Faulkner, William

Carbon typescript of the short story "Hog Pawn," with autograph corrections and additions in the author's hand in ink, deletions in red pencil, 30 pp. on onion-skin paper (paginated 1–4, 4A, 5, 5A, 6–14, 14A, 15–18, 18A, 19–21; page 22 on verso of 14A; unnumbered pages on versos of 18, 19, and 20) on 26 leaves, [New York (?), ca. October 1954]; rust stain from paper clip in upper left corner of first page, few rust stain on verso of last page, minor creases at lower corners of first few leaves.

Blotner, Faulkner: A Biography (1984 ed.), pp. 593, 659; Blotner, ed.  Uncollected Stories, pp. 311–327, 697

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"Hog Pawn," a Yokanapatawpha Country short story of the 1950's, with Faulkner's corrections and emendations in ink.  This story features Gavin Stevens in his role as lawyer and detective, involved in a long-running conflict between vindictive Otis Meadowfill and his crafty bachelor neighbor, here referred to simply as "Snopes."  Snopes lives in what had once been the Compson family's carriage house on property next to Meadowfill's. Linking this story to Knight's Gambit is the use of Stevens's nephew, Charles Mallison (here unnamed) as narrator. The story includes attempted murder by booby-trap, complicated real-estate transactions, a father's opposition to his daughter's marriage, and a trespassing hog.  It also gives Faulkner an opportunity to touch upon one of his favorite topics of the 1950's, a topic first in evidence in the three prologues in Requiem for a Nun: the many changes brought about in Jefferson/Oxford (and the South as a whole) by the booming post-war economy. In the present text the jerry-built housing subdivisions, vanishing mansions of the ancien régime, new filling stations, etc., are coupled with the return of war veterans, many in Jefferson/Oxford studying on the G.I. Bill.  In this case, the vet is Marine corporal McKinley Smith of Arkansas, who drops out of the university, woos Meadowfill's daughter, Essie, builds a house with his own hands, plants cotton, and earns the resentment of his prospective father-in-law.  

"Hog Pawn" was probably written in New York at the same time Faulkner was working on another story centering on the defeat of a Snopes, "By the People."  Faulkner sent the typescript to agent Harold Ober in March 1955.  Ober had no luck with piece, which was rejected by both Life and Collier's.  In March 1958, Faulkner asked for the typescript back so he could make revisions.  He was then at work on the last novel of the Snopes trilogy, The Mansion.  He revised "Hog Pawn" and incorporated it into chapter 13, book 3 ("Flem") of the novel.  By the time of his revision, he had given Snopes, who was a cousin of Flem's, a full name: Orestes (Res) Snopes.  Among numerous other minor changes, Essie's employer has changed from the telephone company to the local bank.

A fine example of Faulkner at work revising a short story, this typescript also introduces Orestes, one of the last members of the grasping Snopes family to appear in print.