Yoknapatawpha County
Encyclopedia
Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional county created by the American author William Faulkner
, based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi
and its county seat of Oxford, Mississippi
. Faulkner would often refer to Yoknapatawpha County as "my apocryphal county." From Sartoris
, onwards, Faulkner would set all but three of his novels in the county (Pylon
, The Wild Palms and A Fable
were set elsewhere).
Faulkner added a map of Yoknapatawpha County at the end of Absalom, Absalom!
Yoknapatawpha County is located in northwestern Mississippi
and its seat
is the town of Jefferson. This fictional county is bounded on the north by the Tallahatchie River
and on the south by the Yoknapatawpha River and has an area of 2,400 mi² (6,200 km²). Most of the eastern half (as well as a small part of the southwest corner) of the county is pine hill country.
The word Yoknapatawpha is pronounced [jɒknəpəˈtɔfə] ("Yok'na pa TAW pha"). It is derived from two Chickasaw
words—Yocona and petopha, meaning "split land." Faulkner claimed to an University of Virginia audience that the compound means "water flows slow through flat land." Yoknapatawpha was the original name for the actual Yocona River, a tributary of the Tallahatchie which runs through the southern part of Lafayette County
, of which Oxford
is the seat.
The area was originally Chickasaw
land. White settlement started around the year 1800. Prior to the Civil War
, the county consisted of several large plantation
s: Louis Grenier
's in the southeast, McCaslin's in the northeast, Sutpen's in the northwest, and Compson
's and Sartoris's in the immediate vicinity of Jefferson. Later, the county became mostly small farms. By 1936, the population was 15,611, of which 6,298 were white and 9,313 were black.
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
, based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi
Lafayette County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
and its county seat of Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
. Faulkner would often refer to Yoknapatawpha County as "my apocryphal county." From Sartoris
Sartoris
Sartoris is a novel, first published in 1929, by the American author William Faulkner. It portrays the decay of the Mississippi aristocracy following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. The 1929 edition is an abridged version of Faulker's original work. The full text was published in...
, onwards, Faulkner would set all but three of his novels in the county (Pylon
Pylon (novel)
Pylon is a 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, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi. Pylon is the...
, The Wild Palms and A Fable
A Fable (novel)
A Fable is a novel written in 1954 by the American author William Faulkner, which won him both the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award in 1955. Despite these recognitions, however, the novel received mixed critical reviews and a reputation as one of Faulkner's lesser works...
were set elsewhere).
Faulkner added a map of Yoknapatawpha County at the end of Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom! is a Southern Gothic novel by the American author William Faulkner, first published in 1936. It is a story about three families of the American South, taking place before, during, and after the Civil War, with the focus of the story on the life of Thomas Sutpen.-Plot...
Yoknapatawpha County is located in northwestern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and its seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is the town of Jefferson. This fictional county is bounded on the north by the Tallahatchie River
Tallahatchie River
The Tallahatchie River flows from Tippah County, Mississippi to Leflore County, Mississippi, where it joins the Yalobusha River to form the Yazoo River.-History:Tallahatchie is a Choctaw name meaning "rock of waters"....
and on the south by the Yoknapatawpha River and has an area of 2,400 mi² (6,200 km²). Most of the eastern half (as well as a small part of the southwest corner) of the county is pine hill country.
The word Yoknapatawpha is pronounced [jɒknəpəˈtɔfə] ("Yok'na pa TAW pha"). It is derived from two Chickasaw
Chickasaw language
The Chickasaw language is a Native American language of the Muskogean family. It is agglutinative and follows the pattern of subject–object–verb. The language is closely related to, though perhaps not entirely mutually intelligible with, Choctaw...
words—Yocona and petopha, meaning "split land." Faulkner claimed to an University of Virginia audience that the compound means "water flows slow through flat land." Yoknapatawpha was the original name for the actual Yocona River, a tributary of the Tallahatchie which runs through the southern part of Lafayette County
Lafayette County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
, of which Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
is the seat.
The area was originally Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
land. White settlement started around the year 1800. Prior to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the county consisted of several large plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s: Louis Grenier
Louis Grenier
Louis Grenier is a fictional character in William Faulkner's novels and stories.Louis Grenier is a French architect and dilettante who came, around 1800, with Doctor Samuel Habersham and Alexander Holston to the settlement which would later become Jefferson. Louis Grenier was also a wonderful...
's in the southeast, McCaslin's in the northeast, Sutpen's in the northwest, and Compson
Compson
Compson is a fictional family created by American author William Faulkner for use in his novels and short stories. A once prominent family in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, the family began to fall on hard times in the twentieth century. The family name is referred to briefly in the opening...
's and Sartoris's in the immediate vicinity of Jefferson. Later, the county became mostly small farms. By 1936, the population was 15,611, of which 6,298 were white and 9,313 were black.
Novels and short stories set in Yoknapatawpha County
- SartorisSartorisSartoris is a novel, first published in 1929, by the American author William Faulkner. It portrays the decay of the Mississippi aristocracy following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. The 1929 edition is an abridged version of Faulker's original work. The full text was published in...
(1929) - The Sound and the FuryThe Sound and the FuryThe Sound and the Fury is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. It employs a number of narrative styles, including the technique known as stream of consciousness, pioneered by 20th century European novelists such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Published in 1929, The Sound and...
(1929) - As I Lay Dying (1930)
- "A Rose for EmilyA Rose for Emily"A Rose for Emily" is a short story by American author William Faulkner first published in the April 30, 1930 issue of Forum. This story takes place in Faulkner's fictional city, Jefferson, Mississippi, in the fictional county of Yoknapatawpha County...
" (1930) - "Spotted HorsesSpotted Horses"Spotted Horses" is a novella written by William Faulkner and originally published in Scribner's magazine in 1931. It includes the character Flem Snopes, who appears in much of Faulkner's work, and tells in ambiguous terms of his backhand profiteering with an honest Texan selling untamed ponies...
" pub. in Scribner's Magazine (1930) - "Dry SeptemberDry September"Dry September" is a short story by William Faulkner. Published in 1931, it describes a lynch mob forming on a hot September evening to avenge an alleged insult or attack upon a white woman by a black watchman, Will Mayes. Told in five parts, the story includes the perspective of the rumored...
" (1931) - "That Evening SunThat Evening Sun"That Evening Sun" is a short story by the American author William Faulkner, published in 1931 on the collection These 13, which included Faulkner's most anthologized story, "A Rose for Emily". "That Evening Sun" is a dark portrait of white Southerners' indifference to the crippling fears of one of...
" (1931) - SanctuarySanctuary (novel)Sanctuary is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It is considered one of his more controversial, given its theme of rape. First published in 1931, it was Faulkner's commercial and critical breakthrough, establishing his literary reputation...
(1931) - Light in AugustLight in AugustLight in August is a 1932 novel by the American author William Faulkner.Light in August is an exploration of racial conflict in the society of the Southern United States. Originally Faulkner planned to call the novel Dark House, which also became the working title for Absalom, Absalom!...
(1932) - Absalom, Absalom!Absalom, Absalom!Absalom, Absalom! is a Southern Gothic novel by the American author William Faulkner, first published in 1936. It is a story about three families of the American South, taking place before, during, and after the Civil War, with the focus of the story on the life of Thomas Sutpen.-Plot...
(1936) - The UnvanquishedThe UnvanquishedThe Unvanquished is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, set in Yoknapatawpha County. It tells the story of the Sartoris family, who first appeared in the novel Sartoris . The Unvanquished takes place before that story, and is set during the American Civil War...
(1938) - "Barn BurningBarn Burning"Barn Burning" is a short story by the American author William Faulkner which first appeared in Harper's in 1939 and has since been widely anthologized. The story deals with class conflicts, the influence of fathers, and vengeance as viewed through the third-person perspective of a young,...
" (1939) - The HamletThe HamletThe Hamlet is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, published in 1940, about the fictional Snopes family of Mississippi.-Plot introduction:...
(1940) - "Two SoldiersTwo SoldiersTwo Soldiers is a 2003 short drama film directed by Aaron Schneider with a score by Alan Silvestri. It won an Academy Award in 2004 for Best Short Subject...
" (1942), - Go Down, MosesGo Down, MosesGo Down, Moses is a collection of seven related pieces of short fiction by American author William Faulkner, sometimes considered a novel...
(1942) - "Shingles for the LordShingles for the Lord"Shingles for the Lord" is a short story written by the American author William Faulkner, first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1943. The story takes place in Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County focusing on Res Grier, a struggling farmer, as he joins his neighbors in roofing the old church...
" (1943) - Intruder in the DustIntruder in the DustIntruder in the Dust is a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning American author William Faulkner publishedin 1948.The novel focuses on Lucas Beauchamp, a black farmer accused of murdering a white man. He is exonerated through the efforts of black and white teenagers and a spinster from a...
(1948) - "Knight's Gambit" (1949)
- Requiem for a NunRequiem for a NunRequiem for a Nun is a book written by William Faulkner in 1951. Like many of Faulkner's works, Requiem experiments with narrative technique—the book is part novel, part play. The protagonist is Temple Drake, a character introduced as a college student in Sanctuary, one of Faulkner's early novels...
(1951) - The TownThe Town (Faulkner)The Town is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, published in 1957, about the fictional Snopes family of Mississippi. It is the second of the "Snopes" trilogy, following The Hamlet and completed by The Mansion ....
(1957) - The MansionThe Mansion (book)The Mansion is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, written in 1959. It is the last in a trilogy of books about the fictional Snopes family of Mississippi, following The Hamlet and The Town...
(1959) - The ReiversThe ReiversThe Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book A Fable, making him one of only three authors to be awarded it more than once...
(1962)