In a momentous address marking his Nobel Prize acceptance in Stockholm during December 1950, Faulkner eloquently captured the essence of his literary themes. He painted a vivid picture of modernity's spiritual crisis, voicing a stark reflection on the human condition: "There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up?" In his view, the realm of fiction holds the power to guide humanity through this existential quagmire, anchoring readers in timeless human preoccupations, "the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed — love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice."

Faulkner further articulated that the writer's mission transcends mere storytelling; it is a noble duty and a cherished privilege "to help man endure by lifting his heart." This lofty endeavor, he declared, is fulfilled through the portrayal of "the human heart in conflict with itself," revealing the profound inner struggles that define our shared humanity.

Faulkner's literature delves into the lives of individuals striving to carve out or conjure significance in a universe that offers no clear answers to their deepest questions. Unlike the conventional Christian cosmos, shaped by a human-like deity and imbued with purpose through divine guidance, Faulkner's realm is more akin to the enigmatic universe portrayed by Herman Melville. Here, meaning flickers sporadically, never coalescing into a singular truth upon which one might anchor existence.

In this philosophical landscape, Faulkner seems to draw direct inspiration from the authors he held in high regard, such as Melville himself, Joseph Conrad, and Sherwood Anderson. His narrative style echoes the fragmented themes found in works like "The Book of the Grotesque" from Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio (1919).