Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Sanctuary
novel by Faulkner
Sanctuary, novel by William Faulkner, published in 1931. The bookās depictions of degraded sexuality generated both controversy and spectacular sales, making it the authorās only popular success during his lifetime. A vision of a decayed South, the novel pitted idealistic lawyer Horace Benbow against a cast of amoral fiends. The bookās seething violence and despair were characteristic of Faulkner, although elsewhere less brutally displayed.
Faulknerās publisher balked at releasing this study of human evil, set in the authorās fictional Yoknapatawpha county, Mississippi, and asked him to rewrite it in proof. Faulkner did so, refining its art without softening its horror.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.