Faulkner utilizes a complex, experimental narrative style in As I Lay Dying, which portrays a southern farming family.

1. In interviews conducted years after the release of As I Lay Dying, Faulkner frequently described his novel as a tour de force, claiming he wrote it in six weeks with minimal revision. He mentioned that the novel appeared fully formed in his mind; all he had to do was transcribe it. While manuscript studies often challenge the accuracy of these statements, it is clear that Faulkner wrote and revised the novel swiftly. Does the artistry hold up in this novel, or did the rapid composition lead to errors?

2. Faulkner has addressed political themes related to race, class, and the environment. Can As I Lay Dying be considered a political work, and if so, what issues does it address?

3. What kind of person is Addie Bundren? What sort of mother and wife is she? How has Addie influenced the lives of her children? Who holds the power in her marriage, Addie or Anse?

4. What troubles Addie about Darl's birth? Why doesn't she acknowledge or love him?

5. What leads Addie to have an affair with Whitfield? What causes her to end the affair?

6. Many commentators believe Vardaman is simply mad when he equates his mother with a fish. How does Vardaman draw this connection, and what stages do we observe in his reaction to Addie's death?

7. Why does Darl claim that Jewel's mother is a horse? What is the relationship between the horse and Addie in Jewel's perception?

8. After reading a credible source on interior monologues, such as Robert Humphrey's Stream of Consciousness in the Modern Novel (1954) or more recent works by Dorrit Conn, describe Faulkner's use of the interior monologue.

9. Most adaptations of Faulkner's novel have been for the stage. What aspects of As I Lay Dying lend themselves to a dramatic interpretation?

10. Critics of Faulkner have significantly disagreed about the genre of As I Lay Dying. Suggestions range from comic epic to epic and tragedy. What is the novel's genre or its emotional essence?

11. How does Faulkner connect a novel that consists of 59 sections and fifteen different narrators?

12. Darl possesses an improbable amount of knowledge for his position as a hill farmer, especially considering the Bundrens' isolation. Why did Faulkner endow Darl with such unlikely knowledge? How does he utilize this character? Is Darl insane? Is his insanity present from the beginning of the novel? How does his sanity impact his role as the most frequent narrator?

13. For those familiar with Faulkner's major works such as The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom!, Go Down, Moses, and Light in August, how does this novel compare? What elements contribute to its greatness?