William Faulkner wrote no “defense” of his art, but he discoursed extensively on narrative language and form in interviews, dialogues, letters, and other nonfiction materials. On close study, these seemingly incoherent materials yield a set of congruent ideas founded on Faulkner’s view of language, a potent but duplicitous medium that word-translating form must overcome. The emergence of Faulkner’s theory of language and narrative casts new light on the nature and significance of his thought and art.