Just finished it today. Bleak. Enjoyed your take on things. What was your dram of choice? Looked like you needed some uisge to process it all. The time covered was difficult to gauge. By the end I assumed that years had passed due to the child's description. As with all other McCarthy I've read it took me a while to get into the rhythm of his style. The suspicious meat and the blood drinking at the end seemed eucharistic, was the child an avatar of Christ? The search for him etc. Was the tinker's end meant to mirror Judas'? The swine over the cliff (while echoing the Gadarenes) seemed out of place, I'm not sure what it was saying? Also, I kept thinking early on that this was a tale of Adam and Eve's expulsion. Probably not though. Anyway, Blood Meridian was my 1st McCarthy and remains my favourite. Otherwise Child Of God is the only other I've read. The Road nearing the top of my TBR pile now.
Allan! I'm so glad you came back with your thoughts! My dram of choice? I mix in the bottle my 2 favourite sipping whiskeys of the moment which are currently 1/2 Kirkland Irish Whiskey, and 1/2 salted caramel Canadian Crown Royal Whiskey. Yes, I mix whiskey, with more whiskey. LOL! This is the best flavour for $ I've found so far. I'm not sure if you enjoy whiskey but I just found a brand called Writer's Tears (how ironic) that is so amazingly smooth for the price it needs no ice. It blows my mind every time I treat myself with a drink on occasion. Sorry about that ramble. Outer Dark- The passage of time is hard to gauge and the scenes aren't always in order. I noticed this on the second reread but it's interesting to contemplate rearranging some of the later scenes. What if the meat Culla ate was from his son? The child was scarred and burnt and missing an eye in that later scene, and only the bones of the baby are left when Rinthy finds him, meaning they probably ate the poor child. Grim! I had thought that the child is a representation of Christ but I like your mention here of the search for him. I hadn't thought about that in those terms but I agree with you. I think the tinker is Judas. This is one of the thoughts I edited out to shorten the video. The body of the tinker has a black mandrake grow through it, which is a Mediterranean plant whose fruit is called the “love apple” or “satan’s apple”. And it wasn’t until this point that I started to think of Culla and Rinthy as a representation of Adam and Eve. This is another thought I cut from the video but which has been growing on me, Eve was created of Adams flesh, so you could say they were related to one another. But I can also see the story of Cain in Culla. God warns Cain that sin is ever waiting to control him. Cain kills his brother Able. God asks Cain where his brother is and Cain says he doesn’t know and that he’s not his guardian, which sounds a lot like how Culla says the child is nothing to him. Because of his actions God tells him he will be a homeless wanderer on the earth. And Rinthy as Eve makes a bit of sense when we think about how both of these women refused to stay wilfully blind in Eden. Rinthy, instead of eating the forbidden fruit to gain knowledge, tries to find her child's body, and when she discovers Culla/Adam's lie she is blamed for it. It's interesting to think about. Another thing I cut out was some analysis of the names.The origins for the name Culla is ancient Scottish origin meaning boar. Now that can’t be a coincidence? Can it? All I could find for the meaning of the name Rinthy is through numerology which I cannot say I personally understand. But it means clever, strengthful, and great mankind. There was a bit of elaboration with being the bedrock of society and wanting to be of service to the world. Radiating reliability and consistency and people trust you and feel secure with your judgment. It is apt that their family name is Holme and one might think this is an ironic name considering the two siblings wander homelessly through most of the story, the name seems to also be of English/Scottish origin and means someone who lived near a holly tree. The holly tree being a druid symbol of fertility and eternal life and perceived to have magical powers. The pointy leaves are thought to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ while the berries represent his blood and why the Christians have adopted the tree as a symbol of Christmas. And Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. The human sacrifice born in a humble place. The child? I'm currently working on my analysis of The Passenger and it and Outer Dark has me believing that McCarthy's use of ince$t is less about ince$t and more about a reference to Adam and Eve and the origins of humanity. The Road is your next McCarthy novel? So far that's my second favourite of his works after Blood Meridian. Let me know your thoughts about it and thank you for sharing Outer Dark with me.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize dram wise: drink what you want how you want, there is way too much whisky snobbery. I have Johnny Walker Black, Knappogue Castle 12 year old, and a bottle of poitin in the cupboard. All very different beasts. Not had the Writer's Tears, see it often, will give it a bash. The names I didn't even consider as I read this book. I suppose, partly, due to them being rarely used. I've known plenty folk with odd names and didn't think anything of it. Should have though due to it being McCarthy. At times I found the flavour a bit like Jim Thompson (The Getaway, The Grifters, The Killer Inside Me). To me anyway. For some reason I've been pondering the horses, the one that Rinthy hides from and the one that was on the ferry. Both end with no one on them. One for Rinthy and one for Culla. I think they are the only horses? I think all the wagons and buggies are drawn by mules etc or the tinker with his. Are the horses important? Are they the missed means of escape for them? Certainly a book that has left me pondering. Also, the long form video was a good call for this. I think most that would be interested would have been happy with you leaving a bunch of stuff in rather than editing it out. But there's probably some youtube/algorithm advantage to certain lengths of uploads. Now I'm onto a spy novel as a palate cleanser (Dead Lions by Mick Herron). Take it easy.
@@AngryPict It seems whiskey, books, and all hosts of things humanity can take pleasure in can be turned into snobbery. Seems foolish to me. One thing I will say about the Writer's Tears is that it's so smooth it doesn't have much personality. There is a slight fruitiness to it though. I like GreenSpot also. I haven't tried much Johnny Walker or the others you listed. Saúde! The Squire also had a horse to pull his wagon, but the 2 horses for Rinthy and Culla are interesting to contemplate. Rinthy seems distrustful of the horse, but she can see it. Culla is terrified of being killed by the horse, but cannot even see it. 🤔Culla is confronted with the horse and is made to wait for it before he can cross the river (the obstacle in his path), but when calamity strikes during the voyage across the river, Culla is to afraid to reach out for the horse (perhaps the representation of God for Culla?) and the Bearded man says this to Culla at the fire too. That horse came to Culla during the night. Rinthy's comes to her in the sunrise, and she is also leery of it. A horse would defiantly make one's journey easier to bear. Rinthy knowingly turns from God (like Eve?) and Culla can't even see him? The Squire can harness the horse in his life and is walking in fellowship with God. A palate cleanser is needed after a McCarthy read. 😆 Thank you for the thoughts about the length of the video. I worry the length becomes boring as I have personally come across a lot of dry content. I don't wish to waste anyone's time.
@It's Too Late to Apologize yes to the Adam and Eve...I am so looking forward to your take on the Passenger and Stella Maris!!!! I might take up this whiskey thing, which seems to go handily with insights
Love your reviews, and appreciate the length as well! I'd still watch even if it was two hours. I really enjoy your perspectives and the unpretentious but still deeply insightful style with which you approach such dense and beautiful works. Enjoyed this one as much as I expected to. I wish I had time to write more but work has been overwhelming this year. Don't be upset if you get a wall of text on this six months from now :D.
I have penciled in the arrival of this wall of text into my schedule. Don’t let me down. 😉 Thank you for watching and for your kind words. I was hoping to not put people to sleep with the length of this video but this book was so dense I couldn’t cut out more. As is I cut out stuff. Lol! And I keep having more thoughts about it. I wonder if McCarthy is implying that God’s shame of his creation is what leads him to leave man to certain tragedy as Culla leaves his creation to certain tragedy because of his shame. And another thought I have now is the Squire calling it a “God given dollar” implying also that the reward for one’s labour is a gift from God. But what does that mean of the money received from destruction and killing? It’s not hard to kill, there’s not much labour to it. So might this mean it’s not a reward but a curse. That old man was cursed and come to think of it, anyone who went out of their way to kill did seem a bit cursed (like the man bitten by a snake and the old woman killing snakes)🤔 So much to ponder. Gotta love it!
Thank you so much for this! Your analysis was so thoughtful and insightful. I’m going to read the book again and I JUST finished it. Looking forward to watching more of your content!
Woooooow, you went DEEP into this one! 😁 Really good stuff here. I think Outer Dark really is one of McCarthy's most inscrutable works. There were so many elements in it that were allegorical or could be allegorical that I didn't really know how to take it. I didn't actually think it was too terribly dark though; the abundant black humor had me grinning at times. 😆 The 3 strangers/Unholy Trinity were pretty menacing though. The conversation about names and how they're necessary for the claiming of things actually ties into certain aspects of The Passenger, I think. And the discussion about the mulefoot hogs was so fascinating to me, and really demonstrated how McCarthy is able to infuse seemingly insignificant talk with deep philosophical musings. I definitely need to reread this book. Excellent analysis! 😉
I perhaps went too deep, as in this video was my longest yet. I really wanted to cut it shorter but I failed. Hopefully it was interesting enough to not bore. 🤞🏼It was a really interesting read that really made me want to understand what McCarthy was trying to say. I’m not sure if I figured it out but I tried. There is darker work than this but the ince$t and what happens to the baby is pretty dark. How little care is given to such a small innocent human is an atrocity but perhaps McCarthy has desensitized us to that child’s plight. Thanks for watching.
Oh! And an interesting thing that I cut out of the video is that the name Culla has ancient Scottish roots that means boar. Coincidence? I think not. 😄
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Ooh, interesting! I always found it odd how the name of the character in the book was sort of close to McCarthy's son's name, Cullen. :)
First ran into your Moby Dick vid - which may be my favorite of all time. Your in depth analysis, obvious passion for the story, rhythmic sipping and emotional/theatrical looks either into the camera or to the sidelines all add up to an entertaining and provocative rundown of the novel. And I appreciate your inclusion of deep cuts (Outer Dark) from classic authors. Thank you for kicking so much literary ass!
Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words and thank you for being here to enjoy books with me. I love the discussion of books and ideas and often someone in the comments will point out a different perspective I hadn’t thought about and that is so awesome. There was a time I thought literature one had to wrestle with was not my thing. I didn’t understand how to get better at dissecting difficult literature, and I wanted to get better at it, and making these videos has challenged me in that area. I hope these videos can help others as they have helped me to discover another level of enjoyment in reading I thought was closed to me. Thank you again, good sir. 🥃🍻
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Gracias for such a punctual reply! I’m blown away by how much you took away metaphorically (Hercules, importance of names and blindness…) from this novel! I tend to focus on the literal, especially when it comes to the difficult to read such as Melville, McCarthy, Joyce…. Big picture interpretive symbolism I rely on others to enlighten me with. I’ve read OD twice and haven’t scratched the surface you have blasted and mined. And I never would have by myself. But thanks to you, I will have these ideas in mind next time. On another note, Pynchon? My favorite author besides Melville. I humbly submit Crying of Lot 49, Vineland or Bleeding Edge as entry points if you haven’t gone down that road yet. Once again, I appreciate your energy, your combination of humor and incisiveness and costumes. Mazeltov
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize i would not recommend beginning with GR. Getting a feel for Pynchon’s ways and themes before tackling that one makes more sense IMHO. If you are in a hurry to go for one of his major classics, walk the line of Mason & Dixon. Unlike any other novel in the world, lol AND tear inducing, hysterical fiction as you are unsure of the narrator but who has ever provided us with a more accurate overall feel for pre-Revolution times? and about as wonderful a first page intro as there ever could be. AND lots more heart and characterization than GR. Just my opinion. You are clearly a very capable reader. I’m not sure I could’ve stuck with GR without having traversed a few of his others beforehand tho. And that would have been more than a shame, since he is my favorite author and has changed my life in a major way.
@@travishanks4176 Thank you for the recommendation. I will take it to heart. It would be poor form to not get an idea of a writers style before tackling one of their more difficult or challenging works. And perhaps GR is not his most challenging but it certainly has a reputation.
I read this book about a year ago and I was left feeling utterly gobsmacked. I gave it 5* easily even though I knew I hadn’t scratched the surface of understanding it. It is the most depraved and disturbing book I’ve ever read. Twilight by William Gay comes close, tho. This is the one book I can’t quit thinking about and I want to re read it except for the fact that it is SO bleak and unredeeming in many ways and so I need to steer clear of it for awhile. My GOD what a masterpiece. Imo, it’s my favorite book of his I’ve read so far and I’ve read nearly everything except his newest releases.
Love this vid! fun to watch and really insightful. McCarthy works usually need a bit of follow-up/discussion for me bc they're so rich in symbolism and general intensity, so I've enjoyed watching and taking notes on this one. I still need to watch some more Blood Meridian recaps as well. It's funny, Outer Dark seemed a bit less relentless than Meridian *at first* lol. And then I got to the later parts and was absolutely shocked. McCarthy really is a unique voice. I wonder why he's not classified or at least loosely discussed in the horror genre?? Perhaps it's due to his elevated literary style and acceptance in high-performing academic circles etc. Anyways, I'm excited to watch more of your vids and add to my TBR list!
Thank you for your kind words. Oh yeah, McCarthy is totally grim-dark stuff as I believe the horror buffs like to call it. I would say I don't read horror and then I remember that McCarthy is one of my favourite writers. LOL! It's interesting how any literature when quantified belongs in any genre-fiction category it "transcends" the genre. I don't judge books by the genre, but by the merit of its story and writing. But any pastime a human can enjoy becomes subject to snobbery which seems silly. McCarthy novels definitely need follow up discussion. If it wasn't for me making these videos I wouldn't understand them as well either. Discussion makes all the difference. Thank you for being here for it.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize might be a wee while. I'm re-reading War And Peace, 800 pages to go. It's great. McCarthy next, Outer Dark and The Road queued up.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I really enjoyed it. Second time round I'm getting more into it as I know what's coming, but also who everyone is. You would benefit from a list of characters. Also thinking of it as 4 shorter books that happen to be bound in one volume helps. It's not that hard a read if you get a translation that works for you. I'm on the Briggs one which is more recent, and to me flows well. Very few likeable characters...but all more likeable than most McCarthy characters. Go on. Give it a bash.
Light in August is an obvious corollary, maybe too obvious? I'd like to hear your take on it.... "...and trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries..." - Shakes.
Light in August is a very different novel. Much more social and racial in theme and plot. Although Rinthy is an obvious allusion to Lena Grove. The comparisons really don't hold up beyond that.
This one, and several other Cormac novels, induces in me, and several others i know, a waking type of dream state. And a different sleeping dream state as well. Im not a literary badass or expert. Luckily, i didnt go to school hardly at all. My Mother however, made sure i had a library card wherever we lived. I saw alot of different libraries ! With that limited training in literature, ive found nothing t equal Cormacs skill at creating a very pleasant MF 😁
This was an intriguing work to me and I agree with that dream state that McCarthy can create in the reader. A library card is a valuable thing and informal learning is often the best.
I love your speculation that the campfire meat could have been the baby. McCarthy is SO good for that kinda stuff. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Border Trilogy epilog at the end of Cities of the Plain. Anyway, did you notice that Rinthy also took food from the tinker? I couldn't reconcile the similarly with Culla taking food from the evil trio, but there must be something there.
I'm so glad I could help. McCarthy's books really benefit from having readers discuss and talk about them. It really helps bring your own thoughts to the surface better. I hope you aced your exams.
Good job once again I found this supplemental after finishing another novel. His passing is sad but the work will live on. Mccarthy is making me go over senteces over and over for the beauty and dense word choices with religious meaning. I am wondering if I should read the bible since I always see the refrences in footnotes but never read the actual text. I will try to read it before my second reading of Moby Dick for sure. I am more well read in Greek Mythology than Christian guess I am a pegan doomed to suffer in Dante's 1st circle
Thank you for your kind words. I'd say give reading the Bible a try. I'm currently listening to The Exodus Biblical Series with Jordan Peterson and others available on UA-cam. I have found it a wonderful metaphorical analysis that has made me ponder it in fascinating new ways.
Great analysis. I read on one comment that you too had thought of the siblings as being representative of Adam and Eve, after their expelling from paradise. I think this is a key theme, but I also had thought that they could be the descendants of Cain, but there are some difficulties there since Rinth is met with a much more positive attitude than her brother, so it got me confused as to how real that theory would be... Anyway, great pointers and a very entertaining and elucidating video.
right now i am reading through McCarthy’s bibliography and i love your analyses of these stories. not looking forward to reading his next book as much as i was for this one because i know that you don’t have a review of it as of right now :’(
After your analysis, I am so curious, and WISH I could read it a second time, but....I don’t think I can. Yikes. Thank you for deep diving and helping with the puzzle. I do love his craft with language.. kind of like Bob Dylan merged with Heironimus Bosch(?) and I also intend to read all in a progression. ( since I was lured into the new Passenger duology). Here he hasn't given up, " he said," "she said" yet in his style. Tbis is by far the darkest yet. Dare I try Child of God?.....?????????
I feel we must dare try Child of God. After I finish my The Passenger and Stella Maris review, Child of God is next for me on my McCarthy journey. It's going to need a palate cleanser to follow it, I'm sure.
@ItsTooLatetoApologize OK Sensei, I will go back in. 🙏👷♀️(Got 1/2 way thru and quit.) I am looking forward to your review of the Passenger! The Nation mag just had a nice take on it. But I do love your dives. Nice to get your post!
Just finished reading the book tonight. I read an interesting theory the trio is actually Culla committing the murders and he is imagining them, similar to a mental illness where one thinks he/she is being commanded by an unseen(only he sees them) force. It is suggested in the book that Culla is not playing with a full deck of cards. I also wonder if he sexually assaulted Rinthy, he seems to act on impulse and the way Rinthy keeps her guard up around certain men kind of suggest the possibility.
Interesting review. McCarthy is a favorite and I recently finished Stella Maris/ The Passenger. As for McCarthy’s early 4 novels, it would probably go 1. Suttree 2. Outer Dark 3. The Orchard Keeper and 4. Child Of God. Child of God is good, however I did not feel anything during this novel. Blood Meridian is of course a masterpiece, The Crossing and All The Pretty Horses is great, with a slight apathy towards Cities of The Plain and No Country For Old Men. The Road, being my favorite. The movie was okay; the movie for NCFOM is great. Have not seen James Franco adaptations nor All The Pretty Horses movie. If you’re interested there is a Cormac McCarthy podcast. Which ones did you like the most of his collection? Cheers.
I have not read all of McCarthy yet but it is my goal. When I finish reading his works I’ll do a personal ranking. NCFOM was a great movie, but I haven’t read it yet.
I didn’t like the book as much as you and dId not examine it as deeply. To me it was an early attempt by McCarthy to represent the struggle of the good person (though not innocent) to stay good and the ease with which a person does evil and invites more evil. Culla is the lazy man who does evil out of convenience and laziness. This leads him into the company of greater evil and he is lost.Rinthy (sp?) is the good(ish) person struggling against evil and indifference. Goodness is the spark of “civilization” and evil represented by violence, cruelty, and chaos threatens goodness/ civilization. I think this is a theme McCarthy develops best in Blood Meridian, more allegorically in The Road, and hints at it in No Country for Old Men. In Outer Dark goodness/civilization is represented by a mothers love. In Blood Meridian by a young man’s struggle against pure evil (violence, chaos, etc). In The Road by a father’s determination to save his child by using knowledge and skill. And in No Country by the old sherif who is literally fighting to preserve law and order (civilization). All these “good” characters either fail, seem doomed to fail, or die without knowing whether they succeeded or failed (Ironically I think The Road is the least bleak in this regard.). This too me is where McCarthy’s nihilism comes through. He believes it’s best to struggle against evil, but that it is ultimately pointless because we are doomed to fail.
I don’t know that I would say I liked it, but I did enjoy trying to dissect it. I like the challenge that McCarthy presents in his stories but that’s not for everyone and that’s ok that it’s not. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I just reread my comment and I want to apologize for explaining my thoughts in away that makes it seem like I disagreed with your assessment of the novel. I enjoyed the depth of your discussion and I learned a great deal.
Your interpretation is too black and white and don't hold up to scrutiny. One wonders that if incest was such a sin that has put forces against Culla and Rinthy then the book must be supernatural, because neither Culla nor Rinthy meet anyone who is aware of what they have done. It doesn't help them escape the bleakness however. Similarly, it is interpreted that Culla's sin is not owning up his mistake, but towards the end when the blind man relates the story of the man who drove away the preacher by his confession, McCarthy seems to be implying some sins are beyond redemption. Perhaps, he is ultimately implying that sin, redemption, justice etc. are metaphysical constructs with no reality. The triune's display of absurd justice exercised on random people seem to anticipate Blood Meridian's Nietzschean world.
Deeply love McCarthy, and this book just pissed me off. It’s so unremittingly bleak, my god. I really appreciate this review though! He’s a genius, but this one was so densely bleak I just could not plumb anything from its depths. Anyways; thanks for making these! Love the insights.
It’s pretty darn bleak for sure, but I have to say this story has stayed with me. I continue dissecting it and ruminating over it and few other stories encourage me the same way.
Just finished it today.
Bleak.
Enjoyed your take on things. What was your dram of choice? Looked like you needed some uisge to process it all.
The time covered was difficult to gauge. By the end I assumed that years had passed due to the child's description.
As with all other McCarthy I've read it took me a while to get into the rhythm of his style.
The suspicious meat and the blood drinking at the end seemed eucharistic, was the child an avatar of Christ? The search for him etc.
Was the tinker's end meant to mirror Judas'?
The swine over the cliff (while echoing the Gadarenes) seemed out of place, I'm not sure what it was saying?
Also, I kept thinking early on that this was a tale of Adam and Eve's expulsion. Probably not though.
Anyway, Blood Meridian was my 1st McCarthy and remains my favourite. Otherwise Child Of God is the only other I've read. The Road nearing the top of my TBR pile now.
Allan! I'm so glad you came back with your thoughts!
My dram of choice? I mix in the bottle my 2 favourite sipping whiskeys of the moment which are currently 1/2 Kirkland Irish Whiskey, and 1/2 salted caramel Canadian Crown Royal Whiskey. Yes, I mix whiskey, with more whiskey. LOL! This is the best flavour for $ I've found so far. I'm not sure if you enjoy whiskey but I just found a brand called Writer's Tears (how ironic) that is so amazingly smooth for the price it needs no ice. It blows my mind every time I treat myself with a drink on occasion. Sorry about that ramble.
Outer Dark- The passage of time is hard to gauge and the scenes aren't always in order. I noticed this on the second reread but it's interesting to contemplate rearranging some of the later scenes. What if the meat Culla ate was from his son? The child was scarred and burnt and missing an eye in that later scene, and only the bones of the baby are left when Rinthy finds him, meaning they probably ate the poor child. Grim! I had thought that the child is a representation of Christ but I like your mention here of the search for him. I hadn't thought about that in those terms but I agree with you.
I think the tinker is Judas. This is one of the thoughts I edited out to shorten the video. The body of the tinker has a black mandrake grow through it, which is a Mediterranean plant whose fruit is called the “love apple” or “satan’s apple”. And it wasn’t until this point that I started to think of Culla and Rinthy as a representation of Adam and Eve. This is another thought I cut from the video but which has been growing on me, Eve was created of Adams flesh, so you could say they were related to one another. But I can also see the story of Cain in Culla. God warns Cain that sin is ever waiting to control him. Cain kills his brother Able. God asks Cain where his brother is and Cain says he doesn’t know and that he’s not his guardian, which sounds a lot like how Culla says the child is nothing to him. Because of his actions God tells him he will be a homeless wanderer on the earth. And Rinthy as Eve makes a bit of sense when we think about how both of these women refused to stay wilfully blind in Eden. Rinthy, instead of eating the forbidden fruit to gain knowledge, tries to find her child's body, and when she discovers Culla/Adam's lie she is blamed for it. It's interesting to think about.
Another thing I cut out was some analysis of the names.The origins for the name Culla is ancient Scottish origin meaning boar. Now that can’t be a coincidence? Can it? All I could find for the meaning of the name Rinthy is through numerology which I cannot say I personally understand. But it means clever, strengthful, and great mankind. There was a bit of elaboration with being the bedrock of society and wanting to be of service to the world. Radiating reliability and consistency and people trust you and feel secure with your judgment.
It is apt that their family name is Holme and one might think this is an ironic name considering the two siblings wander homelessly through most of the story, the name seems to also be of English/Scottish origin and means someone who lived near a holly tree. The holly tree being a druid symbol of fertility and eternal life and perceived to have magical powers. The pointy leaves are thought to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ while the berries represent his blood and why the Christians have adopted the tree as a symbol of Christmas. And Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. The human sacrifice born in a humble place. The child?
I'm currently working on my analysis of The Passenger and it and Outer Dark has me believing that McCarthy's use of ince$t is less about ince$t and more about a reference to Adam and Eve and the origins of humanity.
The Road is your next McCarthy novel? So far that's my second favourite of his works after Blood Meridian. Let me know your thoughts about it and thank you for sharing Outer Dark with me.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize dram wise: drink what you want how you want, there is way too much whisky snobbery. I have Johnny Walker Black, Knappogue Castle 12 year old, and a bottle of poitin in the cupboard. All very different beasts. Not had the Writer's Tears, see it often, will give it a bash.
The names I didn't even consider as I read this book. I suppose, partly, due to them being rarely used. I've known plenty folk with odd names and didn't think anything of it. Should have though due to it being McCarthy.
At times I found the flavour a bit like Jim Thompson (The Getaway, The Grifters, The Killer Inside Me). To me anyway.
For some reason I've been pondering the horses, the one that Rinthy hides from and the one that was on the ferry. Both end with no one on them. One for Rinthy and one for Culla. I think they are the only horses? I think all the wagons and buggies are drawn by mules etc or the tinker with his. Are the horses important? Are they the missed means of escape for them?
Certainly a book that has left me pondering.
Also, the long form video was a good call for this. I think most that would be interested would have been happy with you leaving a bunch of stuff in rather than editing it out. But there's probably some youtube/algorithm advantage to certain lengths of uploads.
Now I'm onto a spy novel as a palate cleanser (Dead Lions by Mick Herron).
Take it easy.
@@AngryPict It seems whiskey, books, and all hosts of things humanity can take pleasure in can be turned into snobbery. Seems foolish to me. One thing I will say about the Writer's Tears is that it's so smooth it doesn't have much personality. There is a slight fruitiness to it though. I like GreenSpot also. I haven't tried much Johnny Walker or the others you listed.
Saúde!
The Squire also had a horse to pull his wagon, but the 2 horses for Rinthy and Culla are interesting to contemplate. Rinthy seems distrustful of the horse, but she can see it. Culla is terrified of being killed by the horse, but cannot even see it. 🤔Culla is confronted with the horse and is made to wait for it before he can cross the river (the obstacle in his path), but when calamity strikes during the voyage across the river, Culla is to afraid to reach out for the horse (perhaps the representation of God for Culla?) and the Bearded man says this to Culla at the fire too. That horse came to Culla during the night. Rinthy's comes to her in the sunrise, and she is also leery of it. A horse would defiantly make one's journey easier to bear. Rinthy knowingly turns from God (like Eve?) and Culla can't even see him? The Squire can harness the horse in his life and is walking in fellowship with God.
A palate cleanser is needed after a McCarthy read. 😆
Thank you for the thoughts about the length of the video. I worry the length becomes boring as I have personally come across a lot of dry content. I don't wish to waste anyone's time.
@It's Too Late to Apologize yes to the Adam and Eve...I am so looking forward to your take on the Passenger and Stella Maris!!!!
I might take up this whiskey thing, which seems to go handily with insights
Love your reviews, and appreciate the length as well! I'd still watch even if it was two hours. I really enjoy your perspectives and the unpretentious but still deeply insightful style with which you approach such dense and beautiful works.
Enjoyed this one as much as I expected to. I wish I had time to write more but work has been overwhelming this year. Don't be upset if you get a wall of text on this six months from now :D.
I have penciled in the arrival of this wall of text into my schedule. Don’t let me down. 😉 Thank you for watching and for your kind words. I was hoping to not put people to sleep with the length of this video but this book was so dense I couldn’t cut out more. As is I cut out stuff. Lol! And I keep having more thoughts about it.
I wonder if McCarthy is implying that God’s shame of his creation is what leads him to leave man to certain tragedy as Culla leaves his creation to certain tragedy because of his shame. And another thought I have now is the Squire calling it a “God given dollar” implying also that the reward for one’s labour is a gift from God. But what does that mean of the money received from destruction and killing? It’s not hard to kill, there’s not much labour to it. So might this mean it’s not a reward but a curse. That old man was cursed and come to think of it, anyone who went out of their way to kill did seem a bit cursed (like the man bitten by a snake and the old woman killing snakes)🤔 So much to ponder. Gotta love it!
Thank you so much for this! Your analysis was so thoughtful and insightful. I’m going to read the book again and I JUST finished it. Looking forward to watching more of your content!
Woooooow, you went DEEP into this one! 😁 Really good stuff here. I think Outer Dark really is one of McCarthy's most inscrutable works. There were so many elements in it that were allegorical or could be allegorical that I didn't really know how to take it. I didn't actually think it was too terribly dark though; the abundant black humor had me grinning at times. 😆 The 3 strangers/Unholy Trinity were pretty menacing though. The conversation about names and how they're necessary for the claiming of things actually ties into certain aspects of The Passenger, I think. And the discussion about the mulefoot hogs was so fascinating to me, and really demonstrated how McCarthy is able to infuse seemingly insignificant talk with deep philosophical musings. I definitely need to reread this book. Excellent analysis! 😉
I perhaps went too deep, as in this video was my longest yet. I really wanted to cut it shorter but I failed. Hopefully it was interesting enough to not bore. 🤞🏼It was a really interesting read that really made me want to understand what McCarthy was trying to say. I’m not sure if I figured it out but I tried. There is darker work than this but the ince$t and what happens to the baby is pretty dark. How little care is given to such a small innocent human is an atrocity but perhaps McCarthy has desensitized us to that child’s plight. Thanks for watching.
Oh! And an interesting thing that I cut out of the video is that the name Culla has ancient Scottish roots that means boar. Coincidence? I think not. 😄
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize Ooh, interesting! I always found it odd how the name of the character in the book was sort of close to McCarthy's son's name, Cullen. :)
@@TH3F4LC0Nx I didn’t know that.
@@TH3F4LC0Nx their surname 'Holme' is likely a distortion of 'holeman' his 1st wife's surname
First ran into your Moby Dick vid - which may be my favorite of all time. Your in depth analysis, obvious passion for the story, rhythmic sipping and emotional/theatrical looks either into the camera or to the sidelines all add up to an entertaining and provocative rundown of the novel. And I appreciate your inclusion of deep cuts (Outer Dark) from classic authors. Thank you for kicking so much literary ass!
Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words and thank you for being here to enjoy books with me. I love the discussion of books and ideas and often someone in the comments will point out a different perspective I hadn’t thought about and that is so awesome. There was a time I thought literature one had to wrestle with was not my thing. I didn’t understand how to get better at dissecting difficult literature, and I wanted to get better at it, and making these videos has challenged me in that area. I hope these videos can help others as they have helped me to discover another level of enjoyment in reading I thought was closed to me. Thank you again, good sir. 🥃🍻
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize
Gracias for such a punctual reply! I’m blown away by how much you took away metaphorically (Hercules, importance of names and blindness…) from this novel! I tend to focus on the literal, especially when it comes to the difficult to read such as Melville, McCarthy, Joyce…. Big picture interpretive symbolism I rely on others to enlighten me with. I’ve read OD twice and haven’t scratched the surface you have blasted and mined. And I never would have by myself. But thanks to you, I will have these ideas in mind next time.
On another note, Pynchon? My favorite author besides Melville. I humbly submit Crying of Lot 49, Vineland or Bleeding Edge as entry points if you haven’t gone down that road yet.
Once again, I appreciate your energy, your combination of humor and incisiveness and costumes. Mazeltov
@@travishanks4176 all I have of Pynchon on my TBR is Gravity’s Rainbow. I feel you’re suggesting that it’s not the best place to start with Pynchon?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize i would not recommend beginning with GR. Getting a feel for Pynchon’s ways and themes before tackling that one makes more sense IMHO. If you are in a hurry to go for one of his major classics, walk the line of Mason & Dixon. Unlike any other novel in the world, lol AND tear inducing, hysterical fiction as you are unsure of the narrator but who has ever provided us with a more accurate overall feel for pre-Revolution times? and about as wonderful a first page intro as there ever could be. AND lots more heart and characterization than GR. Just my opinion. You are clearly a very capable reader. I’m not sure I could’ve stuck with GR without having traversed a few of his others beforehand tho. And that would have been more than a shame, since he is my favorite author and has changed my life in a major way.
@@travishanks4176 Thank you for the recommendation. I will take it to heart. It would be poor form to not get an idea of a writers style before tackling one of their more difficult or challenging works. And perhaps GR is not his most challenging but it certainly has a reputation.
I read this book about a year ago and I was left feeling utterly gobsmacked. I gave it 5* easily even though I knew I hadn’t scratched the surface of understanding it. It is the most depraved and disturbing book I’ve ever read. Twilight by William Gay comes close, tho. This is the one book I can’t quit thinking about and I want to re read it except for the fact that it is SO bleak and unredeeming in many ways and so I need to steer clear of it for awhile. My GOD what a masterpiece. Imo, it’s my favorite book of his I’ve read so far and I’ve read nearly everything except his newest releases.
There is so much in this novel to think about which is why this video is so long even after I cut it down in editing. It’s a great read.
Love this vid! fun to watch and really insightful. McCarthy works usually need a bit of follow-up/discussion for me bc they're so rich in symbolism and general intensity, so I've enjoyed watching and taking notes on this one. I still need to watch some more Blood Meridian recaps as well. It's funny, Outer Dark seemed a bit less relentless than Meridian *at first* lol. And then I got to the later parts and was absolutely shocked. McCarthy really is a unique voice. I wonder why he's not classified or at least loosely discussed in the horror genre?? Perhaps it's due to his elevated literary style and acceptance in high-performing academic circles etc. Anyways, I'm excited to watch more of your vids and add to my TBR list!
Thank you for your kind words. Oh yeah, McCarthy is totally grim-dark stuff as I believe the horror buffs like to call it. I would say I don't read horror and then I remember that McCarthy is one of my favourite writers. LOL! It's interesting how any literature when quantified belongs in any genre-fiction category it "transcends" the genre. I don't judge books by the genre, but by the merit of its story and writing. But any pastime a human can enjoy becomes subject to snobbery which seems silly. McCarthy novels definitely need follow up discussion. If it wasn't for me making these videos I wouldn't understand them as well either. Discussion makes all the difference. Thank you for being here for it.
Saved to watch later.
Have to read it first.
Looks like this hasn't been edited down too much. Good stuff.
I tried to edit it down and failed. 🤦🏻♀️ Let me know your thoughts when you do read it.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize might be a wee while. I'm re-reading War And Peace, 800 pages to go. It's great.
McCarthy next, Outer Dark and The Road queued up.
@@AngryPict War and Peace frightens me. 🫣
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I really enjoyed it. Second time round I'm getting more into it as I know what's coming, but also who everyone is.
You would benefit from a list of characters. Also thinking of it as 4 shorter books that happen to be bound in one volume helps.
It's not that hard a read if you get a translation that works for you. I'm on the Briggs one which is more recent, and to me flows well.
Very few likeable characters...but all more likeable than most McCarthy characters.
Go on. Give it a bash.
“Stella, you’re looking extra lumberjack today.” 🥃
Why thank you! 🥃
Conner, how was Moby Dick??
Great great review. Thank you. My best book first chapter ever. 🙏👍
You're very welcome!
This is a few books down my reading list, but I'll be back!
Let me know your thoughts when you do read it.
What a good channel I stumbled across 👀 smart with looks to boot!
Welcome to my channel!
Light in August is an obvious corollary, maybe too obvious? I'd like to hear your take on it....
"...and trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries..." - Shakes.
Once I finish McCarthy, or perhaps sooner, I will make my way through Faulkner also. 📚
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize this review/analysis was enthralling btw!
@@reaganwiles_art whew! Thank goodness! I was afraid I was putting everyone to sleep.
Light in August is a very different novel. Much more social and racial in theme and plot. Although Rinthy is an obvious allusion to Lena Grove. The comparisons really don't hold up beyond that.
Really good job!
Thank you! What a read!
This one, and several other Cormac novels, induces in me, and several others i know, a waking type of dream state. And a different sleeping dream state as well. Im not a literary badass or expert. Luckily, i didnt go to school hardly at all. My Mother however, made sure i had a library card wherever we lived. I saw alot of different libraries ! With that limited training in literature, ive found nothing t equal Cormacs skill at creating a very pleasant MF 😁
This was an intriguing work to me and I agree with that dream state that McCarthy can create in the reader. A library card is a valuable thing and informal learning is often the best.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize reading well and early has served me well in my life. Thank you for your channel it really good.
@@icescrew1 thank you for being here for it. ☺️
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize best channel on YT. Im spreading the message 👍
I love your speculation that the campfire meat could have been the baby. McCarthy is SO good for that kinda stuff. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Border Trilogy epilog at the end of Cities of the Plain. Anyway, did you notice that Rinthy also took food from the tinker? I couldn't reconcile the similarly with Culla taking food from the evil trio, but there must be something there.
Thanks so much for this because I study outer dark and Dracula for one of my a level exams and I find outer dark really hard to understand😭
*A level English Literature exam, for clarification
I'm so glad I could help. McCarthy's books really benefit from having readers discuss and talk about them. It really helps bring your own thoughts to the surface better. I hope you aced your exams.
Good job once again I found this supplemental after finishing another novel. His passing is sad but the work will live on. Mccarthy is making me go over senteces over and over for the beauty and dense word choices with religious meaning. I am wondering if I should read the bible since I always see the refrences in footnotes but never read the actual text. I will try to read it before my second reading of Moby Dick for sure. I am more well read in Greek Mythology than Christian guess I am a pegan doomed to suffer in Dante's 1st circle
Thank you for your kind words. I'd say give reading the Bible a try. I'm currently listening to The Exodus Biblical Series with Jordan Peterson and others available on UA-cam. I have found it a wonderful metaphorical analysis that has made me ponder it in fascinating new ways.
Great analysis. I read on one comment that you too had thought of the siblings as being representative of Adam and Eve, after their expelling from paradise. I think this is a key theme, but I also had thought that they could be the descendants of Cain, but there are some difficulties there since Rinth is met with a much more positive attitude than her brother, so it got me confused as to how real that theory would be...
Anyway, great pointers and a very entertaining and elucidating video.
right now i am reading through McCarthy’s bibliography and i love your analyses of these stories. not looking forward to reading his next book as much as i was for this one because i know that you don’t have a review of it as of right now :’(
The Passenger review is coming!
I am really enjoying these reviews. Great, yet bleak, book choice. Currently working through the third of "the trilogy" right now.
Thank you! I'm slowly working my way through McCarthy. I haven't gotten to the trilogy yet. How are you liking it?
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I’m really enjoying it. Holding off The Cities of The Plain for a couple of weeks otherwise it’s all gone so soon.
After your analysis, I am so curious, and WISH I could read it a second time, but....I don’t think I can. Yikes. Thank you for deep diving and helping with the puzzle. I do love his craft with language.. kind of like Bob Dylan merged with Heironimus Bosch(?) and I also intend to read all in a progression. ( since I was lured into the new Passenger duology). Here he hasn't given up, " he said," "she said" yet in his style. Tbis is by far the
darkest yet. Dare I try Child of God?.....?????????
I feel we must dare try Child of God. After I finish my The Passenger and Stella Maris review, Child of God is next for me on my McCarthy journey. It's going to need a palate cleanser to follow it, I'm sure.
@ItsTooLatetoApologize OK Sensei, I will go back in. 🙏👷♀️(Got 1/2 way thru and quit.) I am looking forward to your review of the Passenger! The Nation mag just had a nice take on it. But I do love your dives. Nice to get your post!
Thanks!
Just finished reading the book tonight. I read an interesting theory the trio is actually Culla committing the murders and he is imagining them, similar to a mental illness where one thinks he/she is being commanded by an unseen(only he sees them) force. It is suggested in the book that Culla is not playing with a full deck of cards.
I also wonder if he sexually assaulted Rinthy, he seems to act on impulse and the way Rinthy keeps her guard up around certain men kind of suggest the possibility.
Hmmmm....this is an interesting theory. Thank you for sharing it
Damn you clay!!!
🤣😂
Interesting review. McCarthy is a favorite and I recently finished Stella Maris/ The Passenger. As for McCarthy’s early 4 novels, it would probably go 1. Suttree 2. Outer Dark 3. The Orchard Keeper and 4. Child Of God. Child of God is good, however I did not feel anything during this novel. Blood Meridian is of course a masterpiece, The Crossing and All The Pretty Horses is great, with a slight apathy towards Cities of The Plain and No Country For Old Men. The Road, being my favorite. The movie was okay; the movie for NCFOM is great. Have not seen James Franco adaptations nor All The Pretty Horses movie. If you’re interested there is a Cormac McCarthy podcast.
Which ones did you like the most of his collection?
Cheers.
I have not read all of McCarthy yet but it is my goal. When I finish reading his works I’ll do a personal ranking. NCFOM was a great movie, but I haven’t read it yet.
So far my favourites are The Road and Blood Meridian.
excellent review... funny
Thank you!
Squirmy and grubs❤❤❤
I didn’t like the book as much as you and dId not examine it as deeply.
To me it was an early attempt by McCarthy to represent the struggle of the good person (though not innocent) to stay good and the ease with which a person does evil and invites more evil.
Culla is the lazy man who does evil out of convenience and laziness. This leads him into the company of greater evil and he is lost.Rinthy (sp?) is the good(ish) person struggling against evil and indifference. Goodness is the spark of “civilization” and evil represented by violence, cruelty, and chaos threatens goodness/ civilization. I think this is a theme McCarthy develops best in Blood Meridian, more allegorically in The Road, and hints at it in No Country for Old Men. In Outer Dark goodness/civilization is represented by a mothers love. In Blood Meridian by a young man’s struggle against pure evil (violence, chaos, etc). In The Road by a father’s determination to save his child by using knowledge and skill. And in No Country by the old sherif who is literally fighting to preserve law and order (civilization). All these “good” characters either fail, seem doomed to fail, or die without knowing whether they succeeded or failed (Ironically I think The Road is the least bleak in this regard.). This too me is where McCarthy’s nihilism comes through. He believes it’s best to struggle against evil, but that it is ultimately pointless because we are doomed to fail.
I don’t know that I would say I liked it, but I did enjoy trying to dissect it. I like the challenge that McCarthy presents in his stories but that’s not for everyone and that’s ok that it’s not. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
The Road is one of my favourites as it has the most moving relationship I’ve read in McCarthy’s writing g so far.
@@ItsTooLatetoApologize I just reread my comment and I want to apologize for explaining my thoughts in away that makes it seem like I disagreed with your assessment of the novel. I enjoyed the depth of your discussion and I learned a great deal.
@@BookishTexan no worries, Brian. ☺️ Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Your interpretation is too black and white and don't hold up to scrutiny. One wonders that if incest was such a sin that has put forces against Culla and Rinthy then the book must be supernatural, because neither Culla nor Rinthy meet anyone who is aware of what they have done. It doesn't help them escape the bleakness however. Similarly, it is interpreted that Culla's sin is not owning up his mistake, but towards the end when the blind man relates the story of the man who drove away the preacher by his confession, McCarthy seems to be implying some sins are beyond redemption. Perhaps, he is ultimately implying that sin, redemption, justice etc. are metaphysical constructs with no reality. The triune's display of absurd justice exercised on random people seem to anticipate Blood Meridian's Nietzschean world.
Deeply love McCarthy, and this book just pissed me off. It’s so unremittingly bleak, my god. I really appreciate this review though! He’s a genius, but this one was so densely bleak I just could not plumb anything from its depths. Anyways; thanks for making these! Love the insights.
It’s pretty darn bleak for sure, but I have to say this story has stayed with me. I continue dissecting it and ruminating over it and few other stories encourage me the same way.
oy!...