A few months ago I watched this video 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?
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.
This is perhaps one of the best takes on reading I’ve seen in a long while. You articulated it well.
It’s okay to just get lost in the pages, soaking in what you can. Go on the journey, enjoy the ride.
Ok so read a book and barely understand it so I can “experience” it. Man that’s some crazy shit if I’ve ever read it…
in case of literary works, especially fiction, yes.
If you don’t know what’s happening in a book, is it truly reading or just looking at ink shapes on paper?
You meant to say recall not recant, that means to disavow previous beliefs.
This is solid advice. I’m reading Blood Meridian for the first time and having a hard time understanding what the plot even is. I didn’t know who McCarthy was before his passing so I’m trying to read this and some of his other works but kinda struggling honestly.