Bakhtin’s Polyphony in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying stands as a prominent example of the transition in modern literature towards the fragmentation of single-voiced narrative. This research aims to analyze the manifestation of the concept of polyphony in this work, relying on Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory. The research method is descriptive-analytical, with data extracted through an in-depth study of the text and comparison with indices of dialogism. The findings indicate that Faulkner, by eliminating the omniscient narrator and creating a simultaneous space for the independent voices of characters (from childhood to old age), has created a quintessential example of polyphonic literature. In this structure, truth is not absolute but a fluid and relative phenomenon that emerges through dialectical interaction among conscious subjects. Each character possesses a unique worldview and language, none of which are under the dominance of the author’s consciousness. This study concludes that by anticipating postmodern discourses, Faulkner demonstrated that human language and consciousness are inherently pluralistic, and meaning arises only in the empty space between these conflicting voices

کلیدواژه ها:

Polyphony ، William Faulkner ، Mikhail Bakhtin ، Stream of Consciousness ، Cognitive Relativism