The Ending

Well, I finished Blood Meridian last night, and I have to say that it left me with more questions than answers. Something clearly happened in the final pages of the novel, but I must confess that I'm not exactly sure what! I actually re-read the final three pages several times, looking for the answers I wanted to find, but came up with nothing. Perhaps that was McCarthy's point ... his book, like life, has no simple answers or clear cut ending ... we must take what we can from what we are given and then move on, changed and hopefully a little bit wiser.

Newsweek piece on "No Country for Old Men"

There is an interesting article in the latest addition of Newsweek about the upcoming film adaptation of McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men." It looks at the genre of Westerns in general and then specifically at the film. It briefly mentions Blood Meridian, citing it as the moment when McCarthy "took possession" of the border country as a literary genre.
The article is an enjoyable read and timely given our book group selection!

Epic Nature of Blood Meridian

I have to say that one of the things that has struck me most about Blood Meridian is the epic quality of the narrative. The long descriptive scenes of the the countryside, as well as the striking similes and metaphors are worthy of the Homeric and Virgilian epics. Likewise, it seems as if some of the "minor" characters truly come to life on their deathbeds ... a device Homer frequently employed in the Iliad. Blood Meridian encompasses many of the overarching themes of the ancient epic -- it is simultaneously a tale of war, travel, loss and discovery. What I haven't figured out yet is who is the hero of our tale. Any nominees?

Content Management

Hello all, and welcome to your first PSA. Now we all know that we can relax and relieve our stresses put forth by Cormac's vision of the scalp trade in this blog however; I would like you to know that the world can still see it. This would not be a serious problem if Miller was not apart of the title but since it is we need to make sure that our posts are somewhat clean. In addition, this does not mean that we need to make any sense....wooha no.

Prediction/Favorite Phrase

Simple prediction: McCarthy wins the Nobel Prize for Lit. When? Soon. I read to my A.P. kids today the Comanche onslaught on page 52-3..and will allow them to read the subsequent pages on their own. Mike and I were talking about how this prose represents a painting....and what a painting that would be. My favorite phrase: "death hilarious" at the top of page 53.
Let's shoot for a meeting over lunch this coming Wednesday? Please pass the word to those who've not reached the blog page yet.
Oh, yeah--awesome Seal Braden!!!

Poetic violence in a desolate world

This is only the second McCarthy novel I've read so far. I must say that I was taken aback, at first, by his writing style. You have to be a careful reader to enjoy his work. This isn't just some Harry Potter skim-fest where you can skip to the good parts. For me, so far, this book is a sumptuous, bloody feast and I'm enjoying my journey through "a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane." Not that McCarthy would ever set anything off with quotes. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. Like Braden said, Glanton and the Judge, the Delawares and others in the scalping party are all historical figures from the 1840s.