Cormac McCarthy

Bloom's Modern Critical Views

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

A collection of critical essays discuss the works of the American novelist.

Genres: Literary Criticism

201 pages, Library Binding

First published December 12, 2001

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2010 collection of papers on the works of Cormac McCarthy is part of a series edited by Harold Bloom, the renowned literary critic. Bloom has repeatedly voiced his appreciation of McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, and his introduction to this collection argues for the greatness of the novel (as well as briefly mentioning why he feels the follow-up Border Trilogy is a lesser work). The ten papers that follow had been previously published in various journals or collections over the previous two decades.

Blood Meridian is also the subject of two other papers, namely readings by Steven Shaviro and Sara L. Spurgeon. These are the most academic of the book and heavily draws on postmodernist theory. James R. Giles’s paper on Outer Dark and Child of God initially seems to have the same approach, but most of Giles’s comments will be of interest to laymen.

The bulk of the articles here are pretty accessible. Terri Witek writes on domestic scenes in the work of this author who has often had his protagonists running away from or losing their homes. Jay Ellis defends No Country for Old Men by arguing that many of its most over-the-top features are intentional and (at least on re-reading) effective. John Wegner writes on the role of wars (the Mexican Revolution and World War II, just to name two) in the Border Trilogy, offering some helpful historical context for these books. Georg Gullemin writes on Sutree as a work of modernism. Vince Brewton looks at the changing portrayal of violence from McCarthy's early novels up to the Border Trilogy. Wallis Sanford examines McCarthy's treatment of animals from his plays and short stories (this is the only paper to deal with the plays).

Unfortunately, John Cant's paper on The Road followed the publication of the book too closely to offer deep insight, mainly being a general description of the plot and aesthetic. Still, all in all, as a more casual fan of Cormac McCarthy and not someone involved in literature in academia, I found most of this collection helpful in developing a greater appreciation for the writer.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't bored reading this, but I don't remember what I read. oh, well