Cormac McCarthy's lack of punctuation

[Jim H]

With the film adaptation of The Road (pretty good apparently) about to come out, I was thinking about Cormac McCarthy once again.  I've only finished one of his novels, All The Pretty Horses, but the major thing that made an impression on me was use of punctuation.

Or rather, the lack of it. 

I've been interested in reading several of his books, particularly The Road and Blood Meridian.  But I have to admit, I find the lack of punctuation obnoxious.  In fact, I think it severely damages the books.  It's funny, because I've heard he says he thinks they're not needed and are just clutter, but the lack of them (quotations is the main thing) mutes the entire feel of his books.  It's a constant distraction pulling me out of the storyline.  It's kind of like when you read a book that has a really terrible font - it makes the entire experience of reading a chore.

Well, for me anyway. 

What do you all think?

[Mofo Rising]

I couldn't pick any of your choices.

I remember the first time I read a Cormac McCarthy book (All the Pretty Horses), I found it nigh unreadable because of the lack of quotation marks around people speaking. I gave up!

However, in the meantime since that first reading, I have read many more books that do not follow the current acceptance of punctuation. Sure, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I don't find it the deal-breaker I used to. Once you accept that he is not using current standards I don't think it is an impediment to understanding. McCarthy is very exacting in his choice of words, so if you're paying attention it should not be a problem.

Why does he do it? Well, he seems a bit unbending in his ideas of literature. It's a stylistic choice, but if you are spending the time to read what he's saying, I don't think you're hurt too much one way or the other.

Now if you're talking about the quality of McCarthy's work, I think both The Road and No Country for Old Men are both very good examples of genre fiction (Sci-Fi and Noir, respectively), but nowhere near the heights he reached in Blood Meridian.

The man knows his way around a turn of phrase, though.

[Jim H]

Once you accept that he is not using current standards I don't think it is an impediment to understanding.

It's not a total impediment - just an obnoxious obstacle that exists for no real reason.  To me, it's about the same as not having any spaces. 

Yesyoucanreadthisstillbutitsalotharderandthereisntanyadvantagetoit. 

I did finish All The Pretty Horses back when I was 16...  I thought it was OK at the time, and that's pretty much it.  Kind of makes me wonder why I want to read more, but I've talked to people about Blood Meridian and The Road and their enthusiasm rubs off I guess.

[akiratubo]

I simply cannot read a Cormac McCarthy novel because of his prose.

[Mofo Rising]

Well, a lot of U.K. stuff from the early 20th Century avoids quotation marks. James Joyce did this, but he's a fairly awful example for sensible prose. You get used to it.

The accolades around The Road confuses me. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a great book, but it's fairly standard post-apocalyptic sci-fi boilerpate. I think the fact that McCarthy has a literary sheen combined with the fact that it was picked as Oprah Book Club book lets people read it without having to submit to the stigma of reading science fiction, a mindless distinction.

McCarthy's a great writer, even if his style is so very easy to mock. Blood Meridian is a superb book.

[Jim H]

Well, a lot of U.K. stuff from the early 20th Century avoids quotation marks. James Joyce did this, but he's a fairly awful example for sensible prose. You get used to it.

The accolades around The Road confuses me. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a great book, but it's fairly standard post-apocalyptic sci-fi boilerpate. I think the fact that McCarthy has a literary sheen combined with the fact that it was picked as Oprah Book Club book lets people read it without having to submit to the stigma of reading science fiction, a mindless distinction.

Not really related, but that whole attitude bugs the crap out of me.  There are way too many people who refuse to look at anything not shelved in the "literature" section.  As if a book set in an alternate universe or the future intrinsically has less value.

Why The Road gets stuck in "Literature" rather than Sci-Fi/Fantasy has more to do with marketing and McCarthy's reputation than anything else.  Other examples of this sort are Fahrenheit 451 (sometimes), Brave New World, 1984, Frankenstein, and The Time Traveler's Wife.  It's obnoxious. 

Oh, and one distinction the Road gets...  It proved it's at least possible for a book that isn't straight fiction or a period piece to win the Pulitzer.  Wonder if it'll ever happen again though?

[lester1/2jr]

 I read one by some french guy...every couple of words he'd...have three dots...went on for the whole book...I think i actually liked the book though...can't remember what it was called