| From the 1960s to the beginning of this century,Cormac McCarthy(1933-),a great American novelist,has written several masterpieces including The Orchard Keeper,Blood Meridian and The Road.He begins with his hometown Tennessee and The Orchard Keeper serves as the starting point of his Southern writings,reflecting social transition of American South and deconstructing Southern myths.Later the milestone of his Western works,Blood Meridian,reveals the U.S.-Mexico border fueled by bloodiness and violence and is the product of the hybridization of Southern and Western fiction.In his latest novel,The Road,he combines features of both Southern and Western literature.Further,he enables it to be the epitome of his Southern works by virtue of the indeterminacy of narration and presents it with postmodern features of diversity and pluralism,which indicates the transcendence of Southern novels Breaking boundaries,he succeeds in not only an integration of Southern and Western literature but innovation of his own,which shows the circularity of his writingsMcCarthy’s works can be relegated to Southern,Western and post-apocalyptic novels.The paper chooses typical works from three major writing periods,focuses on main characteristics of three novels and explores the destiny of individuals and groups in some crucial phases of American society.It is aimed at stating that American myths in the special context of time and space depart from existence for disappearance and proving the circularity of his writings.Also,it holds that though globalization drives human beings to singularity and homogeneity,McCarthy has his firm conviction that he will show his eternal love for his homeland and Southern literature.His deep reflection and harsh criticism on American history express his great concern over such matters as ecology and the development of future world.Besides introduction and conclusion,there are three chapters left:The first part begins with The Orchard Keeper,and reveals its typical attributes of Southern literature.It discusses Sylder’s inner conflict and the seed of violence against the backdrop of social transition of the South between two world wars,which is targeted at Southern myths and Southern fiction.Next part emphasizes the turning point of McCarthy’s writings,Blood Meridian,which combines features of both Southern and Western literature.It is based on Holden’s sins in Westward Movement and the shadow of violence cast on the frontier,indicating the deconstruction of Western myths and the bloody colonial road of American empire.The third part highlights protagonists’ survival in the doomsday and the harvest of violence human beings have to reap,which eventually points out that The Road combines Southern,Western and postmodern features,transcends Southern fiction and shows the salute to the South and Southern literature.Finally,the paper summarizes some similarities and differences among those three works in order to show McCarthy can’t be classified as either Southern or Western writer.His writings embrace not only the hybridization of Southern and Western literature but the integration of postmodern technique,which makes them one of the rarest works in postmodern times.The practice,from South to South,embodies the circularity and,to some extent,gives one good reason why he can become an American writer with a cosmopolitan outlook who leaves the South,and finally returns to and transcend the South. |
