Styles of Extinction

Styles of Extinction: Cormac McCarthy's The Roadbrings together several leading literary scholars, one major philosopher, as well as a handful of emerging critical voices, all of whom deploy their own specialist methods in order to think through this bestselling, Zeitgeist-defining event of contemporary literature. There are two dominant modes of analysis gathered here: the first, performed by Julian Murphet, Paul Sheehan, and Mark Steven, is to locate the novel within its political, spiritual, and economic climates; the second, whose exponents include Paul Patton, Sean Pryor, Chris Danta, and Grace Hellyer, deals with the formal dimensions of McCarthy's characteristically brilliant prose in relation to its sparse narrative. By coupling historically sensitive analysis with incisive formal criticism, the contributors not only account for the matchless form of this exemplary novel; they also suggest thatThe Roadhas something unique to disclose about the world we inhabit.

A Note on the Texts                        1. IntroductionMark Steven and Julian Murphet            2. "The cold illucid world": The Poetics of Gray in Cormac McCarthy's The RoadChris Danta                            3. McCarthy's RhythmSean Pryor                4. Spring has lost its scent: Allegory, Ruination, and Suicidal Melancholia in The RoadGrace Hellyer                        5. The Late World of Cormac McCarthyMark Steven        6. Road, Fire, Trees: Cormac McCarthy's Post-AmericaPaul Sheehan                                        7. The Cave and The Road: Styles of Forgotten DreamsJulian Murphet                                        8. McCarthy's FirePaul Patton                    9. Afterword: Acts of kindness—Reflections on a different kind of road movieMary Zournazi                            Notes on Contributors                        Index