Sacred Violence: Cormac McCarthy's Western Novels

In response to the rapidly growing critical interest in one of America's leading authors, twelve brand new essays and articles have been added to the original set of critical articles from the 1993 First Conference on Cormac McCarthy in this revised double edition of Sacred Violence. In Volume II, which focuses on the Western Novels, Harold Bloom, one of the preeminent literary critics of our time, discusses McCarthy's use of language and landscape in Blood Meridian, Nick Monk and Jay Ellis offer complex analyses of the epic Border Trilogy, Raymond Todd reflects upon the film of All the Pretty Horses, and Edwin Arnold reevaluates the importance of The Orchard Keeper as a preliminary crafting of future McCarthy themes and characters. Author/Artist Peter Josyph's meditation on reading the Blood Meridian aloud, and Dianne Luce's contributes a trenchant character study of All the Pretty Horses' John Grady Cole. Other distinguished scholars examine issues of violence, religious imagery, the tradition of black humor, the remarkable characters-like Blood Meridian's Judge Holden-and the idiosyncratic styles of McCarthy's novels and dramatic works.