Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy

Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy edited by Edwin T. Arnold and Dianne C. Luce Cormac McCarthy is securely established as one of the masters of American literature. His first four novels, his screenplay "The Gardener's Son," and his drama The Stonemason are all set in the south. Starting with Blood Meridian (1985), he moved west, to the border country of Texas and Old and New Mexico, to create masterpieces of the western genre, including All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. Few writers have so completely and successfully described such different locales, customs, and people. Yet McCarthy is no regionalist. His work centers on the essential themes of self-determination, faith, courage, and the quest for meaning in an often violent and tragic world. For readers wishing to know McCarthy's works this collection is both an introduction and an overview. With the exception of the drama The Stonemason (1994), all his major publications are covered. This handbook is an essential resource for McCarthy scholars, students, or serious readers. Edwin T. Arnold is a professor of English at Appalachian State University. Dianne C. Luce is chair of the English department at Midlands Technical College.