On October 8, 2015, Dr. Melinda Boo ...

, believes that he may have gotten inspiration for the sequel from ''The Story of Temple Drake'' due to common elements between the two.

Characterization

Degenfelder stated that the author formed, in Temple, "an essentially different woman from the same base, without sensing any contradiction."Degenfelder, 553. According to the reviewer, this differs from the " flat" characterization to Temple in the novel. Though Temple, in this novel, is formally known as "Mrs. Gowan Stevens", she still calls herself by her

maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also use ...

Gene D. Phillips Gene D. Phillips, S.J. (March 3, 1935 – August 29, 2016) was an American author, educator, and Catholic priest. Life and career Phillips was raised near Springfield, Ohio. He received his A.B. and M.A. (1957) degrees from Loyola University of ...

stated that internally she still perceives herself to be "an irresponsible adolescent" and undeserving of a reputation of being a responsible wife. Phillips, Gene D. ''Fiction, Film, and Faulkner: The Art of Adaptation''.

University of Tennessee Press The University of Tennessee Press is a university press associated with the University of Tennessee. UT Press was established in 1940 by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees. The University of Tennessee Press issues about 35 books each ...

, 2001. , 9781572331662. p
82

Reception

At the time of publication, ''Requiem'' received mixed reviews.

Malcolm Cowley Malcolm Cowley (August 24, 1898 – March 27, 1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. His best known works include his first book of poetry, ''Blue Juniata'' (1929), his lyrical memoir, ''Exile's Return' ...

in the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' wrote that ''Requiem'' was "a drama conceived on a level of moral consciousness" that made it "genuinely tragic", and "in that respect it is vastly superior to ''Sanctuary'', where the only morality was in the dim background of the author's mind." Some critics were also intrigued or impressed by ''Requiem's'' experimental form combining novel and drama. However, Faulkner's writing style was criticized as clumsy or tedious, particularly in the dramatic sections, where the action was largely narrated rather than shown. Critics also found some aspects of the story to be implausible, unreal, and out of step with contemporary attitudes, particularly the characterization of Nancy as self-sacrificing and the motivation for her killing of Temple's baby. In later decades, the book was not considered marketable by publishers and for a time was not available in a paperback or other inexpensive edition. Its ongoing significance was primarily as a sequel to Faulkner's more highly regarded novel, ''Sanctuary''.

"The past"

''Requiem for a Nun'' is the source of one of Faulkner's best-known lines, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." This line is often paraphrased, as it was by then-Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

in his speech " A More Perfect Union". In 2012, Faulkner Literary Rights LLC filed a

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...

lawsuit against

Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produce ...

over a scene in the film ''

Midnight in Paris ''Midnight in Paris'' is a 2011 fantasy comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. Set in Paris, the film follows Gil Pender ( Owen Wilson), a screenwriter, who is forced to confront the shortcomings of his relationship with his materi ...

'', in which a time-traveling character says, "The past is not dead! Actually, it's not even past. You know who said that? Faulkner. And he was right. And I met him, too. I ran into him at a dinner party." In 2013, the judge dismissed Faulkner Literary Rights LLC's claim, ruling that the use of the quote in the film was ''

de minimis ''De minimis'' is a Latin expression meaning "pertaining to minimal things", normally in the terms ''de minimis non curat praetor'' ("The praetor does not concern himself with trifles") or ''de minimis non curat lex'' ("The law does not concern i ...

'' and constituted "

fair use Fair use is a doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests ...

".Gardner, Eriq (2013-07-18)
"Sony Pictures Wins 'Midnight in Paris' Lawsuit Over Faulkner Quote"
''The Hollywood Reporter''. Retrieved 2014-09-02.

Adaptations

The novel was dramatized for the theater in 1956 by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

, entitled '' Requiem pour une nonne''. Camus also wrote the preface to the 1957 French translation of the novel by

Maurice Coindreau Maurice-Edgar Coindreau (December 24, 1892 – October 20, 1990) was a literary critic and translator of fiction from English into French and Spanish. He is notable for having introduced many canonical American authors of the 20th century— ...

. The novel was a co-source for the 1961 film ''

''.

Oscar Strasnoy Oscar Strasnoy (born November 12, 1970) is a French-Argentine composer, conductor and pianist. Although primarily known for his stage works, the first of which ''Midea (2)'' premiered in Spoleto in 2000, his principal compositions also include ...

's opera ''Requiem'' was first produced at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, 2014.

References

Notes

External links

*
Requiem for a Nun
' -

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...

*
Requiem for a Nun: Commentary
- ''William Faulkner on the Web'',

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

''Requiem for a Nun'' at Digital Yoknapatawpha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Requiem for a Nun 1951 American novels American novels adapted into films Novels by William Faulkner Novels set in Mississippi Random House books Sequel novels