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blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
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 Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:54 am Post subject: A Cormac McCarthy/ 'No Country For Old Men' thread |
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Spoliers warning.
I was reading these threads and noticed how somebody referred to 'no country for old men' earlier as a movie 'with no ending;' somebody else, to a criticism of the Chigurh character as being too powerful, almost unbelievably so. I agree.
These are both impressions I shared, after reading the book a couple of years ago. Too open ended, and not bothering to describe the exact way the 'hero' got taken out, and also having the bounty hunter character just give up and die...yeah, deeply disturbing and unsatisfying stuff.
I told my buddy back home about the 'no country' book when it came out, and she bought it, and her report on it kinda summed it up for me in a way I could't quite pull off for myself. "cliche McCarthy, she said, "very like his other stuff." "Why, what do you mean?" I asked.
"He's always with the superhuman unstoppable force of nature baddie," she said. "No matter how cool or tough the principle character might be, they always meet up with some unstoppable force of nature, and then they die. Sometimes they fight back, sometimes they don't, but the result is inevitably the same. In 'no country,' it was like cormac got so bored with the descriptions of the fighting back against unstoppable evil, he just elided it, or had the guy give up passively."
I tend to agree.
Hey, they're doing a movie of 'the Road' with Viggo Mortgensen as the Dad. Should be good!
If you like your semi-likable characters getting offed by unstoppable forces of nature, and your indistinct, ambiguous endings, anyways.
I guess I do.
What more unstoppable force of nature is there than the Black Lung, after all? No fighting against that. |
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Don Gately
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Location: In a basement taking a severe beating
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:34 am Post subject: Re: A Cormac McCarthy/ 'No Country For Old Men' thread |
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| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
"He's always with the superhuman unstoppable force of nature baddie," she said. "No matter how cool or tough the principle character might be, they always meet up with some unstoppable force of nature, and then they die. Sometimes they fight back, sometimes they don't, but the result is inevitably the same. In 'no country,' it was like cormac got so bored with the descriptions of the fighting back against unstoppable evil, he just elided it, or had the guy give up passively."
I tend to agree. |
Only two books even vaguely fit that description: Blood Meridian and No Country.
Other books, including but not limited to The Border Trilogy novels and Suttree, don't have anyone even closely resembling what your friend described.
In summation, then, you and your friend are drawing sweeping thematic conclusions about a major twentieth-century American novelist after having read one or two of his books, at most.
Please return to your undergrad literature 101 class from which you sprang. |
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Czarjorge
Joined: 01 May 2007
Location: I now have the same moustache, and it is glorious.
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| They're making a film based on 'The Road' now too. |
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applesandshanana
Joined: 09 May 2007
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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I skipped through the spoilers because I haven't read/seen No Country yet, but I was wondering if anyone would mention The Road.
I have a love/hate relationship with that book, but I think it could be pretty amazing translated into film...depending on who made it. |
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blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject: Re: A Cormac McCarthy/ 'No Country For Old Men' thread |
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| Don Gately wrote: |
| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
"He's always with the superhuman unstoppable force of nature baddie," she said. "No matter how cool or tough the principle character might be, they always meet up with some unstoppable force of nature, and then they die. Sometimes they fight back, sometimes they don't, but the result is inevitably the same. In 'no country,' it was like cormac got so bored with the descriptions of the fighting back against unstoppable evil, he just elided it, or had the guy give up passively."
I tend to agree. |
Only two books even vaguely fit that description: Blood Meridian and No Country.
Other books, including but not limited to The Border Trilogy novels and Suttree, don't have anyone even closely resembling what your friend described.
In summation, then, you and your friend are drawing sweeping thematic conclusions about a major twentieth-century American novelist after having read one or two of his books, at most.
Please return to your undergrad literature 101 class from which you sprang. |
Screw you, Gately. What about the eyeball sucking Mexican general in 'All the Pretty Horses,' or the gang in end of 'Outer Dark,' or the lung disease in 'the Road?'
Anyway, lighten up, you pretentious douchebag. I wasn't trying to impress anybody, it was just a notion I thought a little bit interesting. You don't? Fine...go back to writing your thesis on 'Significance of the Color White In "Moby Dick."' |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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I also have a love/hate relationship with ' The Road'. I just didn't like the ending..seemed very convenient. Maybe I have to read it again. I loved 'no country' book and movie. I thought in the context of the movie, the ending was pretty realistic and interesting.
If there is a recurring theme in his novels(I have only read those two) then I'm sure he's not the first great author to have one. |
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Thiuda
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Religion ist f�r Sklaven geschaffen, f�r Wesen ohne Geist.
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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I really enjoyed reading 'The Road', but also felt that the ending was weak. After a read that left the taste of ashes in my mouth, I wanted the kid to be killed and eaten. That would have been an ending more consistent with the general atmosphere of the book and left the reader with a more lasting emotional impact.
I also enjoyed 'All the Pretty Horses'. Has anyone seen the film? I've heard it wasn't very good, but wouldn't mind hearing others' opinions. |
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Suwoner10
Joined: 10 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Cormac is a hack. For a novelist. Having said that, No Country was a fantastic movie. He makes decent script fodder. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:51 am Post subject: |
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Cormac McCarthy, interviewed by Oprah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNuc3sxzlyQ
I find him to be extremely laid back, to the point of annoyance, or extremely pretentious. I can't decide which. |
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Don Gately
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Location: In a basement taking a severe beating
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: A Cormac McCarthy/ 'No Country For Old Men' thread |
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| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
| Don Gately wrote: |
| blurgalurgalurga wrote: |
"He's always with the superhuman unstoppable force of nature baddie," she said. "No matter how cool or tough the principle character might be, they always meet up with some unstoppable force of nature, and then they die. Sometimes they fight back, sometimes they don't, but the result is inevitably the same. In 'no country,' it was like cormac got so bored with the descriptions of the fighting back against unstoppable evil, he just elided it, or had the guy give up passively."
I tend to agree. |
Only two books even vaguely fit that description: Blood Meridian and No Country.
Other books, including but not limited to The Border Trilogy novels and Suttree, don't have anyone even closely resembling what your friend described.
In summation, then, you and your friend are drawing sweeping thematic conclusions about a major twentieth-century American novelist after having read one or two of his books, at most.
Please return to your undergrad literature 101 class from which you sprang. |
Screw you, Gately. What about the eyeball sucking Mexican general in 'All the Pretty Horses,' or the gang in end of 'Outer Dark,' or the lung disease in 'the Road?'
Anyway, lighten up, you pretentious douchebag. I wasn't trying to impress anybody, it was just a notion I thought a little bit interesting. You don't? Fine...go back to writing your thesis on 'Significance of the Color White In "Moby *beep*."' |
Ah, so your contention is that all of his novels have conflict?
I apologize for saying you should return to undergrad lit. Junior High is the place for you. |
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blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm rubber, you're glue; whatever you say bounces back and sticks to you. |
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blurgalurgalurga
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Also, I apologize for calling you a douchebag. A douchebag serves a useful function; you, Gately, academic super-genius that you are, don't.
You're just a nebbish. |
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Czarjorge
Joined: 01 May 2007
Location: I now have the same moustache, and it is glorious.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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Wouldn't dilettante be more accurate?
(oh yeah, Hillary is a dousche.) |
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