Mosquitoes

By William Faulkner

Book Overview

"Mosquitoes" is a biting and clever satire of the New Orleans bohemian art scene during the 1920s. Set over the course of a four-day yachting excursion on Lake Pontchartrain, the novel follows a diverse group of intellectuals, socialites, and artists brought together by their wealthy patron, Mrs. Maurier. As the heat of the Gulf Coast intensifies and the vessel becomes stranded, the passengers' lofty conversations and social masks begin to unravel.

Through sharp dialogue and a cynical lens, William Faulkner explores themes of artistic frustration, the vanity of the intellectual class, and the often vapid nature of high society. The title itself serves as a metaphor for the annoying, persistent irritations of social life and the shallow conversations that buzz incessantly without substance. This early work provides a fascinating glimpse into the development of Faulkner's modernist style and his transition toward the complex psychological landscapes found in his later masterpieces. Readers will find a compelling blend of wit and observation, capturing a specific moment in American cultural history through the eyes of one of its greatest literary figures.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025848810
• ISBN13: 9781025848815
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

great

This is an excellent book. I loved it. I think Faulkner was a great author. I, like so many others, think Faulkner was an outstanding writer. His other books are great as well. 'As I lay dying' Is one that broke my heart. The movie is fantastic but sad. I read Mosquitoes today, the entire 376 Pages.

Drunken artists on problematic pleasure cruise

While I didn't like this novel quite as much as Soldier's Pay, Faulkner's first novel, it was consistently entertaining with many superbly crafted moments. A middle-aged, dowdy matron of the arts invites a group of intellectuals/artists (e.g., a writer, a poet, a sculptor) and assorted other hangers-on for a disastrous (at least for the matron) cruise on an inland waterway in the Deep South. Also on the cruise are the matron's highly independent, idiosyncratic niece and nephew, other friends of the matron, various crew members, and a young couple who were just passing by when the boat was leaving port. The intellectuals spend most of their time drinking heavily and engaging in hard-to-follow intellectual banter, while lusting over the two alluring, attractive, very different young women on board. When the boat breaks down because the nephew steals an important part of the engine in order to complete an invention on which he's working, the beautiful, boy-like, ultra-quirky niece and a handsome steward leave the boat without telling anyone and get lost in the swampy, mosquito-infested, steaming lowlands, trying to make their way to a town that is much farther away than they think. This was the most serious and by far the most compelling subplot in the novel to me, and it runs quite a few pages. Extremely atmospheric and very humorous, the book provided me with an enchanting reading experience, albeit most of the characters were not very admirable people and one may wonder exactly what the point of the exercise was after completing it.

Is what it is.

Mosquitoes is not what one would expect of Faulkner, which should not diminish one's enjoyment of the story. It is humorous and satirical. Absent Faulkner's typical familial, historical, and cultural baggage, his characters in Mosquitoes still agonize, which makes them interesting. Let Faulkner surprise you. Enjoy the characters he gives us here and their comedic byplay. Absorb what he has to say about art and writing, in particular. You won't get it anywhere else. Try not to compare Mosquitoes to his other work; it is what it is, a slow boat loaded with pleasure.

intellectual mosquitoes get their lives by sucking others id

A deep and continuous source. Reflects the popular misconception of what it means to live the highly creative life of an artist. Title refers to Confucious quote that intellectual mosquitoes get their lives by sucking others ideas. play for mosquitoes and everyone in between a mosquito my libido