After seeing a bunch of comments about Blood Meridian, I wanted to put in my two cents.
First, I’m not saying this to try to convince anyone to like any book or genre, some genres just aren’t enjoyable for some people and that’s okay!
But as someone who loves this genre, it is HARD to read (even for someone who has been reading it for a long time). Every genre takes a specialty reading skill-set, some are more niche than others (e.g. Shakespeare) and this is one of them! For a lot of people first reading SGL texts, it can simultaneously seem too much (gruesome and detailed topics, opaque dialogue) and not enough (slow-paced, abstract). Every time I try to read Faulkner my head about falls off. For me, learning to read the genre has been worth it (Wise Blood and A Streetcar Named Desire are two of my all-time faves), for some it won’t be.
Ultimately, I’m just trying to say you’re not a bad reader or an outlier if Blood Meridian is tough to wade through for you.
by literatejenna
1 Comment
I think you mean “Blood Meridian (and maybe McCarthy in general) and Faulkner are hard.” The genre itself isn’t really difficult, it’s just individual writers who are. There’s plenty more accessible writers in the genre, it’s just that Faulkner alone is more challenging than many other writers combined.