Sartoris

First published in 1929 by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, now public domain in the US and Canada, William Faulkner's ''Sartoris'' portrays the decay of the Mississippi aristocracy following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. It also deals with the decay of an aristocratic southern family just after the end of World War I. The novel begins with the return of young Bayard Sartoris from the First World War. Bayard and his twin brother John, who was killed in action, were fighter pilots.

Young Bayard is haunted by the death of his brother. That and the family disposition for foolhardy acts push him into a pattern of self-destructive behavior, especially reckless driving in a recently purchased automobile and crashing it. During convalescence, he meets Narcissa Benbow, but will marriage curb his self-destructive behavior?