Reading McCarthy

Episode 11 of READING MCCARTHY is a deep consideration  of perhaps McCarthy’s most troubling novel, CHILD OF GOD.  Our guest today is Dr. Bill Hardwig, who was with us before for a discussion of the southern gothic.  Bill Hardwig is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Tennessee. His book Upon Provincialism: Southern Literature and National Periodical Culture, 1870-1900  was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2013.  He has edited critical editions of In the Tennessee Mountains by Mary Murfree and a forthcoming edition of Evelyn Scott’s Background in Tennessee and is co-editor with Susanna Ashton of Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt in the MLA teaching series.   He has written and published various essays on McCarthy and is currently working on a book-length study of McCarthy’s fiction tentatively titled How Cormac Works: McCarthy, Language, and Style.  He is also creator of the website Literary Knox (www.literaryknox.com), which presents the rich literary history of the city in which he lives and works, Knoxville, Tennessee.The music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Songs for this podcast include “The World to Come” (intro), “Blues for Blevins” (Outro), “Toadvine” (at 9:20), “Running with Wolves” (22:17), and “Much Like Yourself” (the first half at 39:53, the second half at 51:27).  Please reach out to readingmccarthy@gmail.com. Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

Episode 10 of Reading McCarthy welcomes as a guest McCarthy’s translator into Portuguese, Paulo Faria. Paulo Faria was born in 1967, in Lisbon, Portugal. He graduated in Biology and teaches science, but he always had a passion for literature. He became a literary translator as a young man. In 2016 he published his first novel, «Strange war of common use», and his third novel has just been published in Portugal.  He has translated each of McCarthy’s novels into Portuguese.  This wide-ranging conversation touches upon the difficulties of translating complex authors, Paulo’s experience in meeting McCarthy, a consideration of Don Delillo, and much more. Thanks to Thomas Frye, who composed, performed, and produced the music for READING MCCARTHY.  His music includes “The World to Come” (intro), “Blues for Blevins” (Outro) and “Toadvine” (at 5:34).  Additionally we have songs from Peter Josyph in this episode: “Wesley’s Song” and “Suttree’s Song” from McCarthy Variations, at 19:44 and 38:56 (“Suttree’s Song” is repeated as a second outro).Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. Episode 9 of Reading McCarthy welcomes back Dr. Steven Frye in a consideration of the influence of American author Herman Melville on Cormac McCarthy.  Steven Frye is professor and chair of English at California State University, Bakersfield and President of the Cormac McCarthy Society. He is the author of Understanding Cormac McCarthy (Univ. of South Carolina Press) and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Cormac McCarthy, and Cambridge UP’s Cormac McCarthy in Context. His book Unguessed Kinships: Naturalism and the Geography of Hope in Cormac McCarthy is near completion, and he has written numerous journal articles on Cormac McCarthy and other authors of the American Romance Tradition.  Additionally, he is the author of the recently published novel Dogwood Crossing, which I highly recommend. Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  The Intro is “The World to Come”; other music includes (16:46) “Running with Wolves,” (23:20) “Toadvine,” (43:26) “Much Like Yourself,” and the Outro, as always, is “Blues for Blevins.” The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach us at Readingmccarthy@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Stacey Peebles joins the podcast for this episode.  Dr. Peebles is Chair of the English program, Director of Film Studies, and the Marlene and David Grissom Professor of Humanities at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.  She is the author of Welcome to the Suck: Narrating the American Soldier's Experience in Iraq (published in 2011) and Cormac McCarthy and Performance: Page, Stage, Screen (published 2017).  She is editor of the collection Violence in Literature and, with Ben West, is co-editor of the volume Approaches to Teaching the Works of Cormac McCarthy, which is forthcoming this year.  She has published widely on the representation of contemporary war and on McCarthy, and has been editor of the Cormac McCarthy Journal since 2010.  Thanks to Thomas Frye, who composed, performed, and produced the music for READING MCCARTHY.  Music for today includes: Intro: “World to Come,” “ “Toadvine” (10:47), “Much Like Yourself” (23:45); “Running with Wolves” (32:16); Outro: “Blues for Blevins.”The views of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the views of their home institutions or the Cormac Mccarthy Society.  Available on Apple, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  If you’re agreeable it’ll help us if you provide favorable reviews on these platforms.  To contact us, please reach out to readingmccarthy@gmail.com. We’re on Twitter, and you can find us on Facebook.  Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars (and occasional other folks of interest)  to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. The guest for this episode is a different member of the McCarthy gang, Dennis.  Dennis McCarthy is the author of the novel The Gospel According to Billy the Kid, published this past month by the University of New Mexico press and available everywhere.  A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dennis McCarthy has been a park ranger, ecologist, speechwriter, editor in chief, professor, and attorney.  For the listeners of the podcast saying to themselves right now, “Wait, I thought this was about the other McCarthy,” well, yes, this is Cormac’s brother; and after retiring out west after his long and varied career, he’s switched paths and written this excellent novel.  He’s currently at work on his second novel, and he and his wife and beagle live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  The Intro is “The World to Come”; other music includes (23:27) “Running with Wolves,” (28:38) “Toadvine,” (33:16) “Blues for Blevins,” (41:34) “Much Like Yourself,” and the Outro, as always, is “Blues for Blevins.” The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach us at Readingmccarthy@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. This episode is a consideration of McCarthy in the context of Southern Literature.  Today’s guest is Bryan Giemza, who holds a Ph.D. and J.D. and is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Literature in the Honors College at Texas Tech University.  In addition to his teaching and research he serves as public scholar for the Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World. Before coming to Texas Tech he was Director of the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Dr. Geimza is author or editor of six academic books on American literary and cultural history, ten book chapters, and more than thirty published articles and reviews. His research shows wide-ranging interests in American history and literature, with articles on topics ranging from Cherokee literacy and women's religious orders during the Civil War to chirality in Cormac McCarthy's novels. His books include the literary history Irish Catholic Writers and the Invention of the American South, which received the South Atlantic Modern Language Association's Studies Award, as well as Images of Depression-Era Louisiana: The FSA Photographs of Ben Shahn, Russell Lee, and Marion Post Wolcott (2017).  Recently he has worked with the Texas Tech Climate Center and is currently working on a book on STEM and McCarthy's world.  His take on Southern Lit and McCarthy avoids the usual rutted traces and dives deep.  Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Interludes this week include “The World to Come,” “Toadvine,” “Running with Wolves,” “Much Like Yourself and “Blues for Blevins.” The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach us at Readingmccarthy@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter. Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. This episode is a consideration of McCarthy’s second novel, Outer Dark.  Our guest is Nell Sullivan.  Dr. Sullivan grew up in Kentucky and earned a BA in English from Vanderbilt University and earned her PhD in English from Rice University.  She is currently Professor of English at University of Houston-Downtown, where she teaches courses in American literature and the literature of the South.  A former editor of the Cormac McCarthy Journal, she has published extensively on gender and class representation in McCarthy’s novels, as well as essays on Katherine Dunn, William Faulkner, and Nella Larsen, among others.  Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and in such journals as Genre, Critique, The Southern Quarterly, Mississippi Quarterly, and African American Review.Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Interludes this week include “The World to Come,” “Toadvine,” “Running with Wolves,” “Much Like Yourself,” a refrain of “The World to Come,” and “Blues for Blevins.” The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach out to us at readingmccarthy@gmail.com.  Download the podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you feel inclined please leave a favorable review.  Find us on Facebook and Twitter. Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. This episode considers the Southern Gothic and the Grotesque as it relates to the work of Cormac McCarthy.  Our guest is Bill Hardwig, Associate Professor of English at the University of Tennessee. His book Upon Provincialism: Southern Literature and National Periodical Culture, 1870-1900 was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2013.  He has edited critical editions of In the Tennessee Mountains by Mary Murfree and a forthcoming edition of Evelyn Scott’s Background in Tennessee and is co-editor with Susanna Ashton of Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt in the MLA teaching series.   He has written and published various essays on McCarthy and is currently working on a book-length study of McCarthy’s fiction tentatively titled How Cormac Works: McCarthy, Language, and Style.  He is also creator of the website Literary Knox (www.literaryknox.com) , which presents the rich literary history of the city in which he works and lives, Knoxville, Tennessee.Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Interludes this week include “The World to Come,” “Running with Wolves,” “Toadvine,” “Much Like Yourself,” and “Blues for Blevins.” The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach out to us at readingmccarthy@gmail.com.  Download the podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you feel inclined please leave a favorable review.  Find us on Facebook and Twitter.  Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy. Episode 3 is a thorough consideration of McCarthy’s first novel, The Orchard Keeper.  Our guest from Episode 2, Dianne Luce, returns to help guide us through the book.  Dianne Luce is a founding member and past president of the Cormac McCarthy Society and has worked in the field of McCarthy studies since it first emerged.  She co-edited with Edwin T. Arnold two collections of articles on McCarthy and is the author of Reading the World: Cormac McCarthy’s Tennessee Period (2009).  Currently she is writing a two-volume study of McCarthy’s writing life at Random House. Her most recent article is “Creativity, Madness, and ‘the light that dances deep in Pontchartrain’: Glimpses of ‘The Passenger’ from Cormac McCarthy’s 1980 Correspondence” in the Cormac McCarthy Journal.  She holds faculty emeritus status from Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC.Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Interludes this week include “The World to Come,” “Running with Wolves,” “Toadvine,” “Much Like Yourself,” “Toadvine,” and “Blues for Blevins,” and then repeated, “The World to Come” and “Much Like Yourself,” ending with “Blues for Blevins.”The opinions of the host and his guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their institutions or the Cormac McCarthy Society. Reach out to us at readingmccarthy@gmail.com.  Download the podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Find us on Facebook and Twitter.  Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...

READING MCCARTHY is a podcast devoted to the consideration and discussion of the works of one of our greatest American writers, Cormac McCarthy.  Each episode calls upon different well-known Cormackian readers and scholars to help us explore different works and various essential aspects of McCarthy’s writing.  Scott Yarbrough is your host in these deep dives into the world of McCarthy.  This second episode is in preparation of delving into McCarthy’s first novel, The Orchard Keeper.  The guest this week to prepare us for our journey back to 1930s Tennessee is Dianne Luce.  A founding member and past president of the Cormac McCarthy Society, Dianne Luce has been working in the field of McCarthy studies since it first emerged.  She co-edited with Edwin T. Arnold two collections of articles on McCarthy, and she is the author of Reading the World: Cormac McCarthy’s Tennessee Period (2009).  Currently she is writing a two-volume study, based on archival research, of McCarthy’s writing life at Random House. Her most recent article is “Creativity, Madness, and ‘the light that dances deep in Pontchartrain’: Glimpses of ‘The Passenger’ from Cormac McCarthy’s 1980 Correspondence” in the Cormac McCarthy Journal.  She holds faculty emeritus status from Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC.  She will join us again for the upcoming third episode on The Orchard Keeper. Music for READING MCCARTHY is composed, performed, and produced by Thomas Frye.  Interludes this week include “The World to Come,” “Running with Wolves,” Much Like Yourself,” “Toadvine” and “Blues for Blevins.” Reach out to us at readingmccarthy@gmail.com.  Download the podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, and many other places. Support the showStarting in spring of 2023, the podcast began accepting minor sponsorship offers to offset the costs of the podcast. This may cause a mild disconnect in earlier podcasts where the host asks for patrons in lieu of sponsorships. But if we compare it to a very large and naked bald man in the middle of the desert who leads you to an extinct volcano to create gunpowder, it seems pretty minor...