Compson

Compson is a surname of English origin that has gained literary prominence through William Faulkner’s fiction. In Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, the Compson family is a once-wealthy Southern aristocratic clan whose fortunes and social standing steadily decline in the early 20th century.

The core members are Quentin Compson, Candace “Caddy” Compson, Jason Compson IV, and Benjy Compson. The Sound and the Fury (1929) follows their deterioration across four narrative sections told from different voices and perspectives, exploring themes of memory, time, family dysfunction, and social change. The novel uses experimental structure to render how personal and historical pressures shape individual lives, particularly within the fading tradition of the Old South.

Quentin Compson also appears in Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) and is a connecting figure in the broader fictional universe of Yoknapatawpha County, linking several works through shared characters and lineage.

In literary studies, the Compson family is often cited as an emblem of Faulkner’s critique of inherited status and the erosion of Southern aristocracy under modern pressures. The name has become closely associated with his exploration of memory, time, and narrative technique within the American South.

Beyond Faulkner’s fiction, Compson remains a relatively uncommon surname; it is primarily recognized today for its literary significance rather than for real-world public figures.