Don’t Do It on My Carpet: The Humor of William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”

Abstract

William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” has been appreciated critically in just about every way but for its humor. While appreciations not concerned with humor are crucial to understanding the work, they can also be limiting. This discussion of Faulkner and humor in “Barn Burning” will acknowledge that humor stoops to low levels and crudity. But it also soars to great heights, with Faulkner’s command of the English language and ability to draw allusions effortlessly into the fabric of his story.