Cormac McCarthy Research

I watched a short Oprah interview with Cormac McCarthy which was his first ever television interview. This didn’t really inform me about McCarthy as a person much and this is something I think I will have to fine in written form. It has inspired me to read one of his most famous books, ‘The Road’. So far I have only read ‘The Sunset Limited’ which was a play and quick to read, so it will be good to experience a different writing style. 

Notes from cormacmccarthy.com

The Cormac McCarthy Society provided a lot of information about his life, facts, figures and dates but showed very little about him as a person. They use the phrase ‘that’s more or less what we know’ at the end of the biography page which suggests that it is going to be difficult to find out about McCarthy as a person. 

Notes from an interview with The Wall Street Journal

This gave me a bit more insight into McCarthy as a person. Some points that I particularly found intriguing include that he worries about the future of the human race. This is a parallel I can draw with my research into George Orwell, a fear of being controlled by a greater power, in this case, technology. 

McCarthy seems to have a very strong bond with his son. He talks about him a lot and speaks very highly of him as a person. 

McCarthy seems like a man who enjoys quiet which will explain his lack of involvement with turning his writing into films, his reluctance to participate in screen interviews and the way he has generally keeps his personal life quite private. 

Another interesting point he made in this interview was that he believes that too much of the arts will decrease their value. I think there is a deep argument to be had here because more arts can encourage it to thrive but I also do partially agree with how we can value something less if it is so readily available to us in so many forms. 

Next Step - I want to read 'The Road' as I think this will help me to gain a better insight into the relationship McCarthy has with his son as he hints that a lot of it is based on his personal experiences with his son. I think the father-son relationship could be a heart warming topic to explore visually but I don't really know what the tone of the book is yet.