Stupid Question...

Okay, as a naïve and somewhat innocent seventeen year old, I have a mild obsession for any piece of good prose/writing. Faulkner is by far the best, well, next to Steinbeck. Anyhow, I was just wondering about what year everything in the novel would have taken place. I know the novel was published in sometime in the 1930s, yet that doesn't necessarily mean that it was about that time period. I am in AP US History, but that doesn't mean I can paint a picture in my head. An answer minus anything negative would be resourceful and really appreciated.

Ahem, merci beaucoup.