By Jennifer Ciotta

Williams Faulkner's home of Oxford, Mississippi thrives on the spirit of the South mixed with student pride.  The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, welcomes over 12,000 students to its Oxford campus, famous for its sprawling green lawns and plantation-style architecture.  Ventress Hall, the liberal arts department, boasts a unique brick exterior and an exquisite stained glass interior.  Perhaps the most fascinating part of Ole Miss tends to be the left over Confederate spirit.  Monuments and markers tell the Southern side of the Civil War story, along with a cemetery riddled with small Confederate flags, since more than seven hundred soldiers are laid to rest here.  The university was used as a hospital during the Civil War.  Aside from the history, Ole Miss also holds elaborate tailgating parties before football games, especially against rival Louisiana State University. 

A walking tour of Oxford is a must for a Faulkner fan.  The author used many of the town's historic sites for his novels.  The Thompson-Chandler House, a white plantation home with black shutters built in 1838, was written into The Sound and the Fury.  The Lafayette Courthouse, built in 1840, is a National Historic Monument.  In front of this building is the statue of the confederate soldier, which was mentioned in The Sound and the Fury as well.  The original First National Bank was the inspiration for the fictional Satoris Bank in Faulkner's two novels: Flags in the Dust and Unvanquished.  The Old Depot back in the day was the main railroad line between Chicago and New Orleans; it still stands today but only as a university parking lot.  Rowan Oak is the home Faulkner purchased in 1930 and he remained here the rest of his days.  Today, it serves as an Ole Miss museum, run by the English department.  Lastly, a trip to St. Peters Cemetery is the appropriate way for a visitor to end the tour.  Faulkner and his family are buried under marble stones.  A long-running mystery is the fourth grave marked E.T.the only explanation: a family friend.

Other Faulkner news includes: in April 2006 scholarly editions of four novels were released: Soldiers Pay, Mosquitoes, Flags in the Dust and The Sound and the Fury.  The Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference  is held annually in July to discuss the author's influence on Southern and global literature.

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