Peacetime Pey

Moving to Oxford as a transfer student this fall, I noticed two things unique to this town: people love to party and people love William Faulkner. The Oxford landscape boasts the town’s infatuation with this literary giant with remembrances ranging from historic buildings to a life size bronze statue of him in the Square.

My initial idea for the photo project was to capture the visual representations of the town’s overwhelming fascination with Faulkner, but the concept quickly evolved. I realized I only knew a handful of students who had actually attempted to read his complex works, even though most act as if they could quote the entirety of Absalom! Absalom! if necessary. For the most part, this love proves to be in namesake only. Even with this lack of genuine interest, Oxford’s appears to embrace Faulkner into its list of rich cultural traditions.

My first image is of Rowan Oak, his Oxford home. The public grounds are a popular site for picnics and outdoor afternoons. My second image is of Faulkner’s statue in front of the post office on the Square. The third image, taken in the main hub for Faulkner fans, Square Books, illustrates the frequency with which Faulkner’s face is proudly displayed on shop walls and windows. Image four and five are also from Square Books. Image six is of a framed picture of Faulkner in a local concert venue. I wanted to show how even businesses unrelated to literature use his face as part of their image. Image seven is of Faulkner’s gravesite. College students often frequent this spot in the night accompanied by a bottle of Bourbon (and occasionally a cigarette). While visitors seem to go because of pride in this Oxford mascot, his gravesite is often left covered in trash or bottle caps.

I wanted to explore the connection between what we litter our visual landscape with and this false sense of pride in my photo essay, while showing some of the jewels of Oxford’s historical and environmental landscape.