Cormac McCarthy's Western Novels
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.68 (526 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0816519277 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 137 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-02-01 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Sparkling review of an enthralling, enriching body of work. Richard L. Pangburn If you're a bit puzzled by all of the cheering for Cormac McCarthy, look here. I don't agree with everything he says, but Owen packs this slim volume with plenty of eye-opening (and sometimes mind-boggling) insights.His discussions and comparisons and references have inspired me to go back and read Jack London's short story, "To Build A Fire," with new appreciation; then led me to Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat," then to T. R. Fehrebach's THE COMANCHES, which I might otherwise have never discovered.. larry said A powerful and prophetic meditation on the meaning of McCarthy's work. An exceptionally well-written and persuasive defense of Blood Meridian against other critics' charges of nihilism and gratuitous violence. The book provides a solid overview of many critics views and then offers its own convincing interpretations situating the BM in the context of the Vietnam War and American Naturalism. For all the scholarship and history covered in these brief pages, the book manages to omit most tedious academic jargon. In a stunning and deeply ominous afterword, Mr. Owens anticipates the events of September 11th and their ultimate meaning in the context of the Blood Meridian's violen. Literary Plus Societal Criticism The basics are here. Mr. Owens has understanding of symbols and themes, with some good structural analysis. Mr. Owens realizes that McCarthy's western novels are unique, even monumental. I read Owens' book because after reading the trilogy, I was astounded at the mastery of the workthe language, the imagery and the grasp of the Americas--the historical, the spiritual, the mythic--seen through the eyes of witnesses to horrific history. For me the only other American writer in McCormac's company is, in my opinion, not Faukner, but William Carlos Williams ("In the American Grain"). I read Owens' book becaus
"A most readable, thought-provoking analysis." —Journal of the West "If you want to comprehend what makes All the Pretty Horses a showpiece, and McCarthy possibly the most profound voice in contemporary Western literature, some of the answers are here." —Santa Fe New Mexican
A favorite subject of critics and fans alike despite—or perhaps because of—his avoidance of public appearances, the man is known solely through his writing. He shows how this dramatic shift from atavistic brutality to nostalgic Americana suggests that McCarthy has finally given his readers what they most want—the stuff of their mythic dreams.Owens's study is both an incisive look at one of our most important and demanding authors and a penetrating analysis of violence and myth in American culture. Fans of McCarthy's work will find much to consider for ongoing discussions of this influential body of work.. Thanks to his early work, he is most often associated