Yoknapatawpha County () is a fictional Mississippi county created by the American author

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most ...

, largely based upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

(which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faulkner often referred to Yoknapatawpha County as "my apocryphal county".

Overview

From ''

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 ...

'' onwards, Faulkner set all but three of his novels in the county, as well as over 50 of his stories (the three later novels which were set elsewhere were '' Pylon'', ''

The Wild Palms ''If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner published in 1939. The novel was originally published under the title ''The Wild Palms'', which is the title of one of the two interwoven stories. This title was ...

'', and '' A Fable''). '' Absalom, Absalom!'' includes a map of Yoknapatawpha County drawn by Faulkner. The word ''Yoknapatawpha'' is derived from two

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classifi ...

words—''Yocona'' and ''petopha'', meaning "split land." Faulkner said to a

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

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. The first mention of the county, in ''

Flags in the Dust ''Flags in the Dust'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, completed in 1927. His publisher heavily edited the manuscript with Faulkner's reluctant consent, removing about 40,000 words in the process. That version was published as ...

'' (originally published as ''

''), refers to it as "Yocona County." The area was originally

land. European settlement started around the year 1800. Prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, the county consisted of several large plantations. By family surname, they were: Grenier in the southeast, McCaslin in the northeast, Sutpen in the northwest, and Compson and Sartoris 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. Richard Reed has presented a detailed chronological analysis of Yoknapatawpha County. Charles S. Aiken has examined Faulkner's incorporation of real-life historical and geographical details into the overall presentation of the county. Aiken has further discussed the parallels of Yoknapatawpha County with the real-life Lafayette County, and also the representation of the "Upland South" and the "Lowland South" in Yoknapatawpha. Faulkner's imaginary county has inspired at least one other Mississippi author to follow his lead. Jesmyn Ward, who is the only woman to win the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The N ...

twice for fiction, drew upon Faulkner for Bois Savage, where she placed her three novels.

References

External links

Digital Yoknapatawpha

Faulkner at Virginia: An Audio Archive

* ttp://cypress.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/faulkner.html William Faukner on the Web
The Digital Yoknapatawpha Project

Audio of Yoknapatawpha pronunciation and translation from Chickasaw by Faulkner
{{Authority control Fictional counties William Faulkner Fictional populated places in Mississippi Fictional elements introduced in 1929

Overview

See also

References

External links