In my view, ‘Blood Meridian’ is one of the most powerful pieces of fiction produced in the last 50 years. The physical, emotional, spiritual, moral and verbal violence drips from the pages, and I felt like I needed to take a shower after finishing each chapter.
Such is McCarthy’s writing, however, that I found myself reading the next chapter after being disgusted and repelled by the previous chapter.
It’s an important book and a testament to the art of writing, but it is not at all pleasant to read. Caveat lector to anyone who might be inspired by Ian’s article to give it a go.
It’s worth mentioning that some of the characters in the book are fictionalized versions of people who really lived and, in the case of John Joel Glanton, really led a group of homicidal scalp hunters along the Texas-Mexico border.
To me, part of the book’s power lies in the fact that the horrible, almost pornographic violence that McCarthy so vividly describes is real. And it’s inside all of us.
Thucydides was right (and amazingly modern) when he said that civilization is a thin veneer. McCarthy shows what can happen when man steps away from that civilization, either physically or morally.
I was delighted that you wrote about this. I did not read the spoilers as I am in the throes of reading a Cormac book myself and will likely read the book you talk about here.
Your takeaway is resonate and sobering. Maybe you could have an actual position at UT as the Assistant to the Minister of Culture after all. You would be an authentic true hire for endangered minority male perspective. It could happen.
He certainly has the intellectual chops to pull that off. If it wasn’t for my daughter who was an LAH Honors English major at Texas I’m not sure that this Biology major would have even been familiar with the concept of the Western canon.
I have read this book after a recommendation from a friend who is an avid reader &, unlike me, is very interested in that era (cowboys & Indians…the Wild West). I was horrified & frankly angry that he had recommended it. There is really nothing like the evil depicted in this book.
You did an excellent job of summarizing its themes & clarifying the implied conclusion. Sometimes I feel guilty about obsessing about Texas Football as much as I do. I think this is a healthy reminder that any obsession needs boundaries & perspective. Jesus should be first in our thoughts and our actions. God help us if we forget that in something as frivolous as entertainment. At its core, that’s all “America’s War Game” is. Entertainment.
I appreciate it for the frank depiction of evil. Sometimes I think only someone with faith can take such an unflinching look at evil as McCarthy does here.
Our war game is ultimately just entertainment but it's also more. For instance, Blood Meridian is just a made-up story (although based on real events), but if it resonates deep enough then it becomes something more. It does indeed appear to be a young part of the Western Canon, which means it'll be a part of the stories we all tell for years to come and future stories will reference it. That makes it an important lens for how we tell stories and make sense of the world around us.
Recently I had a bunch of friends together in Michigan to watch Casablanca as a sort of going away party. I like to pick older movies I don't think people will have seen otherwise, probably for the same reason I have a substack where I try to explain football or argue against popular interpretations of the ending of Blood Meridian. Few of my friends had seen Casablanca, yet in another sense most of them had. They were blown away by how many big, quotable lines came up in the movie they knew from other cultural references.
Anyways, the judge isn't wrong that war is pretty primary in the human experience and the fact football imitates it makes it a pretty essential component to our culture. A lot to think about there.
Yikes. Only entertainment! It is thoughtful and universal in its vision of all things human and worthy of observation. Like Paul to the Athenians: I perceive you are religious! . . . It is in God that we live and breathe and have our being. Whether we realize the totality of this or not.
Insightful as always. If you’re telling me my Texas Football fascination is essential I’m going to roll with it.
Great piece, Ian.
In my view, ‘Blood Meridian’ is one of the most powerful pieces of fiction produced in the last 50 years. The physical, emotional, spiritual, moral and verbal violence drips from the pages, and I felt like I needed to take a shower after finishing each chapter.
Such is McCarthy’s writing, however, that I found myself reading the next chapter after being disgusted and repelled by the previous chapter.
It’s an important book and a testament to the art of writing, but it is not at all pleasant to read. Caveat lector to anyone who might be inspired by Ian’s article to give it a go.
It’s worth mentioning that some of the characters in the book are fictionalized versions of people who really lived and, in the case of John Joel Glanton, really led a group of homicidal scalp hunters along the Texas-Mexico border.
To me, part of the book’s power lies in the fact that the horrible, almost pornographic violence that McCarthy so vividly describes is real. And it’s inside all of us.
Thucydides was right (and amazingly modern) when he said that civilization is a thin veneer. McCarthy shows what can happen when man steps away from that civilization, either physically or morally.
Homo homini lupus est.
I was delighted that you wrote about this. I did not read the spoilers as I am in the throes of reading a Cormac book myself and will likely read the book you talk about here.
Your takeaway is resonate and sobering. Maybe you could have an actual position at UT as the Assistant to the Minister of Culture after all. You would be an authentic true hire for endangered minority male perspective. It could happen.
He certainly has the intellectual chops to pull that off. If it wasn’t for my daughter who was an LAH Honors English major at Texas I’m not sure that this Biology major would have even been familiar with the concept of the Western canon.
I have read this book after a recommendation from a friend who is an avid reader &, unlike me, is very interested in that era (cowboys & Indians…the Wild West). I was horrified & frankly angry that he had recommended it. There is really nothing like the evil depicted in this book.
You did an excellent job of summarizing its themes & clarifying the implied conclusion. Sometimes I feel guilty about obsessing about Texas Football as much as I do. I think this is a healthy reminder that any obsession needs boundaries & perspective. Jesus should be first in our thoughts and our actions. God help us if we forget that in something as frivolous as entertainment. At its core, that’s all “America’s War Game” is. Entertainment.
I appreciate it for the frank depiction of evil. Sometimes I think only someone with faith can take such an unflinching look at evil as McCarthy does here.
Our war game is ultimately just entertainment but it's also more. For instance, Blood Meridian is just a made-up story (although based on real events), but if it resonates deep enough then it becomes something more. It does indeed appear to be a young part of the Western Canon, which means it'll be a part of the stories we all tell for years to come and future stories will reference it. That makes it an important lens for how we tell stories and make sense of the world around us.
Recently I had a bunch of friends together in Michigan to watch Casablanca as a sort of going away party. I like to pick older movies I don't think people will have seen otherwise, probably for the same reason I have a substack where I try to explain football or argue against popular interpretations of the ending of Blood Meridian. Few of my friends had seen Casablanca, yet in another sense most of them had. They were blown away by how many big, quotable lines came up in the movie they knew from other cultural references.
Anyways, the judge isn't wrong that war is pretty primary in the human experience and the fact football imitates it makes it a pretty essential component to our culture. A lot to think about there.
Yikes. Only entertainment! It is thoughtful and universal in its vision of all things human and worthy of observation. Like Paul to the Athenians: I perceive you are religious! . . . It is in God that we live and breathe and have our being. Whether we realize the totality of this or not.