A few months ago I watched this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-56bgEON8sY) and saw that Blood Meridian was his fourth favorite of all time. The book seemed really up my alley and I purchased it immediately…
Wow, this book *feels* like deciphering hieroglyphics.
The story itself is intriguing but I feel as though it’s hidden under layers and layers of dense verbiage that I can’t comprehend. I find myself reading a sentence, thinking that the subject is going in one direction, but then new verbiage is added and I’ve completely lost the direction of the passage. The book feels like a jigsaw puzzle with infinite pieces.
It’s definitely the least-direct book I’ve ever read.
I’ve gotten halfway through the book in the course of three months but I couldn’t honestly tell you where the characters are, their strengths and weaknesses, or any overall theme I’m getting. How do you understand this book?
by Bryan3s
7 Comments
Listen to it and read along. It’s a lot easier. Also realize this is the kind of book you come back to over a lifetime. You not going to get it all in one sitting. Don’t pressure yourself to try. Relax and enjoy the words and the language.
I feel the same way. The stuff he presents clearly and disgustingly is what he is focusing us on. The plot and character stuff that seems to float around and not even always make sense is not what is being remembered and presented.
I get the same way about this book. I felt dumb after trying to listen to it and spacing out every ten minutes.
Who is Jared Henderson? Are you reading the list in the video?
Just open your mind and soak up the vibes. I’ve noticed that a lot of readers on this sub are really adherent to an analytical approach to reading which I guess is understandable given the way that literature is usually taught and tested. But I think that in many cases you end up enjoying and learning more from books when you use a more experiential approach. In other words, just let yourself have the experience of reading the book. Let Cormac McCarthy take you on a mental journey. Don’t worry if you can’t recant it, or summarize it, or articulate the themes. The experience of spending several hours reading a book shapes the way that you think, even if you aren’t aware of or can’t articulate how.
>I’ve gotten halfway through the book in the course of three months but I couldn’t honestly tell you where the characters are, their strengths and weaknesses, or any overall theme I’m getting.
You’re probably losing the thread because you’re taking like two weeks at this rate to get through a chapter. You don’t have to understand every word. You just have to keep going and things will fall into place. In any case the judge pretty much spells out the main themes of the book in the second half, or at least his perspective on them.
To be honest you read this book for the layers and layers of dense verbiage. Yes there is a story underneath. But if your whole goal is just to tease out the plot, you’re gonna have a bad time. It’s definitely unyielding in it’s prose and such not for everyone which is totally fine.