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Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Cormac Mccarthy

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Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Cormac Mccarthy Fredrik Svensson | Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Cormac McCarthy Fredrik Ever since the publication of his debut novel, The Orchard Keeper (1965), Cormac McCarthy has explored the relationship between humanity and the environment. Ideology and Symbolism in the In his early novels, this exploration takes the form of a symbolist aesthetic that repeatedly employs metaphor, simile, and personification to merge humans with Novels of Cormac McCarthy the rest of the world’s matter. The ethical and political import of this aesthetic is, of course, open to dispute: critics have alternately celebrated McCarthy’s environ- mental imagination as an opportunity for the reader to cultivate a more respon- sible way of being in the world, criticized it as a relativization of human agency, and retooled it into a political commentary designed to challenge late capitalist reification. Entering into dialogue with this conflicted critical discourse, and tra- cing the development of McCarthy’s writing over five decades, Svensson’s dis- sertation reveals an author whose later novels appear to acknowledge their own capacity to resonate with many ethical and political sentiments at once. Further, drawing in particular on the Marxist perspective of Pierre Macherey, the disserta- tion also makes the more general claim that a literary work never produces mea- ning on its own and that the role of the critic is never entirely apolitical. ARTWORK Fredrik Svensson Samira Englund PHOTO Herman Brolin Karlstad University Studies 2020:13 LAYOUT ISBN 978-91-7867-096-3 (print) Fredrik Svensson & Jon Törnros ISBN 978-91-7867-106-9 (pdf) Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Ideology and Symbolism Cormac McCarthy in the Novels of Cormac Ever since the publication of his debut novel, The Orchard Keeper (1965), Cormac McCarthy has explored the relationship between humanity and the environment. In his early novels, this exploration takes the form of a symbolist aesthetic that McCarthy repeatedly employs metaphor, simile, and personification to merge humans with the rest of the world’s matter. The ethical and political import of this aesthetic is, of course, open to dispute: critics have alternately celebrated McCarthy’s environmental imagination as an opportunity for the reader to cultivate a more responsible way of being in the world, criticized it as a relativization of human agency, and retooled it into a political commentary designed to challenge late capitalist reification. Entering into dialogue with this conflicted critical discourse, Fredrik Svensson and tracing the development of McCarthy’s writing over five decades, Svensson’s dissertation reveals an author whose later novels appear to acknowledge their 2020:13 own capacity to resonate with many ethical and political sentiments at once. Further, drawing in particular on the Marxist perspective of Pierre Macherey, the dissertation also makes the more general claim that a literary work never produces meaning on its own and that the role of the critic is never entirely apolitical. ISBN 978-91-7867-096-3 (print) ISBN 978-91-7867-106-9 (pdf) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences ISSN 1403-8099 English DOCTORAL THESIS | Karlstad University Studies | 2020:13 DOCTORAL THESIS | Karlstad University Studies | 2020:13 Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Cormac McCarthy Fredrik Svensson DOCTORAL THESIS | Karlstad University Studies | 2020:13 Ideology and Symbolism in the Novels of Cormac McCarthy Fredrik Svensson DOCTORAL THESIS Karlstad University Studies | 2020:13 urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-76800 ISSN 1403-8099 ISBN 978-91-7867-096-3 (print) ISBN 978-91-7867-106-9 (pdf) © The author Distribution: Karlstad University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden +46 54 700 10 00 Print: Universitetstryckeriet, Karlstad 2020 WWW.KAU.SE Abstract This study homes in on the ideological significance of American author Cormac McCarthy’s literary symbolism. Focusing in particular on the au- thor’s tendency to merge humanity and the environment by way of meta- phor, simile, and personification, the study demonstrates how the ethical and political import of this aesthetic is open to dispute. Some critics have celebrated McCarthy’s environmental imagination as an opportunity for the reader to cultivate a more responsible way of being in the world, some have criticized it as a relativization of human agency, and some have re- tooled it into a political commentary designed to challenge late capitalist reification. Acknowledging the validity of many of these readings, but also stressing their insufficiency, the study suggests—with support from the autoreferential aspects of the author’s later novels—that McCarthy’s sym- bolism may be made to resonate with many contrasting sentiments at once. By realizing different aspects of the novels’ various affordances, that is, their multiplicity of potential uses, critics have been able to think of McCarthy either as a progressive or a conservative writer. Basing its rea- soning on this finding, and drawing on the Marxist perspective of Pierre Macherey, the study makes the claim that a literary work never produces meaning on its own and that the role of the critic is never entirely apoliti- cal. i Acknowledgements McCarthy implies in All the Pretty Horses that the novel’s protagonist, John Grady, would never have survived his excursions into Mexico with- out the “smiles” and “the good will” of people encountered along the way (AtPH 221). Although my dissertation work has been slightly less venture- some than John Grady’s travels in the Mexican-American borderlands, I, too, have relied on similar kindnesses. My supervisors, Magnus Ullén and Maria Holmgren Troy, not least, have always encouraged me and pro- vided me with ever-helpful feedback when I have needed it the most, and they have always done so in that finest of scholarly fashions, marked by seriousness and empathy. Associate Professor Bo. G. Ekelund displayed the very same ethos when he read my preliminary draft. His insightful reading of my work was invaluable in helping me recognize and address some of my most problematic blind spots. Any that remain are, of course, mine alone. My fellow doctoral students, present and former, have served as as- tute readers of preliminary chapter drafts. I would like to extend my thanks to Andreas Nyström, Peter Wikström, Marinette Grimbeek, Kari Løvaas, Grace Zhu Yuanyuan, Alexander Kofod-Jensen, Tim Roberts, Se- bastian Malinowski, Saga Bokne, Morten Feldtfos Thomsen, and Sophia Liu Fei. Many of you have been instrumental not only in helping me for- mulate my own view of literature, but also in helping me endure the occa- sionally stressful PhD candidate predicament. This goes for other faculty at Karlstad University as well. Thank you Elisabeth Wennö for making me feel at home in Karlstad from the get-go, and thank you Luke Bailey for the many stimulating conversations in our shared office space. Thank you Anna Swärdh, Anna Linzie, Åke Bergvall, Rose Bergvall, Erik van Ooijen, Marie Tåqvist, Andreas Jacobsson, Andrea Schalley, Solveig Granath, An- dreas Lind, Marika Kjellén, Erica Sandlund, and Pia Sundqvist for making my five years at Karlstad University thoroughly enjoyable—and thank you Peter, Tim, Saga, Åke, Elisabeth, Marie, and Luke for your kind assistance with the proofreading of the final manuscript. I also need to thank two teachers and scholars from my undergraduate days: Sheila Ghose and Harriet Sharp. Without your encouragement, I would never have dared to consider an academic career in the first place. I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Jennifer Wicke, whose tremendous generosity and academic brilliance made my one-year stint as a Fulbright Visiting Student Researcher at UC Santa Barbara so ii immensely valuable. Professor Wicke made Southern California feel like a second home, and so did Professor Candace Waid, whose hospitality during this year was nothing short of overwhelming. I am indebted also to the UCSB faculty who frequented the biweekly seminars at the Center For Modern Literature, Materialism, and Aesthetics. With the precious com- bination of erudition and humility, you provided an ideal arena for learn- ing. My wife, Therese, and I made many friends at UCSB whose compan- ionship extends well beyond the confines of the academy. I am grateful to The Swedish Fulbright Commission, in particular, for making all of this possible. The financial support of The Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation and the Gunvor och Josef Anér Foundation was also extremely valuable. This support enabled me to visit the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University at San Marcos. The staff there is also deserving of my gratitude. It is sometimes difficult to prevent dissertation work from interfer- ing with non-academic relationships. I am thankful for friends and family who, as a rule, have listened more than patiently to literary theoretical rants on issues my work has sometimes convinced me must seem equally interesting to all. A special thanks to Petrus Öhman, who provided inval- uable feedback on an early draft of chapter six in this dissertation. Another special thanks to my neighbor, Samira Englund, whose painting, “Ic- tums,” adorns the cover of this book, to Herman Brolin, who took the photo, and to Jon Törnros, who helped with the layout. To my mother, Ingela and my late father, Sverker: thank you for giving me your all for so many years. To my sister, Madelene: thanks for putting up with
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