How to Read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (10 Tips)
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- 📚 Read Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian with Hardcore Literature: / about
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Hardcore Literature Lecture Series
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📔Contents Page: cutt.ly/CmNhRY3
🎖️ War and Peace: cutt.ly/U3nzGma
🎭 Shakespeare Project: cutt.ly/B3nxHH7
🐳 Moby Dick: cutt.ly/K3nzVKf
☄️ Blood Meridian: cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp
🍂 Wuthering Heights: cutt.ly/N3nxxYt
🇮🇪 Ulysses: cutt.ly/x3nxQmN
🚂 Anna Karenina: cutt.ly/vmNhAWv
💀 Crime and Punishment: cutt.ly/rmNhFt5
⚓ Persuasion: cutt.ly/amNhX7b
☕ In Search of Lost Time: cutt.ly/5mNh8oD
⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: cutt.ly/UmNjrE3
🌸 Siddharta: cutt.ly/YmNjuzi
🎠 Don Quixote: cutt.ly/cmNjoK4
❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: cutt.ly/nmNlW7V
🇫🇷 Les Misérables: cutt.ly/J3YixoA
🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: cutt.ly/nToAQQ3
🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: cutt.ly/9ToAybt
📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: tinyurl.com/45rv965c
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0:00 introduction to Blood Meridian
3:00 why read this difficult novel?
5:30 my recommended edition
6:30 McCarthy’s prose style
7:30 polysyndeton & Biblical prose
9:20 peripheral reading assignments
10:58 reading the first page together
16:30 reading aloud slowly
17:00 the importance of perseverance
18:30 etymological excavations
20:00 lexis, language & consciousness
21:00 McCarthy & the Santa Fe Institute
22:20 the McCarthyian Metaphor
24:20 the prose-poetry of Blood Meridian
25:58 Judge Holden’s philosophy
27:00 “War is God”
30:00 the character of the Judge
32:42 Judge Holden’s war speech
35:10 how to read symbolism
37:00 poetry & dream journals
40:00 the violence of Blood Meridian
41:30 historical analogues & scalp-hunting
43:20 westward expansion
45:20 why read such a violent book?
47:30 the pace of Blood Meridian
48:50 structure & chapter synopses
49:20 McCarthy’s one-sentence
50:30 dialogue, dialect & foreign languages
51:30 Blood Meridian as postmodern novel
53:10 a guide to marginalia
55:00 rereading & recommended pacing
57:30 the benefits of group reading
59:00 let us know your thoughts
![[adult swim] - Smiling Friends Season 2 Episode 5 Promo](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uStNEeR8LT4/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey guys - If you're interested in reading Blood Meridian with a group, and making your way through the novel with a guided reading, the self-paced lecture series has started over at the book club. The conversation that has opened up is wonderful, as can be expected from McCarthy fans! Here are links to our first two lectures:
📚Title, Epigraph, & Reading Assignments: cutt.ly/qGnpViL
📚Lecture One: See the Child (Ch.1-5): cutt.ly/UGnp9IJ
Happy reading!
- Ben
I’ve been reading this book aloud to my dog in the afternoon. He has no idea of the beautifully written horrors being read to him but we are very much enjoying the process. Thanks for the tips and videos. Cheers!
You are proof that man is dog’s best friend, Jacob! You’ve inspired me to treat my skittish golden retriever to some McCarthy this evening too :)
Would’ve gone with The Crossing for obvious reasons, but hey; why not go with the slaughter fest that is Blood Meridian 😂
To each their own.
Just don’t traumatize him with the episode about the judge and the puppies he bought…
It's all fun and games until your dog starts talking back.
"Every doggie treat that exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent."
Benjamin McEvoy is a brilliant man, a real literary analyst, extremely articulate. His reading of Blood Meridian can not be matched by anyone who dares to do this on the internet. I was a professor of American literature at the University of New Mexico for 40 years. I follow what he says, but I could never have made a classroom presentation like this one. He covers all the areas, like language, symbolism, history, themes, allusions to other great works. McEvoy must be a professor/tutor at some university in Great Britain.I really appreciate his lecture here: it’s great. Thank you so much for giving this book the deep appreciation it deserves. His presentation humbles me.
I just listened to the audiobook version as narrated by Richard Poe. I highly highly recommend it to anyone who likes audiobook format. He did an amazing job of bringing everything to life.
Richard Poe is a fantastic narrator. I have such great memories of listening to his Blood Meridian narration whilst cycling in the evening. Good times :)
its superb
I've been working on this audiobook version for a while now. It is fantastic. I have the book too, but the narration makes it more digestible for me. I have the book too, but it's very difficult for me to follow. After watching this lecture I'll probably put it on my "re-read" pile.
I listened to it like 3 times before reading the book and I still barley knew what was going on lol
Absolutely agree on Richard Poe’s magnificent narration. I’ve never done this before, but I (re)read large chunks of the text, simultaneous with listening to Poe’s narration on earbuds.
Cormac McCarthy has said that ‘books are made out of books’, so it seems certain that he was influenced by Mexican War veteran Samuel Chamberlain’s ‘My Confession’. Among other things, it’s the story of Chamberlain’s days with the Glanton Gang and his acquaintance with the dreaded Judge Holden. Fascinating to see life so directly reflected in art.
i feel this is a pretty well known fact. it was also heavily influenced by the bible, paradise lost, and moby dick
❤
it is common knowledge that it was loosely based on My Confession
RIP Cormick McCarthy. We will probably never again see the likes of this Great Visionary Author.
Such an incredibly sad loss. I feel blessed that we could experience the books whilst he was still publishing them. One of the greatest writers of our time!
I've read this probably 15 times, listened to it probably 40 times. It's like a masterpiece album of music to me. Just love this novel. I have never ever understood why people get hung up on the violence. The beauty and essence is in the written word and McCarthy's amazing ability to paint pictures, moving pictures with nothing other than words. It's just beautiful
Wow. You must have a very intimate knowledge of the book. I agree with you it's incredibly beautiful.
I'm the same way. I've read the book maybe half a dozen times, but I've lost count of the number of times I've listened to the audiobook. I recently spent 4 weeks camping out in the American Southwest, and the Richard Poe audio was on constant repeat. It's so beautiful and so intricate and each listen only reveals some new detail which makes me want start it again.
Same here. I reread it multiple times and listen to it multiple times and never seem to tire of the nuggets of gorgeousness I find. For example, when Glanton picks up a piece of fallen leaf and, “beauty is not lost to him.”
I can say that I've read it twice and I didn't find it all that difficult cognitively, but man...the violence is absolutely unrelenting and sickening. The only other equivalent in the McCarthy canon is 'The Road.' Both say something important about the darkest elements of people. But it is absolutely beautiful and horrible at the same time.
It's really one you can read infinitely and never tire of it.
Up there with Ulysses in my opinion.
Ukrainian here. You know, I started rereading Blood Meridian in the first days of invasion. This book for me is a totally different beast now, than it was couple years ago. It does read like a bible of war. I guess I immersed myself into it way to far, but I realize it’s the most important book in my life right now. I read a chapter a day. Almost like bits of dark chocolate, a little at a time.
Stay well friend.
Stay safe, Pavlo. My thoughts couldn't help but turn to the current crisis as I was discussing the theme of war and violence in this video. In a sense, it would be a blessing if one couldn't appreciate Blood Meridian. The fact that the work has become so important to you really speaks to the immense tragedy of current events. I hope you and yours are safe, my friend, and thank you for sharing this with us.
I hope that you and your loved ones stay safe, Pavlo. Ukrainian-Canadian here. Growing up in North America, in suburbs, I inhabited a world so completely alien from what is described in Blood Meridian, and from what you are experiencing now in Ukraine. The sort of "normal" that we are used to was never sustainable, in my opinion, and now our culture will have a harder time psychologically adjusting to the reality of the world than countries like Ukraine.
Miguel de Unamuno talked about the "tragic sense of life": the concept that everything you hold dear can vanish in an instant, and that deep meaning is to be found in embracing this truth. In the west, we have grown so used to peace and prosperity and all the while becoming less tolerant of normal, daily hardships. The west has very little grasp of the notion of the "tragic sense of life", which is why, I believe, that people here were more prone to raiding supermarket shelves for toilet paper when the pandemic begun.
When I read Blood Meridian, it was like a forceful awakening to the types of violence and suffering that is much closer to the average human experience throughout human history on earth. It felt like a necessary corrective, especially as it's become clear that the peace and prosperity we grew used to is not going to sustain. How else is one to get into contact with these realities without experiencing such hardships first hand? Blood Meridian has been, for me, one of the most powerful lenses for which to deeply consider the past and present of the human condition.
The book is so dense and layered and difficult to read at first, so reading it like one would eat small bits of dark chocolate is a wonderful strategy! I also highly suggest companion books like "Notes on Blood Meridian". Though hard to access initially, this depth and initial difficulty in getting used to the language makes this book so highly rewarding when I re-read it.
And like you said, Pavlov, I believe it to be the most important book in my life. It is not glorifying violence but forcing us to deeply consider what we should do with our violent tendencies. In the west, we've successfully reduced violence and suffering to a large extent. We've gone so far as to encourage neurosis in our youth. Consider how western countries have the phenomena of "safetyism" (aka "helicopter parenting" or "coddling") where parents over protect the kids from daily struggles and conflicts and stunt the child's ability to develop "distress tolerance" and resilience. A mental health crisis started around 2012-2013 and the main factors that the research have identified are the culture of safteyism and "coddling", as well as the increased use of social media (negative social comparisons, bullying). See Jean Twenge's research or the wonderful book "The Coddling of The American Mind" by J Haidt/G Lukianoff for a more in depth treatment.
I work at a kid's hospital as a mental health therapist. We've seen a huge surge in youth mental health admissions since the summer of 2020. Mainly the admissions are for suicide attempts, overdoses, eating disorders, anxiety/mood disorders and psychosis. This trend has been seen in most western countries that had long school closures, encouraged kids to isolate from their peers and so on (ie. countries with a high degree of "safteyism culture"). Interestingly, there was not a similar surge in youth mental health admissions in Nordic countries. In these countries there is a higher degree of tolerance for risk to kids and they recognized that kids were not at much risk from covid. They did not have that overwhelming sense of fear towards kids being exposed to harm that was part of why western countries adopted such harmful covid policies for kids. Ironically in the west, our fear of kids being exposed to harm exposed them to, in my opinion, even greater harms in the form of psychological suffering.
It was in Blood Meridian where I first encountered this sort of concept. The idea that violence and suffering is inherently tied to the human experience, that we ought to be less confident in our ability to fully eradicate violence. In the west, we've reduced it to such an extent but we have not accounted for our growing fear of suffering. The paradox here is that the less suffering we are exposed to, the less well we are able to accept it and deal with it when it arises (this is the concept of anti-fragility, like how our immune systems and bones become stronger through being tested and weaker through being over protected). This lowered tolerance to pain and suffering is not a big deal if we continue down a path of less and less risk and violence in our lives. However, western countries are now being exposed to increasing levels of suffering and risk and with a lowered tolerance to this risk. I believe this explains the hysteria we now see, that we had been losing contact with deep wisdom as a result of our delusion of that we would be able to indefinitely create more and more safety.
The one epigram at the start of Blood Meridian hits on this concept, the one from Paul Valery. The quote is actually from an essay by Valery in which a european diplomat travels to China and meets with a Chinese diplomat around the time of the first Sino-Japanese war (around 1894). The european diplomat remarks how Japan has been sending their young men overseas to learn western technologies, particularly those related to warfare, and then bringing the knowledge back and boosting their military might. The Chinese diplomat scoffs at the remark and launches into a diatribe comparing eastern culture to western culture and mocking the west for it's infatuation with the intellect and disconnect from history. The excerpt from this essay, which makes up the epigram, is as follows:
“You are in love with intelligence, until it frightens you. For your ideas are terrifying and your hearts are faint. Your acts of pity and cruelty are absurd, committed with no calm, as if they were irresistible. Finally, you fear blood more and more. Blood and time.” - Paul Valery
This quote always stuck with me but, like Blood Meridian, took a while to fully unpack. It seems as thought it would be different for Ukrainians as your history has not allowed your citizens to forget the "tragic sense of life" If you are interested, the link for the essay is below. It's a dense read much like Blood Meridian, but these sorts of literature are so much more rich than the types of media most people consume these days. Everything is so hyper-presentist, only aware of what happened last week, constant overload of information that makes it harder for people to have historical perspective and engage in broad, ranging discussions. For these reasons and more, Blood Meridian is a very important book. I must say, like you, Pavlo, that it is the most important book in my life.
Paul Valery - The Yalu
drive.google.com/file/d/16gud4fPsQJWkMD_JFKhya07OdEUTeSKb/view
Stay alert and stay alive. We're all hoping you and your country endure and strengthen thru all of this.
Slava Ukraini
Benjamin, I just want to thank you for this channel. I'm an American who spent far too many years avoiding much of the great literature, and I now find myself with an urgent need to dive in. You are an inspiration. I also have a son wanting to be a writer and preparing to return to college as a lit major. I'll be doing my best to get him hooked on you as well. I've loved what I've read of McCarthy, The Road and The Border Trilogy. After watching this, I'm going to give BM a try. Thank you again and keep the videos coming!
I indeed started reading the book years ago and at some point got distracted. The violence didn't deter me. But due to the fact that McCarthy is essentially recreating a Western book from the 19th Century it requires real concentration. (I have read many of the kinds of books he is referencing.) But alas something in my life came up; thus I never finished it. So this year I started again, but I changed tactics. I have a room to completely remodel, a lot of repetitious removing of wallpaper etc. So I found through RUclips the entire audio version of the book, which is very well read, and thus I accomplished the blasted journey across the Blood Meridian. And I must say there were moments that absolutely stunned me in description and American Gothic beauty and terror. And I found, much like listening to Shakespeare, listening to the whole book really made it come alive, and the distraction factor was zero. And when done with a chapter I would run over to the text and savor it again. For instance crossing the wasteland in chapter 4, which I had read before. This time I felt I was in a fever dream. Thanks for tackling this masterpiece.
By the way I have an old 78 rpm album of selections Moby Dick as read by Charles Laughton. A great actor can do wonders with a great book.
I looked into that moby dick performance. Lots of high praise. Will check out.
The part in the book about the two babies being swung down against each other like a pair of clackers still haunts me.
“By day the banished sun circles the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp.”
I read this and sat back to contemplate the profound and intense imagery it had provoked...This line has stayed in my mind for 3 years since I read “The Road”.
To be honest I am fearful about reading “Blood Meridium”
After reading “The Road”, I viewed some RUclips commentaries. These guys talked about, how the world got this way, are there other survivors, why did it happen? Who is the enemy?
These guys missed the point entirely..
It was about one doomed man's desperate attempt to preserve the life of his son. He confessed to himself, if it weren't for the boy he would lay down and die but as long as the boy was alive, he couldn't.
I had never read a book in one sitting before.
Thank you, Benjamin, your commentaries are brilliant.
Fantastic video. I’m about to start my third read through of BM, and you’ve convinced me to take a much slower approach. Thank you for not only the content and analysis, but your practical reading advice. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
I finally read it recently, it took a few times, I needed to mature as a person to really understand what kind of ideas/meanings Cormac McCarthy was exploring with this novel. I love the book. It's true, the utterly disturbing violence is harder to take than the complexity of his prose. The more you read the more you realize the varied meanings of the different kinds of violence throughout the story. I was able to understand and actually somewhat "enjoy" reading the novel after it all clicked together.
These videos are great, I'm so glad I found this channel
What a great review! Thank you so much for sharing your rewarding reading experience :) You’re so right that Blood Meridian is a novel that benefits from lived experience. Despite the horrors detailed, the prose seems richer to me every time I return to it!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy As an American, I rank him as our greatest living writer. I love seeing how non-Americans react to his work. I'm learning so much from your channel. You convinced me to read Anna Karenina recently and I am extremely grateful. Tolstoy knows how to make you appreciate the joy of life by showing the best in humanity, McCarthy makes you appreciate the joys in life because of how unfairly brutal the world can be on the cruel and innocent alike
Without a doubt the best American novel of the past 50 years. I read it in high school and it completely overwhelmed me.
Completely agree with you :)
David Foster Wallace's review: "Don't even ask." The highest of praise from another great author.
I read about 300 pages of BM, in French (I'm from Belgium) and it's incredibly hard to read and understand what's going on (especially the geography for me) but it's so well written and hypnotising that I could not stop myself to read it. It's an unusual way of writing to me, but at the same time it's so addictive. Your video help me a lot! I bought the road and no country for old men, can't wait to start those too.
That's so cool. Is the French translation brutally beautiful too? I'd love to check it out myself. I've found a paperback edition online of Méridien de sang, ou Le rougeolement du soir dans l'Ouest :) I hope you enjoy The Road and No Country for Old Men - in many ways much easier to break into, and both brilliant in their own right!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Totally! However, I have the impression that french tends to make things less brutal and raw than english. It's not a translation issue, because the book was translated by François Hirsch (who was a brilliant and famous french translator) it's more like a difference in the musicality of the languages! It's not really a huge difference and I can enjoy this masterpiece with no problems! The violence is here, the stunning descriptions of scenery is here and the complex portrait of each character is great! I will finish BM and then read many of the recommandations you've made and re-read BM again, I have the feeling that this book will bring me so much knowledges and fun! Thank you again for this video, new subscriber here!
So true. Many say they cant finish it.
I'm so grateful I stumbled into this video. You pushed me to reread the book - which I binged the first time - slow and aloud and I'm getting so much more. Now I long for a discussion from you on both judge Holden and Anton Chigurh :)
Read this for the first time today and loved it. Finished in two days. Your comments about needing to hear the words are spot on. I read this with the audiobook and it was so much easier to follow.
Just finished listening to Blood Meridian for the third time. I had been searching for this novel in a audio format for nearly 35 years so when it appeared on You Tube it made my year. I most highly recommend this version of the book to all your listeners. I enjoy all your video's Ben and i wonder if you would rank this masterpiece in your own top 100....Cheers
I love this book. It's beautiful, it's poetic, and it's goddamned horrific. What a nightmare of a read. I can still "see" certain scenes in my mind even after all these years. I'm due for a second read. Currently working my way through Melville's Moby-Dick before I attempt (again) Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!- annnnnnd I love this channel. Cheers!
Reality is yet more disturbing and still it has to be coped with and its meaning discerned.
One of my favorite books. I read it straight through the first time I picked it up. Yes, it's often gruesome, but McCarthy's such a fantastic author. This book is such a beautiful and mesmerizing read wrapped in deceptively simple language that is sheer magnificence itself. BTW I copied out some of his prose from this book as well as some from Moby Dick (and others)-- I discovered there are quite a few easy comparisons to be made here. In fact I contend that if you take out most of the punctuation of the language Melville uses, what often remains is a voice very close to McCarthy's-- or the other way around.
I must reread this I saw the and, and, and obviously-- you can't miss it, but I didn't attribute it to the KJV. I've got my homework cut out for me.
So, you really think that the Judge is even more evil than Iago? Yes, I suppose the Judge is more prolific in many ways, but I've (for whatever reason) always thought of Iago atop the all time larger than life heap of evil.
Thank you for this.
It was my third crack before I could finish Blood Meridian. My biggest gripe the first two attempts was the dialogue without quotations. It just drove me nuts. For some reason I decided to give a third go after finding a copy at a secondhand shot (I have purchased the book three times). Had it packed for a trip to Montana two days before McCarthy died. Not sure if his passing softened my bias or simply the third time being the charm.
I want to voice an alternate opinion on how to read Blood Meridian for the first time - don't try to understand it.
Instead, feel it. Feel in yourself what emotions are at play, and then give yourself over to those emotions. Beginning to feel depressed? Disgusted? Sink into that black well willingly. Be uncomfortable. Surround yourself in the despair. Push through. Read on. Sip whisky or wine, read in a dream-like haze, get drunk, keep pushing through the dark. You will emerge on the other side, at some point, reborn.
Only then go back and read Blood Meridian slowly. Only then sit with a dictionary at your side. Only then search for meaning. And let that meaning - if there's any to be found - be your own, and let your feelings of the first reading influence that meaning, that conclusion, let it be as bias as possible.
And then read Suttre. It's the better novel in my opinion.
Superb video Benjamin! It is always a pleasure to watch such videos and that you can share your thoughts and experience as well.
It was a big coincidence since I’m reading my first McCarthy, which is All the Pretty Horses, and so far I’m enjoying it. I started this morning, and it was indeed a big surprise that sometimes the dialogue is in Spanish; as a native Spanish speaker I couldn’t be happier, haha. 😁☺️
Thank you, Axl! And very nice coincidence :) I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying it so far. All the Pretty Horses is a solid McCarthy to start with. He actually has quite a big following of native Spanish speakers, who appreciate how much Spanish he uses in his novels. It’s one of my favourite things about McCarthy’s writing!
Thanks for you quick and helpful reply. I'm looking forward to benefitting substantially from your in-depth analysis of the book. I imagine the perspectives you adopt and approaches you take will inform my understanding of other novels as well. Keep up the great work!
I savored the book, I read it slowly over a month's time. I found some similarities to Steinbeck's (The Grapes of Wrath) including the Bible and Moby Dick as you mentioned. Thank you Benjamin I enjoy your narratives very much.
the book can settle in your head and refuse to leave. I have read the book several times. Currently listening on Audible, it's a very different experience having it read to you. The voice actor is superb. Give this book as a gift, blow some minds
I've given a copy of this book to just about every person I ever really loved.
I dont think any of them have actually read it.
I've read this book over a hundred times,and I'm still hoping that someday I'll find someone to share it with.
Wow. I've bought and gifted this book many times over too, and recommended so many to read it. Some will resist reading it, but I will keep reminding them ;)
I would read it contemplatively and with relish. However I must get it myself.. I know no one any longer
@@Edelwiess1066 high on a rocky ledge?
@@whitekony1006 Yes.
'They rode on...' (McCarthy) 'And so it goes...' (Vonnegut)
I've read it at least 5 times. As a fan of McCarthy, Western writing storyrelling, and having grown up in the West living, the life and learning the history... Blood Meridian takes first prize.
Nice one, Michael. I'll bet with your background Blood Meridian really hits on a deep level!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Yes. The effort he takes to get it perfect is phenomenal. In all his works. The description of the trucks in No Country. The horse and human bond in the border trilogy. The verbiage. My life was unique for a 70s teenager. I really was lucky. I experienced the true last of some things western. When an author or filmmaker gets it right ? Gold. So many don't. A filmmaker said once, Deadwood series perhaps, the audience appreciates attention to detail and authenticity, even if they don't realize it.
I was one who stopped reading this book part way through. But then I picked it back up a few weeks later and finished it. Very glad I did. This was a milestone of my personal reading journey.
Nice one on riding on through Blood Meridian! I feel as though putting it down adds something to the reading experience. Such a masterpiece!
I love this book. It was my 2nd McCarthy book, after Outer Dark. I read it after Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom!, so it wasn’t that difficult in terms of language or style. I really enjoyed the differences between Outer Dark and Blood Meridian.
I have so far read the wonderful “The Road” and have the Picador edition of “Blood Meridian” (bought very cheaply in the Fopp shop in Cambridge) to read when I have finished some prior bought books. I always find your videos inspiring. Have you not thought of returning to Oriel or similar other institution, to teach English and engage in research? Alternatively, you could offer to coach prospective University students of English Literature.
RIP Cormac McCarthy
I’m loving your channel, bro. I just subscribed. 🙏🏼
Thank you so much, my friend. I appreciate you being here!
this is fantastic work. i read this after Orwell and then Huxley, the sort of stuff that defines “YA literature” and i’ve never been able to get it out of my head. really good work here.
All The Pretty Horses was my favorite. I’m looking forward to reviewing Blood Meridian in the book club as I started it but put it down. Awesome video. Benjamin you are the absolute best. I watch for your new posts daily.
I love All The Pretty Horses! And I’m thrilled to hear you’ll be reviewing Blood Meridian with us, Kandy. Thank you for your kind words - I really appreciate them :)
12:15 you’re actually right. I’ve read Blood Meridian years ago and I didn’t like it. It left me very confused on what was going on.
But recently after listening to the audiobook version, it’s a literal masterpiece. I can picture all of the scenes vividly as if I was watching a movie in my mind. It definitely helps to listen to the audio version
Thank you so much for this in depth video! My main issue with the book was its vernacular. I'm a very avid reader, but man this book had some archaic words and phrases like you mentioned, but what I think will help me is your tip on slowing down and maybe even whispering the text. It's been so long since I've had a book cognitively challenge me, and after that first chapter I was feeling a bit shook not knowing how to feel I only half understood the plot, but starting now from the second chapter im going to employ your reading tips and hopefully it will go more smoothly! I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and I'm a big fan of iniquitous characters, and when I heard a bit about judge holden, I knew I had to read it.
i am actually reading this right now . so much violence but the writing is something else, i am loving it so far . thank you for the video as always keep up the good work 🙏
Thank you, my friend! I completely agree, and thrilled to hear you’re enjoying your reading so far :)
Judge Holden reminded me of both Conrad’s Kurtz and Milton’s Lucifer. He shines and is hairless.
That's a powerful insight! He absolutely has both of them in him!
Such an insightful and extensive analysis! Thanks for the video. I'll definitely check out your other work!
One more comment,then I'll try an zip it. Gotta offer up some gratitude! This is the best discussion of BM I've found. Thanks for a very good (and zero arrogance and "this is what McCarthy means" baloney that so many tend to pedal in their self-aggrandizing attempts.) Really appreciate your deeply studied, informed, and humble introductions for so many into the universe of The Redness
Thank you, my friend! I truly appreciate that so much. Blood Meridian is a very special book to me, so I'm thrilled that other lovers of McCarthy like yourself enjoyed the discussion :)
Brillant. I am 86 pages in on my first read. Lots of words to look up.I am tempted to write the definitions of many of these words into my book and re read so I don't interrupt the flow. The lack of characterization is a great departure from the books I have been reading prior but I am committed.
Nice one, Philip! Your reading sounds very strong to me. I'd love to hear what you make of it once you get to the end :)
It is a difficult read, but I was engrossed immediately. Probably due to my love for Dostoyevsky. The part where the hermit explains the human heart in his shack is so chilling, evocative of human evil and non apologetic.
This is exceptional and exactly what I needed. I've just read Blood Meridian, and now I'm ready for round two!
I'm so happy to hear that! I hope your round two is just as rewarding :)
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you. After watching your video, I'm already enjoying it much more. Now the imagery is so incredibly intense and vivid that it's exhausting somehow. It's not the detail that does it, but sometihing else.
There is a lot to say about this work, but I can only express my thanks to you, and this amazing author whom I've only just discovered.
Cheers.
This was a great video. I’m just getting started with blood meridian. I’m reading this for the second time (5 years ago the first). I’ve enjoyed the tempo that I’m reading at
& am looking for the tips from the end of the video. Dig it! Thank you
Literally just started reading it yesterday, perfect time for this video to pop up on my feed. Thank you!
Nice one, Steve! I'd love to know what you make of it!
Its crazy how you mention to read McCarthy allowed. I was doing this with Suttree, reading slow and out loud and pronuncing every word slow and clear and it helped so much. Every single word needs to be considered.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful. I am halfway through reading Blood Meridian for the first time. What helped me to crack the book was pairing it with audiobook. The narrator makes it easier to understand the different voices. That is your point, reading it aloud or listening it being read.
However, I think that listening audiobook is passive and different than traditional reading. But this time I will get myself acquainted with the book and reread on paper to deepen the understanding. I chose the Kindle edition because of the dictionary feature.
Also, have you read Books Are Made Out of Books by Michael Lynn Crews? It is about McCarthy’s literary influences. I enjoy reading it alongside Blood Meridian.
Those are really great tips! For one of my readings, I listened to the Richard Poe audiobook whilst listening simultaneously. Incredible experience. Using the dictionary feature on the kindle is inspired! I would definitely encourage readers to be liberal with how much they look up. I haven’t read Books Are Made Out Of Books, but it sounds like a fantastic recommendation - thank you very much, I’ll check it out!
From the first page some 10 years ago, I have been engrossed by this book. I have subsequently read it at least ten times and listened to Richard Poe's perfect narration of same. It's the juxtaposition of brutality and beauty of the landscape. Mostly mc Carthy's mastery of the English language.
Perfectly put, Margaret! It's that juxtaposition of brutality and beauty that, for me, makes Blood Meridian such a disorienting experience - and yet it's a book I cannot help but return to over and over again!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy thank you Benjamin. For years I was sure no one else read this great book but me. I find a similar beauty in his Outer Dark and certainly The Road.
Another amazing video, Benjamin!
Thanks for sharing!
cheers from Brazil!
Thank you, Eduardo :)
McCarthy is my favourite author. I have read all is work. To me his books are like massive sculptures chiseled out of stone. That’s how i feel when i read them. Big, weighty, complex and beautiful. I tried twice to read BM but put it down each time before getting to far. The third time I persevered and read it to the end then promptly reread is again almost in a single read. It is harrowing but also funny and beautiful. Really enjoying your talks especially this one and Ulysses. I have learnt a lot! thank you.
Just started BM and so glad I found this video. Its excellent and I really appreciate you addressing spoilers in the beginning. I liked and subscribed.
Thank you so much :) I'd love to know what you make of the book!
What a Coincidence! I started reading Blood Meridian last week and today one of the members of a discord server I'm in shared this. This is really helpful because without secondary material I wouldn't be able to fully understand the novel
That's awesome! Let me know what you think of the novel :) I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Reading the norwegian translation. Started about three days ago, and yesterday i reached the famed "whatever exists without my knowledge exists without my consent" line.
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Personally im using wendigoon's video as a companion to the book. Hearing him talk about the passages and picking up on things i miss is really helpful on understanding what's going on.
Great selection and descriptive analysis;
thanks much Benjamin!
My favoritt pass time is to smoke a joint and read this masterpiece out loud to myself
Finished this book last year in a Mexican restaurant with dancing calacas painted on the wall after many pauses beforehand. Still reimaging many scenes, especially from the first chapter. Many portions of the book I just cannot recall.
That's so cool! What an incredible reading experience!
Thank you for this absolutely brilliant lecture.
Thank you so much for watching, Patricia! :)
Excellent analysis of Blood Meridian. You made it sound so intriguing and a must read novel. Its on my list of to be read novels.
Thank you, John :) I’d love to hear what you make of it when you come to Blood Meridian!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Yes will do Benjamin. Reading The Count of monte Cristo at the moment. Fabulous book.
This book is an intense experience. To me the violence is not off putting surrounded by the stunning beauty of the language.
Thank you for introducing me to Tolstoy and his view of history and for Dostoyevsky and his views on religion and spirituality. They are my guides and support here.
Thank you for introducing me to the concept of a literary Canon. All these works twine about each other, play off one another. It is like an expanding view. All because of you.
Haven’t read McCarthy yet but I can’t wait to start. Especially now, after you compared his prose style to the bible, so I’m really curious to see how he was translated to Hebrew, because the English and Hebrew biblical prose style aren’t really comparable.
For an example the “and… and…and” doesn’t sound as weird cause “and” isn’t really a word(it’s more like a single letter at a start of a word) and the verb comes before the noun. Of course there are a lot more differences, but these are the main ones.
That's so cool. Please do let me know what the Hebrew translation is like. I'm fascinated :)
It is very comforting for me to know you had to do as I did, and put the book down at one period. (The period was October 7, 2023 and the atrocities in Israel had a major impact)…I have since picked it back up and am taking my time, making notes. It is a struggle for me. But worth the effort.
I may have already read the book several times before but I'll still watch this video because I never give up on the opportunity to listen to other people talk about this book.
I just finished listening to your video on how to read Blood Meridian. I abhor violence and only the lecture I just heard you give on this book could entice me to read it. I was enraptured by your analysis of this book. While you were speaking and reading some passages I was thinking to myself, that's Falkner, that's Hemingway. I even recognized some of the St. James Bible, a version that I almost never read. You have convinced me, I will read the book. I did go see A Clockwork Orange, once. I spent a lot of the movie with my eyes closed but I do think it's a great movie, though I have never watched it again. I sent a request to join the book club and I am looking forward to joining if I am eligible. Your teaching style is mesmerizing.
Loved the explanation why symbolism is so important. I also remember my grade school teacher talking about Reader Reward. Just started my 2nd read with the internet handy as there is a lot to look up. Anticipate a 3rd read. Thanks for the encouragement to this literature novice. I won't be the same (or will I?) after all this and that will be my reward. Also, can't help but think about Ukraine. Why does it have to be this way?
Hi, Benjamin. You might find interesting too that the tone of McCarthy in Blood Meridian, this reluctance for commas that make sentences apparently longer and quite musical, is also an imprint of Samuel Beckett's 'Company', published in the late seventies. If you read that one you'll find that they're cousins. I wonder if McCarthy read it or it is just a coincidence. Thank you for this guide, by the way. I'm following most of your advices to read this book, quite slowly. It is a wonder.
I just finished reading this and can concur with these tips. I'll definitely be rewatching this before my reread in the future.
this is te greatamerican novel. captures the american ethos with precision. mccarthy is america's greatest living writer and one of its greatest ever. loved all his novels but esp the crossing.
I completely agree with you!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy an excellent reading by the way. love your channel. phuket
I adore this book... if adore is the right word. It's deeper than I could ever understand, but I certainly like trying to grasp it.
I adore it too - it's one of the most sublime things I've read! Endlessly rereadable!
I wish I'd have had this when I read the book in November lol. I'll be sure to use these tips on the reread though. It really is a brilliant piece of literature.
Nice one, John :) I’d love to hear how your reread goes, and how it compares to your first reading!
Honestly, I think depictions of violence in visual media hit much harder and are more disturbing on a visceral level. So if you've weathered visual depictions of violence in media, even mild visual depictions you should be alright. I didn't find the novel that unsettling, in the sense of the depictionsof violencealthough I am a violence-desensitized millenial. What unsettled me is when you dig underneath, what the novel is saying about evil, the nature of evil and its place in the world. Blood Meridian brought me to reading Moby Dick (Cormac's favorite novel) which is where I've been for a while now as I've found it to be a challenge, but a rewarding one. I've also read some of McCarthy's other works. No Country, The Road, Outer Dark, All The Pretty Horses. I also discovered Flannery O'Connor through McCarthy (southern gothic) so I recently bought her Complete Stories. Next up is Suttree, then probably re-read All The Pretty Horses before the other two Border Trilogy novels. McCarthy is my favorite novelist so far, and in my opinion the best living America writer although I haven't read Delilo or Pynchon. I also recently learned about Norman Mailer and I think I moght want to look into him, and Philip Roth, Delilo, Pynchon... This is a great channel that I really enjoy & appreciate, keep it up. Thank you.
I'm with you on that. I think if one is able to stomach a Tarantino film, McCarthy's Blood Meridian should be readable. This does remind me, however, of when I saw Inglorious in the cinema (the day it came out) - that scalping scene... Multiple people got up from their seats and made a rush towards the exit. One of them didn't make it, and fainted in the aisle. I agree with the unsettling thing being on what the novel is saying about evil - there's a huge, important, and unnerving discussion to be had around that. It sounds like your reading is going really well. I love that McCarthy brought you not only to Moby Dick but to the Southern Gothic writers like Flannery O'Connor too. And thank you for the kind words, my friend, I appreciate them :)
I’m very new to your channel but love the content so far. I want to know if you’ve read the divine comedy by Dante.
Thank you, Ishmael :) I really appreciate that! I have indeed. I am actually planning some long-form content about Dante at the moment!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Looking forward to watch them!
Hi Benjamin, thanks for the guide! I lil bit curious about which postmodern writers you'd like to read? Take care...
Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, Toni Morrison are three that I love that immediately leap to mind :)
Hi Ben
Your pre reading intro of Blood Meridian is extremely interesting. I don’t think I’m ready for it yet as I still haven’t read enough.
I have a question: so, here we are reading a book from the 1980s ( with all its post modern preoccupations in style, influences and mindset and ideology ) about the 19th century ( with its historical veracity, mindset and ideology ). How do these two sensibilities meet and hold hands?
I read this compelling, shocking novel years ago; the hairs still stand up on the back of my neck just thinking about it now. I held on to this book, just can't let it go.
I can't wait to read this! Thanks for this video.
Let me know what you think :)
Read this about 5 years ago. I have never been able to get this book out of my mind. Need to reread soon.
7:10 I’ve only read ‘Blood Meridian’, ‘A Farewell to Arms’ and I’m currently reading ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. But can someone explain how there is any “Hemingway tradition” in ‘Blood Meridian’?
Have you read Suttree? If so, how does its prose compare against Blood Meridian's (gore aside)? I've begun the former as a sort of prelude to BM but had no idea its prose would be so difficult to follow. I certainly don't see myself finishing Suttree but would you say BM is "simpler"?
McCarthy’s planes of linguistic virtuosity and visionary power are so intense, I walk away from his works on a high. Blood Meridian is a dark, evocative masterpiece. I took small breaks from much of the violence, half-day interstitials, very similar to my consumption of Bolaño’s 2666!
RB was influenced by CM. Amalfitano feels like a homage to Holden, and he put him in his small list of American writers he admires.
@@architchaudhary1285 Yes, I can imagine everything great (and bad) writer he absorbed. He mentioned reading voraciously, anything he could steal, and he was stealing a lot, according to interviews. McCarthy has been unavoidable for decades for anyone at all interested in the second half of the 20th century masters.
Benjamin, have you read Carlos Castaneda's books? What do you think about it? How Do you rate his works?
I haven't, but certainly looks up my street! I would love to pick some of his works up. Where would you recommend me to start?
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Carlos has written a consistent series of 11(or 12) books about the teachings of the Mexican Indians. So start with the first book "The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" (1968), then follow chronologically. It seems to me that this is quite unusual literature with a very extraordinary effect from reading itself. It will be interesting to know your opinion about this.
Brilliant work, sir.
Thank you, Aaron! I really appreciate that :)
Have you read Suttree? I'd love to see you do a video like this of that book.
I have :) Phenomenal work. I'd definitely be keen to discuss Suttree at length in the future!
Superb pointers in here plus a few close reading samples. I hadn't really considered the contextual aspects of writing traditions that permeate the prose of this text, but taking these tips, particularly the ones around post-modern variables, one is probably more mobilized to venture along with the gang. I also noticed shiny little permutations of Faulkner vs. Hemingway,, the ambiguity that is born of the simple poetical style. And of course, the massive vertebrae of Moby Dick arches across the plot line.
Its one of the most obvious and voilent novel i have read so far.I love his novelThe road" ..and" All the pretty horses" too.Greetings to you from Kathmandu🤗
I'm 50 pages into this book but after watching this I'm starting it over and taking it more slowly
This is helpful, insightful, and a joy to listen to. Thanks!
I just started reading it today and right away I knew this one would not be easy.
These days I only read for pleasure and entertainment.
Real life is stressful and harrowing enough.
I didn't take the time to thank you for this video. Thank you. This Author is extremely important to me. He's changed and affirmed, my thoughts on Authors, and the skill of writing.
Thank you, Michael :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it! McCarthy is important to me too - I feel quite a close personal kinship to him.
@@BenjaminMcEvoy I'd like to take this opportunity to ask someone other than a friend, these question. My Son and I feel, Cormac as the uncanny ability to do these three things, plus many more. (1) To lead the reader mentally down several paths at once. The various characters backstories start to flesh out for me, without him actually going there. (2) Definitely related to (1) When finished with a book , to hold it physically and look at it, wondering how in the world did I get that much story and information from that little book ? We believe he tricks the mind to consciously and un consciously travel within the story. Building more and more narrative. Example.. Reading the Crossing. (Even for the 6th time) I feel as tho I've read Shadow County, by Peter Matthison. 912 pages. (3) some of his works, for my Son and I both, while reading, we sometimes enter a type of dream state. Thanks again.
Benjamin, Your intense and illuminating introduction to Blood Meridian gives me an uneasy feeling of what is happening in the world today...
Thank you, John! I appreciate that so much. And I think you're right to have that uneasy feeling. Blood Meridian, unfortunately, is incredibly relevant!
If you like beautiful copies of books the folio edition of this is amazing. It even contains illustrations unique to the edition.
What a great video! I had been struggling to read blood meridian so I put it down. But I feel ready now :) thanks!
Thank you :) I'm so happy you found it useful! Let me know how you get on with Blood Meridian!
We should all make the effort to read this novel however difficult, for what it has to remind us of the world we live in now.Great job!
I just finished reading it. A fantastic experience and did read most of it aloud. The ending is unusual, jarring. I have my theories on it.
I'm really glad it's not just me having a hard time reading it lol. Not really because of the content (I am going so slow I haven't really gotten to anything really really bad yet), but because it's so dense. I got through The Road so easily but this is totally different.
I DNF'ed it halfway through because the lack of a plot or internal dialogue was just boring me, as beautiful as the descriptive scenic prose and violence were
I would be curious, speaking of post-modernist and modernist labels, so far as these course instruments can take our understanding of the minutiae of artistic movements, what your take on the present literary movement is, whether we are still in post-modernism, or whether we have gone past it.
what do u think between Iago and Judge Holden? Thank u very much
Judge Holden could certainly trace his bloodline back to Iago!
On the influence of the King James Bible and polysyndaton - Biblical Hebrew has no punctuation: the Hebrew "AND" signals the beginning of a sentence as a period signals the end of a sentence in modern European languages. The translator of the King James' Bible, may well have been carrying this linguistic feature of Biblical Hebrew over into the English text.
deserves more subs. very very easily the best 'booktube' channel
Thank you, Alex :) I appreciate you saying that!