Faulknerian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the distinctive style and themes characteristic of the American author William Faulkner, often marked by complex narratives and deep psychological insight
2. Pertaining to the literary techniques and motifs found in the works of Faulkner, including intricate time structures and explorations of the human condition
3. Connected to the unique narrative style and thematic concerns prevalent in Faulkner's writings, such as regionalism and the impact of history on personal identity

Etymology: Faulknerian is simply the surname William Faulkner with the adjective-forming suffix "-ian" added, the same ending found in words like Shakespearean or Kantian. The suffix turns a person's name into a description of their style, so the word describes anything that resembles his writing. The surname does the work here. Faulkner's novels, such as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!, are known for fractured, looping chronology and for long sentences that move through the minds of several characters at once. Critics and readers needed a single term for those features, and attaching the author's name with "-ian" gave them one. The word then came to cover the broader concerns of his fiction as well, such as the weight of family history in the American South and the question of what people can know about one another.