This is a page from The Road. Why does McCarthy write like this? It seems like he randomly decides to use apostrophes for his contractions. The dialogue is also rarely attributed to the speaking characters.
>>7778698
because it legitimately doesn't matter at all, you can still read it perfectly fine and his prose lends itself to a more minimalist approach to punctuation
his dialogue is generally just back and forth so why would it need to be attributed
>>7778698
A quick Google search would answer your question, OP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy#Writing_style
>McCarthy is known for his sparse use of punctuation. McCarthy told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that he prefers "simple declarative sentences" and that he uses capital letters, periods, an occasional comma, a colon for setting off a list, but never semicolons. He does not use quotation marks for dialog and believes there is no reason to "blot the page up with weird little marks". Erik Hage notes that McCarthy's dialog also often lacks attribution, but that "[s]omehow...the reader remains oriented as to who is speaking". McCarthy's attitude to punctuation dates to some editing work he did for a professor of English while he was enrolled at the University of Tennessee, when he stripped out much of the punctuation in the book being edited, which pleased the professor.
>>7778728
>He does not use quotation marks for dialog and believes there is no reason to "blot the page up with weird little marks".
> no reason to "blot the page up with weird little marks".
so why doesn't he just release a book of blank pages?
>>7778742
Why are you asking me?
>>7778750
>Why are you asking me?
>?
why are you blotting the page up with this weird little mark?
it's not random at all, actually. he usually just takes out the apostrophe for a contraction after 'I.'
but yeah it'd be better if there were none at all. I've seen it done, and it works pretty well.
Because he's a hack. Punctuation exist to help organize the text for the reader -- it's not there to fill in as an optional linguistic substance.
There's a reason why literature was so much better when it was either initially orally composed than written down (Homer and most of the writers in antiquity) or by people who read by reading exclusively out-loud to fully appreciate a text. Now it's a literal multi-generational meme that people try to emulate the literal appearance of a text in their works and not the substance it-self -- hence all the stupid punctuation and style that exist out there now that the modernist movement has made acceptable.
If Cormac McCarthy were to sit down and read out-loud the shit he writes I guarantee you that he would realize how stupid it sounds and probably change it.
>>7778770
this
reminder that poetry that can't be sung isn't poetry
>>7778770
>tfw reading epic poetry out loud and receiving physical pleasure on your lips
>>7778770
>vocalizing a text based medium art other than poetry
>>7778797
Nope. Anything that's written should be suitable for speaking.
Tolkien, for example, read large parts of LOTR to small audiences throughout England. I'd rather people follow his example than that of those who have forgotten you're supposed to TELL a story; not just write and read it.
>>7778803
I agree that storytelling is on its own craft.
But don't presume no deaf or mute can fully enjoy literature because it doesn't appeal to the extraneous senses required for reading.
>>7778814
They can enjoy it, sure; but enjoy it fully?
If you were blind, the whole world of visual art would be essentially lost on you.
Granted you'd not know what you're missing; but you'd still be missing something.
>>7778820
It's different with reading. You would never actually experience being on a Pirate ship in 1700s but if you had vivid enough imagination, an text can take you there.
>>7778759
There's a
>You cant
Revise your hypothesis newbie
>>7778698
>dialogue without quotation marks or dashes
This makes me miss Grapes of Wrath
good that book is good
>>7778728
>but never semicolons
Pynchon does this in Gravity's Rainbow (not sure about his other works, haven't read them). Not familiar with how much criticism exists on GR but does anyone know of any critical essays/articles which discuss his use of punctuation and phrasings like "sez"? Sounds like it'd be an intriguing topic.
>>7778846
contractions occurring after a pronoun
>>7778938
>"sez"
I was flipping through Finnegans Wake yesterday and saw this, being used exactly as Pinecone does.
So OP is complaining to us about McCarthy. As though we are him. Exemplified by his many responses. What is the point of this thread? I replied.
>>7778698
Its like reading Slaughterhouse 5 all over again
>>7778728
Why is it like his autistic use of freight-train sentences should be commended? This should just be considered a lack of competency
>>7778997
>Why is it like his autistic use of freight-train sentences should be commended?
I don't think anyone has commended him specifically for his lack of pronunciation, Anon.
What is this thread. I don't even...
>>7778698
"American speech isn't worthy of being framed by apostrophes apparently", He said as he let out a chortle and checked the time.
Gimme some novels that do this to reflect the mood/delivery of a line
Well, my thoughts are that this fits with the plot of the book, in the sense that everything has been destroyed and nothing fucking matters anymore, so why should punctuation matter?
>>7778698
This is fucking terrible, this is actually McCarthy's writing?
>>7779275
lel wait till you read Blood Meridian
>>7778698
For a board obsessed with authors that play games with prose, McCarthy sure gets shit on for his.
>>7779287
he used to be a beloved meme author. the meme got old so now lit hates him
I've never read him before, but that page was very easy and pleasurable to read. What's your problem, OP? Unless you were asking out of admiration, then I think the answer is "It's what makes him so good."
>>7778949
The connection between Gravity's Rainbow and Finnegans Wake isn't mentioned anywhere as far as I can tell. After reading both of them, I definitely saw it for myself though. There are more than a few similarities between the two books and I don't think it was unintentional on Pinecone's part.
>wahh its too hard for me so that means its bad
>>7779309
It's not hard at all, it's just lazy and faggots like you pretend it's deep or highly stylized when it isn't.
>>7779277
I honestly didn't even finish that one.
Was there any part of the novel that was supposed to be entertaining?
>>7778755
>why are you blotting the page up with this weird little mark?
>?
why are YOU blotting up the page with this weird little mark
>>7779553
Wait. Are the people on this board those weird autists who don't enjoy enjoying their alleged favorite activity? Like those movie people who watch Godard?
>>7779559
>reading for enjoyment
>>7779316
Correct
McCarthy writes like that because he wants to be edgy and special.
>>7778832
The pleasure of a text is not only to be found in the ideas and images that are represented, but also in the represented sounds. Rhythm, alliteration, consonance, rhyming etc. can and do appear in prose and play an important part in the enjoyment of the text. The art of writing well and the art of speaking well are intimately connected (naturally, since writing is a system for representing speech).
(Deaf people might have their own version of this enjoyment, though, since for them writing represents not sounds but hand signs, and since there's probably some kind of aesthetic to sign language. But to utilize those aesthetic qualities you'd have to write a text designed from the ground up to appeal to deaf people.)
>>7779559
>>7779559
There's a difference between enjoying reading and bitching that Blood Meridian doesn't offer enough traditional entertainment value. I enjoy reading, but anon complaining that Blood Meridian isn't "entertaining" marks him as a pleb. Blood Meridian was a fascinating read, and if you are still searching for "entertainment value" then you should stop trying to read anything harder than genre fiction.
>>7779559
>Like those movie people who watch Godard?
I don't even like Godard. But his movies are very easily enjoyable at a certain time in the hobby. I don't understand the likeness you have seen.
>>7779600
He doesn't get Godard, and thinks since it isn't popularly enjoyable like The Avengers, it must be pretentious and nobody can sincerely enjoy it.
>>7779599
>Fascinating
>You have validated my point and I can take my leave knowing I am correct.
>>7779612
Oh I get it, the only trouble is that it isn't post modern, it doesn't make a statement, it isn't a suitable way for film to move from the overly traditional novel form, its basically everything that Tarkovsky bitches about in Sculpting in Time.
>>7779623
Because you don't like it you think other people don't enjoy it?
>>7779619
I was entertained by Blood Meridian, I enjoyed it. You can take you're leave knowing your an anti-intellectual plebbit shitposter.
Oh God. This thread gave me cancer. Why is /lit/ even allowed to talk about books.
>>7779685
>le cancer maymay
>why is literature board allowed to talk about books
You're such a cool oldfag, I bet you can tell us about how we wuz hackerz and trolled every single person on the planet by existing
>>7779525
yeah that's better thanks
>>7778997
>He thinks short, 3-word sentences are a good thing
Fuckin' pleb.
>>7779779
>He thinks short, 3-word sentences are a bad thing
>>7779803
>Reading or writing anything whose sentences are not as long, sprawling and descriptive as possible
>>7779820
the loser by bernhard. whole damn book is one sentence.
>>7778698
Found the same sort of thing in All The Pretty Horses of his border trilogy. Once the characters were established it was easy enough to work out who was speaking, so I didnt mind.
I came to read it as his characters having a preference for actions over words (especially John Grady Cole), which tied into this text very well given his depiction of culture in Mexico, but maybe not his other books, I wouldnt know.
Speaking of, has anyone read the other titles in the Border Trilogy? They worth reading?
