Cormac McCarthy: New Directions - Tapa dura

"Lilley's Collection of essays will likely be a major step in establishing McCarthy's novels in the minds of academics, and in turn in the minds of the public. . . . Lilley has assembled some very useful essays, and this volume should be acquired by all academic libraries supporting work in the field of contemporary fiction at all levels." "Lilley's collection of essays will likely be a major step in establishing McCarthy's novels in the minds of academics, and in turn in the minds of the public. . . . Lilley has assembled some very useful essays, and this volume should be acquired by all academic libraries supporting work in the field of contemporary fiction at all levels."

Even before Harold Bloom designated 'Blood Meridian' as the Great American Novel, Cormac McCarthy had attracted unprecedented attention as a serious and successful novelist, a rare combination in recent American fiction. Critics have been quick to address McCarthy's indebtedness to southern literature, Christianity, and existential thought, but the essays in this collection are among the first to tackle such issues as gender and race in McCarthy's work. The rich complexity of the novels leaves room for a wide variety of interpretation. Some of the contributors see racist attitudes in McCarthy's views of Mexico, whereas others praise his depiction of US-Mexico border culture and contact. Several of the essays approach McCarthy's work from the perspective of eco-criticism, focusing on his representations of the natural world and the relationships that his characters forge with their geographical environments. And by exploring the author's use of and attitudes toward language, some of the contributors examine McCarthy's complex and innovative storytelling techniques.