Absalom, Absalom! Part 4

CHRONOLOGY.

1807 Thomas Sutpen born in West Virginia mountains. Poor whites of Scottish-English stock. Large family.

1817 Sutpen family moved down into Tidewater Virginia, Sutpen ten years old. Ellen Coldfield born in Tennessee.

1820 Sutpen ran away from home. Fourteen years old.

1827 Sutpen married first wife in Haiti.

1828 Goodhue Coldfield moved to Yoknapatawpha County (Jefferson) Mississippi: mother, sister, wife and daughter Ellen.

1831 Charles Bon born, Haiti. Sutpen learns his wife has negro blood, repudiates her and child.

1833 Sutpen appears in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, takes up land, build his house.

1834 Clytemnestra (Clytie) born to slave woman.

1838 Sutpen married Ellen Coldfield.

1839 Henry Sutpen born, Sutpen's Hundred.

1841 Judith Sutpen born.

1845 Rosa Coldfield born.

1850 Wash Jones moves into abandoned fis.h.i.+ng camp on Sutpen's plantation, with his daughter.

1853 Milly Jones born to Wash Jones' daughter.

1859 Henry Sutpen and Charles Bon meet at University of Mississippi. Judith and Charles meet that Xmas. Charles Etienne St. Valery Bon born, New Orleans.

1860 Xmas, Sutpen forbids marriage between Judith and Bon. Henry repudiates his birthright, departs with Bon.

1861 Sutpen, Henry, and Bon depart for war.

1863 Ellen Coldfield dies.

1864 Goodhue Coldfield dies.

1865 Henry kills Bon at gates. Rosa Coldfield moves out to Sutpen's Hundred.

1866 Sutpen becomes engaged to Rosa Coldfield, insults her. She returns to Jefferson.

1867 Sutpen takes up with Milly Jones.

1869 Milly's child is born. Wash Jones kills Sutpen.

1870 Charles E. St. V. Bon appears at Sutpen's Hundred.

1871 Clytie fetches Charles E. St. V. Bon to Sutpen's Hundred to live.

1881 Charles E. St. V. Bon returns with negro wife.

1882 Jim Bond born.

1884 Judith and Charles E. St. V. Bon die of yellow fever.

1909.

September Rosa Coldfield and Quentin find Henry Sutpen hidden in the house.

December Rosa Coldfield goes out to fetch Henry to town, Clytie sets fire to the house.

The chronology and genealogy have been corrected in several instances to agree with the dates and facts of the novel.

GENEALOGY.

THOMAS SUTPEN.

Born in West Virginia mountains, 1807. One of several children of poor whites, Scotch-English stock. Established plantation of Sutpen's Hundred in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, 1833. Married (1) Eulalia Bon, Haiti, 1827. (2) Ellen Coldfield, Jefferson, Mississippi, 1838. Major, later Colonel,-th Mississippi Infantry, C.S.A. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1869.

EULALIA BON.

Born in Haiti. Only child of Haitian sugar planter of French descent. Married Thomas Sutpen, 1827, divorced from him, 1831. Died in New Orleans, date unknown.

CHARLES BON.

Son of Thomas and Eulalia Bon Sutpen. Only child. Attended University of Mississippi, where he met Henry Sutpen and became engaged to Judith. Private, later lieutenant,-th Company, (University Grays)-th Mississippi Infantry, C.S.A. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1865.

GOODHUE COLDFIELD.

Born in Tennessee. Moved to Jefferson, Miss., 1828, established small mercantile business. Died, Jefferson, 1864.

ELLEN COLDFIELD.

Daughter of Goodhue Coldfield. Born in Tennessee, 1817. Married Thomas Sutpen, Jefferson, Miss., 1838. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1863.

ROSA COLDFIELD.

Daughter of Goodhue Coldfield. Born, Jefferson, 1845. Died, Jefferson, 1910.

HENRY SUTPEN.

Born, Sutpen's Hundred, 1839, son of Thomas and Ellen Coldfield Sutpen. Attended University of Mississippi. Private,-th Company, (University Grays)-th Mississippi Infantry, C.S.A. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1909.

JUDITH SUTPEN.

Daughter of Thomas and Ellen Coldfield Sutpen. Born, Sutpen's Hundred, 1841. Became engaged to Charles Bon, 1860. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1884.

CLYTEMNESTRA SUTPEN.

Daughter of Thomas Sutpen and a negro slave. Born, Sutpen's Hundred, 1834. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1909.

WASH JONES.

Date and location of birth unknown. Squatter, residing in an abandoned fis.h.i.+ng camp belonging to Thomas Sutpen, hanger-on of Sutpen, handy man about Sutpen's place while Sutpen was away between '61a'65. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1869.

MELICENT JONES.

Daughter of Wash Jones. Date of birth unknown. Rumored to have died in a Memphis brothel.

MILLY JONES.

Daughter of Melicent Jones. Born 1853. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1869.

UNNAMED INFANT.

Daughter of Thomas Sutpen and Milly Jones. Born, died, Sutpen's Hundred, same day, 1869.

CHARLES ETIENNE DE SAINT VALERY BON.

Only child of Charles Bon and an octoroon mistress whose name is not recorded. Born, New Orleans, 1859. Married a full-blood negress, name unknown, 1879. Died, Sutpen's Hundred, 1884.

JIM BOND (BON).

Son of Charles Etienne de Saint Valery Bon. Born, Sutpen's Hundred, 1882. Disappeared from Sutpen's Hundred, 1910. Whereabouts unknown.

QUENTIN COMPSON.

Grandson of Thomas Sutpen's first Yoknapatawpha County friend. Born, Jefferson, 1891. Attended Harvard, 1909a1910. Died, Cambridge, Ma.s.s., 1910.

SHREVLIN MCCANNON.

Born, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1890. Attended Harvard, 1909a1914. Captain, Royal Army Medical Corps, Canadian Expeditionary Forces, France, 1914a1918. Now a practising surgeon, Edmonton, Alta.

EDITOR'S NOTE

The text of Absalom, Absalom! reproduced here is that of the original typescript which Faulkner prepared for publication. This typescript, at the Alderman Library of the University of Virginia, is a clear text, and complete except for the chronology and genealogy. We have attempted in this volume to reproduce that text faithfully, even to the point of preserving certain of Faulkner's inconsistencies and eccentricities. Nevertheless, some corrections and regularizations have been deemed necessary. When possible, textual problems in the typescript have been solved by reference to Faulkner's holograph ma.n.u.script, at the Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas, and to the corrected galleys of the first edition, information about which has been generously supplied by Professor Carvel Collins.

There is not enough s.p.a.ce here to provide a complete textual apparatus for this novel. The table appended is merely to record, for the interested reader, a highly selective sampling of some of the more significant variations between the present text and that of the ribbon typescript setting copy. Page and line numbers in the left column are keyed to this volume. The reading to the left of the bracket is that of the typescript (except for variants in the chronology and genealogy, which are those of the first edition); the reading to the right of the bracket is that of the present text. Parentheses following any entry indicate the source of the correction: ms = holograph ma.n.u.script; gal = galleys.

1 childrens'] children's 2 With out] Without (ms) 3 Because] "Because (ms) 4 So] "So (ms) 5 marshalls'] marshals'

6 land of] land or 7 wedding] wedding, 8 protection.'] protection.' "

9 childrens'] children's 10 Oh] "Oh (ms) 11 Papa.'] Papa,' (ms) 12 So] "So (gal) 13 falling] fell (gal) 14 anothers'] another's 15 their] their skins (ms) 16 Square] square 17 unforseen] unforeseen 18 Or] or (ms) 19 into,] into 20 clothes] clothes, 21 Why.......]

Why ...

22 wordly] worldly (ms) 23 them] them, 24 horse-and] horse- and (ms) 25 which] with which (ms) 26 not so much] not 27 dying] dyeing 28 abrogating] arrogating 29 believe] believe, (gal) 30 Ellen] Judith 31 past summer of] last summer of (ms) 32 Eve] eve (ms) 33 scene] scenes (ms) 34 wordly] worldly (ms) 35 he] He 36 either,] either. (ms) 37 himself] Himself 38 no one,] anyone, (ms) 39 alteration of]

alteration or 40 perish... ...]

perish ...

41 IS] IS.

42 "-and] "--and 43 'Where] "Where (gal) 44 from?'] from?" (gal) 45 'I] "I (gal) 46 know.'] know." ' (gal) 47 him] her 48 forty-five] forty-three 49 That] that (ms) 50 dust cloud] dustcloud 51 Rosa--] Rosa--"

52 ths] the 53 principle] princ.i.p.al 54 prances] prances to (ms) 55 they?)] they?') 56 ditch")] ditch"

57 from?] from?'

58 will....] will ...

59 it....] it ....

60 justice'] justice's 61 streaming] steaming (ms) 62 said.-"What]

said. "-What (ms) 63 than] or 64 keep] kept 65 there:] there) 66 "-said] "---said 67 forsee] foresee 68 ocean] Ocean 69 whom] who 70 reckoned] reckoned, 71 -"(that]-("that 72 mare)"-] mare")- 73 too,] too) 74 have.......]

have....

75 whom] who (ms) 76 Eve] eve 77 whom] who 78 all.)] all.") 79 army] Army 80 were] was 81 abrogates] arrogates 82 'Dont] "Dont (gal) 83 marster.'] marster." (gal) 84 Mrs] Miss (ms) 85 Nevermore Nevermore.