BASC50055 - The Ends of Reading: Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian
Course Description
"All progressions from a higher to a lower order are marked by ruins and mystery and a residue of nameless rage," McCarthy writes in what many consider to be his supreme and most enduring work. A historical tale of appalling violence, the book is also a profound reflection on the degeneration of Western civilization and a work of surpassing poetic beauty. Critic Harold Bloom declared Blood Meridian to be "the authentic American apocalyptic novel,"; and McCarthy "the worthy disciple of both Melville and Faulkner."
This is a two-quarter sequence (Autumn 2020 and Winter 2021)—a close reading of the work combined with reading and consideration of major critical commentaries (e.g., Vereen Bell, Denis Donoghue, John Sepich) and some of McCarthy’s sources and models. The first quarter will be devoted to slow reading of the text and the second to a review of the whole in light of supplementary materials and critical commentaries, with the idea of reaching some further and deeper comprehension than a single reading and discussion can provide.Notes
Deadline for Online Registration: Wednesday, December 30. Online Registration for Winter Quarter courses will close on Wednesday, December 30 at 5pm CT. Register today to secure your place!
Taking a Graham School Remote Course: You will receive an invitation to join Canvas about a week before the course begins. Please accept the invitation and create a log-in for Canvas using your email as the user name and create a password. Then go to the Dashboard and click on your course. Next click on Zoom Professional Education and you will see the link to "Join" your classroom. Canvas houses the course information including the course syllabus, announcements, and discussions. You will not be able to participate in your online class unless you accept the Canvas invitation and set up your account.
For help visit, https://grahamschool.uchicago.edu/academic-programs/online/learning-resources/liberal-arts to find step by step instructions and to sign up for a Student Training Session.