Bertrand Russell advised in an essay, “How I Write,” to never use a long word when a short word will do. Faulkner’s uses long words in Light In August ( i.e. ”cinderstrewnpacked”); words that aren’t even words, per se, let alone long.  Hemingway said of Faulkner's  propensity for the long word, "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" Sometimes they do. Sometimes they can come in no other way.     These are frequently word compressions -- meaning separate words compressed together. For Faulkner, they can serve as indicative of place, a kind of substitute for dialect, without all the inherent problems with dialect. It is how we talk, ( i.e. “internetservice” ). Faulkner’s compressed words are usually comprised of short words (i.e. cinder -strewn- packed) that when shoved together mean something closer to intended meaning than when presented separately.     There are other reasons for word compressions ( i.e. contractions further compressed as non-contractions in the manner they are spoken). There are odd hyphenation of words, nonce words, and words whose meaning are the literary equivalent to Darwinian hybridization.      The technique also is an economical mimetic depiction of a gnarly philosophical perspective: Bergsonism. Using Russell’s definition of Bergson’s philosophy as “the doctrine of interpenetration, according to which things are not really separate, but are merely conceived so by the analytic intellect,” we can see a counterintuitive economy of word compression as not so terribly misaligned with Russell’s short v. long word suggestion. Faulkner also uses the same technique for symbolic and/or poetic extension to meaning of words. The technique aids unity without which Light In August would not be quite the same.     Lastly, while reading Light In August, these word compressions are far from obvious and sink into the background. Except for the more outrageous of these ( i.e. Augusttremulous, terracottafaced, etc.), most of the word compressions barely register. Faulkner, William. Light in August. New York: Vintage, 1959. Word     Page aint 398 air-engendered 275 all-embracing 5 all-embracing 51 allembracing  405 allembracing  454 allmother  216 allnight 43 allseeing 172 amazeless 143 animallike 267 apparitionlike 3 astink 360 Augusttremulous  108 automatonlike 113 backfallen 195 backflung 36 backglaring  174 backhooked 267 backlooking  141 backlooking  249 backlooking  406 backmotion 259 backrolling  5 backshrunk  267 backthrust  124 backthrust  290 backwatching  32 bandagedistorted  460 barning 135 barnlot 12 batebreathed 128 bearlike  380 bigknuckled   168 bigknuckled   181 blackclad 291 blackrimed 291 bleacheyed  21 bleacheyed  91 bloodpride 4 blumping 274 blumping 374 bluntheaded 192 boardflat  23 boardlike 192 borned 403 boylike   417 branchshadowed  17 brasshaired  164 brassridged  163 brassridged  166 brokenspringed 10 bugswirled  2 cabinshapes  107 calmfaced 193 Cant  397 carefold  443 caverned 193 chairarms  368 chairarms  370 chanceso  362 childbed  68 childridden  3 childtrebling  111 chocolatecolored  214 cinderstrewnnpacked  111 clashedto  128 closedrawn  201 clumb 306 coalgrimed  119 cogitant 224 coldfaced 165 comalike  361 comastate 366 complected 46 countryboy 281 countrybred 93 countrybred 398 countryfaced  165 courtjudge 283 creakwheeled 5 crossslanted 11 cutdown 143 cutdown 145 darkcaverneyed  290 daygranaried  55 deathcolored  178 desperated 472 desperated 473 desperated 475 destinationless 41 dewgray  148 dewgray  317 diamondsurfaced 204 diamondsurfaced 209 diningroom 187 ditchbank  5 dont 291 downfalling  219 downglare 372 downlooking   94 downlooking   122 downlooking   161 downlooking   164 downlooking   169 downlooking   173 downlooking   175 downlooking   182 downlooking   183 downlooking   184 downlooking   187 downlooking   203 downlooking   283 downlooking   284 downlooking   284 downspeaking  176 downturned 83 dreamrecovering 461 droopeared 280 drymouthed  174 dryscented 141 duskcolored  148 duskfilled 70 ebbtide  361 eggmoney  18 eggsuckers 312 emptyhanded 323 exslaveowner 42 exsoldier 426 fanaticfaced  447 farmbred 193 fatherblood  23 fecundmellow  107 fellowaid  410 flabbyjowled  290 floursack 13 flyspecked 292 fortyfive  118 fortynine  219 fortyseven  227 forwardleaning 466 forwardlooking  435 fostermother  154 Freedman 106 frictionsmooth  105 frictionsmooth  168 frogeating  228 fullborn 98 fulltongued 280 galluses 404 garmentworried  453 glacierlike  349 goodday  392 goodlooking 478 granitelike 143 grassbank 186 grassblade 410 greasecrusted  168 greenshaded  71 halfbrother 235 halfdark  121 halfdark  245 halfdark  245 halfdeath   251 halflight 99 halfreclining  101 handpeeled  324 handpower 272 hardfeeling  177 hardknowing  64 hardmuscled 37 heavybodied 47 heelgnawed  20 high brown 66 higharmed 35 highboned 168 hollerwhispering 307 hoofmarks 457 hookwormridden  3 housedin 468 I-Am 372 icecold 120 illcut 192 illkept 382 inbreath 107 infury 273 inwardleaning  165 inwardlighted  15 inyawn   225 inyawned  130 ironcold 178 irongray 419 jonquilcolored  314 juggernautish  190 kerosenelit  107 kerosenelit  190 knowed  303 laborpurged  284 laidby  356 layingon  449 layingon   449 leafbrown  444 leatherhard  314 leatherlooking 469 less-than-village 3 lightcolored  133 lightingflash  221 limpeared  5 linoleumstripped   396 lintpadded  252 liplifted  221 littleused  53 longdrawn 95 longdrawn 282 longfamiliar  273 loosejointed  419 lowbuilt  234 lowbuilt  357 lowheaded 311 lowpitched 142 lowtoned 346 makebelieve  432 manchild 398 maneyes  23 manhard  14 mankept  282 manlooking 9 manmovement  314 manodor  291 mansense  216 mansense  397 mansewn  444 manshaped  138 mansmelling 44 manstale  44 mantrained  221 manvoice  138 masklike  105 menfolks 12 menfolks  12 menfolks  397 midchewing 26 middleaged  32 middleaged  244 middleages 461 midsnicker  259 midsnore  373 mileconsuming  8 moneypaper  359 moneypaper  359 moneypaper  360 monklike 182 moonbland  246 moondappled  126 moonfilled  188 moongleamed  246 motherblood  23 mouthword  17 mulelike  406 muskoxen 324 neversunned  215 niggerblooded 96 nightprowling 23 nightprowling  23 nogood   255 nogood   285 nomotion  417 not-do 284 nothungry  213 not-quite-familiar 392 notseeing  177 noway 24 odorreek  187 offcolors 192 oftenwashed 160 oftused  210 oftwashed 370 oldish 374 onearmed  235 onehanded 102 oneroom 151 oneroom 190 organloft 346 outlooking 460 outraging 292 overalled 22 overalled 391 overflesh  282 overladen 93 overladen 165 overlarge 168 overlingering 39 overplump  300 paperwrapped 300 parchmentcolored 112 parchmentcolored 115 parchmentcolored    262 pass word 37 patinasmooth 49 pieceways 9 pinewiney  5 pinkcolored 112 pinkfoamed  114 pinkfoamed  115 pinkwomansmelling  114 pitchdark 127 pleasantfaced 9 pleasantfaced 469 postoffice 3 postoffice 359 postol 352 postol 352 primrosecolored promptive 261 prophetlike  350 prophetlike  428 proselyter 229 puppetlike  349 puttycolored 370 queerlooking 420 queershaped  391 quicking 352 quietlooking 56 ranklyodored  329 recrossed 373 recrossed 430 redbarred  106 rednosed 444 rigidfaced 140 roadcarved 10 saddleless 304 sandblanched 105 sandclutched  464 sayso  124 scarcebreathing  241 scarceused  220 scarceused  220 sedentation 282 selfborn  274 selfconfidence  324 selfconscious 427 selfconvicted  79 selfcrucifixion  150 selfdedication  323 selfdoubt  348 selfpity  24 selfpity  252 semihysterical 305 shadowbrooded 106 shadowdappled  197 sheeplike 4 shoeblacking 24 shutterless 102 sixtyfive  118 skypointed 461 slowspitting 23 slutiishness 277 sluttishness  191 sluttishness  351 sobereyed 116 softcolored 267 softungirdled  219 sootbleakened  111 sootgrimed  118 sparrowlike  111 spectacleblurred  291 spreadkneed 146 springfilled 130 springwork 349 steelrimmed 118 steelrimmed 260 stiffbacked 162 stiffbrim 27 stillwinged 107 stonefaced  355 stonefaced  359 stonevisaged 365 stringlike 326 stringstraight  225 stumppocked 2 sulled 337 sunshot 104 supineness  342 suppertables 419 supperward  330 suspicioned 72 sweatfaded  13 sweatstained 28 sweatstained 263 sweatstained 459 swolebellied 72 swolebellied 94 symbolwords   265 symbolwords   277 tagend  409 terracottafaced 385 theatring 189 thighdeep  100 thightall 100 thirtythree  213 threatful 160 threeday’s  213 threeday’s  213 thwartfacedcurled  164 thwartfacedcurled  164 tobaccostained 318 todo  179 townshaped  213 toylike 402 twentyseven  114 twofisted 325 twostory 445 unastonishment 367 unbreathing 464 undivulging 251 unfastidiousness 282 unfresh 282 ungreased  5 ungreased  14 unhaste 3 unhaste 47 unmirthful 241 unovened 327 unquizzocal 459 unrecking 151 unselfpitying 221 unsilvered  132 unsilvered  151 unsmoking  130 unsourceless 275 unsurpise 371 unswimming 320 untearful 221 unwinded 70 upflare 251 vain glory 429 vanishment 128 vanquishment 342 vaporing 167 violenthaired 165 waitingroom 341 weatherhardened  284 wellbeing 456 wellbeing  450 welldoing 21 wellmeant  67 wellnigh  366 westering 247 wheelspokes  243 wherenot  198 whiphand 257 whiphand 319 whitefolks 109 whiterolling 318 wildhaired 274 wind-engendered 275 wireends  207 wireends  208 wireends  209 wolflike  413 womanevil  365 womanfilth  121 womanfilth  124 womanflesh  353 womangarments 112 womanroom 123 womanshenegro  147 womansign  314 womansinning  120 womansmelling  113 womansuffering  120 womenfolks 306 womenfolks 330 womenfolks 396 womenvoices  109 wont 389 wooden faced 376 woodenfaced  351 word-of-mouth 230 wordsymbols  244 wordsymbols  245 woreout 330 workhard  14 worksoiled 28 wormriddled  316 yellowly 314 yetdark  314 -Richard Guilfoyle-