4 ms·

I remember a Cormac scholar suggesting "Outer Dark" as a good starting point to his works. Haven't read it myself, though. I finished "Child of God" last year -

by marttt 4y ago

I remember a Cormac scholar suggesting "Outer Dark" as a good starting point to his works. Haven't read it myself, though. I finished "Child of God" last year -- definitely worth a read, especially if you're interested in the roots of loneliness. McCarthy's empathy towards complete retards is always compelling to me. Sexual intercourses with dead bodies were nonetheless not that easy to digest, though. McCarthy's sense for capturing dialects is fascinatingly good, really. I remember somebody saying that to a significant part, the phenomenon of Quentin Tarantino's movies lays in his ability to very deeply understand how people actually speak. I'm not from the US, but I would like to say the same about Cormac McCarthy.

bradknowles 4y ago
As a person who was held back in math class due to poor performance [0], I would prefer that you not use the word "retard". [0] Which was later demonstrated to be due to a lack of inspiration from my math teachers, a fact that Mrs. King taught me so well in her pre-algebra class in 9th grade. From then on, I got straight As in math. To this day, nearly forty years later, I still credit Mrs. King for helping me get down the path to whatever success I have had in life.
- marttt 4y ago
  Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately I cannot edit the reply, but I sincerely apologize for my choice of words. I am not a native English speaker, so I was actually using it as a more rough expression for "outcast". People lost or trapped in themselves, possibly due to unlucky past; because of this, they've become antisocial (thinking of Lester Ballard from McCarthy's "Child of God"). Nothing to do with mental performance. A really embarrassing error, entirely due to poor command of English language. Once again, I apologize. I wish you all the best, mate.
  - bradknowles 4y ago
    Understood. I thank you for your response! I confess that when I was much younger, I used that same word in the same way. It was only after my coming to understand how my usage of that word had hurt other people that I came to where I am today. So, yours is a pain that I know well, and I trust that we are both better for this exchange. Thanks!

by marttt 4y ago

bradknowles 4y ago

As a person who was held back in math class due to poor performance [0], I would prefer that you not use the word "retard". [0] Which was later demonstrated to be due to a lack of inspiration from my math teachers, a fact that Mrs. King taught me so well in her pre-algebra class in 9th grade. From then on, I got straight As in math. To this day, nearly forty years later, I still credit Mrs. King for helping me get down the path to whatever success I have had in life.

marttt 4y ago
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately I cannot edit the reply, but I sincerely apologize for my choice of words. I am not a native English speaker, so I was actually using it as a more rough expression for "outcast". People lost or trapped in themselves, possibly due to unlucky past; because of this, they've become antisocial (thinking of Lester Ballard from McCarthy's "Child of God"). Nothing to do with mental performance. A really embarrassing error, entirely due to poor command of English language. Once again, I apologize. I wish you all the best, mate.
- bradknowles 4y ago
  Understood. I thank you for your response! I confess that when I was much younger, I used that same word in the same way. It was only after my coming to understand how my usage of that word had hurt other people that I came to where I am today. So, yours is a pain that I know well, and I trust that we are both better for this exchange. Thanks!