Oxford, Mississippi

Music I'll be Jamming:

 Bob Dylan: Oxford Town  (For whatever reason, Youtube does not have a copy of Bob Dylan's original, only covers from fans)

Muddy Waters: Mississippi Delta Blues 

Reasons for going:

Here lies Faulkner's life, from his still standing home 'Rowan Oak", to his final resting place. Oxford was established in 1837 and named Oxford in hopes of drawing a college to the town, which it did and began construction on just 4 years later. Faulkner moved to Oxford at a young age, eventually becoming a high school quarterback, poet, and dropout. Faulkner left Oxford, but returned to settle down not too long after his departure from the town, in his home 'Rowan Oak', with his newly married wife. He lived in Oxford most of his life until death, being quoted for not wanting to travel great lengths to leave the city. (He first declined his Nobel Prize ceremony, and did decline a dinner with the president, stating it was "a long way to travel just to eat".)


In As I Lay Dying, Oxford serves as the more modern hub to the Bundren family. It is the family's final destination in the book, where they lie their mother down, where we first see any mention of automobiles, and where Anse gets new teeth, a new wife, and a phonograph. If we were to symbolize the Bundren family as the Old South, and Jefferson as a modern influence, we would see that the relationship is a strange one. The family buries their mother there, and nearly die getting there, but yet Anse gets new teeth and wife, and the family get a new phonograph and ice cream. All this goes to say that I believe Faulkner viewed Oxford as a place with some depth to it. A town within the south that offered both good and bad as a new way of life began to work its way through the South.



Places I'm Going:




Rowan Oak

This being where Faulkner spent his adult writing life, it would only make sense to visit Rowan Oak. Faulkner spent years putting work into this house by hand, and kept it until his death. It is a loved attraction of the city of Oxford. Faulkner did not write As I Lay Dying here, but instead at a local power plant. I did all that I could to find that plant in order to stop by it (I feel this would be incredibly awesome), but it's location of the plant still eludes me.








Faulkner's Grave

Faulkners grave lies here in this field, a stones throw from the center of town. I will visit his grave, both to pay respect and to take note of the details of where he chose to be buried. 

Ole Miss

Faulkner did not graduate high school or college, but did attend three semesters here, giving more than enough reason to take a long stroll through this main attraction of the town. I feel the college itself is a face of the theme I am pursuing to understand. It is a place which values higher learning, reasoning, and living, but resides in a sect of the South that remained backwardness in belief for some time compared to the rest of the nation. Faulkner undoubtedly noted the dual relation of intellectual pursuit and cultural heritage that most likely was present on campus soil during his time spent there.




Southside Gallery; The Square

The town is known for its anti-local position on chains, and this particular square of town houses all the local shops, from food to art. The http://southsideartgallery.com/ houses all kinds of art that I would love to check out. As far as eating goes, I've got to check out local foods stops such as: http://citygroceryonline.com/, as it is fabled around the community as the best place around. I've also got to stop at: http://208southlamar.com/index.php/menu-left , for the simple sake of the lobster nachos, because lobster nachos just sound awesome.