Episode III: The Meaning of Blood Meridian's Epilogue

[@stetsonstarkey]

I have listened to countless hours of BM ending analysis, and nothing compares to the simple insight and succinctness of this one. Thank you

[@AmericanGwyn]

Thank you for these kind words!

[@jlhemingway12]

This analysis is a perfect counter balance of a Spengler-ian interpretation of man and civilization. I think your effort is practical and bc of that the most useful. Good work.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Thank you!

[@Azkahamm]

I also wasn’t confused by the epilogue, as I grew up in rural GA & digging post-holes often resulted in striking stones of quartz which would create sparks (fire). Blood Meridian is a masterpiece.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Country boys know what’s up.

[@Thesiouxempirepodcast]

I grew up on a ranch and built miles and miles of fence as a teen. I knew exactly what the epilogue was describing and was confused when other people were confused by it.

[@AmericanGwyn]

@@Thesiouxempirepodcast I grew up on a little cattle ranch on Oklahoma. Ranchers often know things others don’t.

[@Thesiouxempirepodcast]

@@AmericanGwyn It’s a heck of a way to learn a lot of things about life/biology/ext.

[@fslayer1290]

Thank you for explaining the holes and their meaning. While I did work on a farm in high school, I never built fences. 😊

[@AmericanGwyn]

You're welcome!

[@RocketKiss]

Gawd damn. Bloom got shellacked

[@AmericanGwyn]

Boom!

[@Magos_Sigma]

The vocal track was only in the left audio channel. Easy thing to miss, but one that makes it a little bit uncomfortable to listen through headphones. Besides that one technical issue, this was as wonderful as your prior videos, and a beautifully succinctly made point.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Thank you! I notched something was off on this one too--still getting the hang of this audio stuff!

[@fergal2424]

It’s the same in the latest video also

[@necro5129]

Interesting as heck, excellent video. When I read the book as a kid I put more emphasis on the 'striking fire' and being from an area that regularly performed back burning due to the constant bushfires I had interpreted it very differently. Assumed the man was lighting fires to prevent future, far worse fires. This has given me a new perspective and really changed the meaning for me. Very cool!

[@AMB-c4c]

These are so good, I'm always sad when they're over.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Too kind!

[@scaphoi]

Interesting. And well presented. I too saw the epilogues figure as a fence poster. But saw it more as the mindless and relentless quest for “progress”. A refinement rather than counter to the Judge. The violence will continue

[@mattjohnstone243]

Quality. Thanks for clearing that up!

[@williamhurrelbrink3324]

Not that it matters to anyone but me, but I 100% agree with this. It makes the most sense to me, of the hours I’ve spent read😅jug and listening to Blood meridian and Blood Meridian paraphernalia. Especially being birthed in No Man’s Land, the town of Beaver Oklahoma and growing up mostly along the length of the panhandle, from Woodward Boise City, Black Mesa to Perryton Texas and liberal Kansas. I definitely understood the epilogue to mean “The End” of that wild freedom. And blood meridian as a whole, is a description of one last hoorah, if you will, for the people of the so called “Wild West” Cormac McCarthy cannot simply say “the end” ❤(at least in this work) As a fellow Okie I applaud all of your work on Cormac. I’ve been on a bender today which was sparked by one of his unique words. “Archatron.” Anyways. Good work sir. Thank you.!

[@amullins293]

Bravo Sir,..great work.

[@MagusX1]

Fantastic video. I think you are right on this. My beef is with Harold Bloom, who as you said has a lack of knowledge on farm hand knowledge is so very true. The real problem is that I always believed Harold Bloom was not as a smart as he appeared to be, as his elitism I think held him back.

[@Damo-Dubdar]

I too have augered many holes having been a fencer most of my life. I saw what you described in this video, though not nearly as eloquently.

[@-loveless-]

You've taken such a unique approach with these. Well done!

[@AmericanGwyn]

Appreciate ye!

[@gastondeveaux3783]

This was a great explanation.

[@blu3_enjoy]

Thanks for the insight. Just finished the book

[@Crowniecrown]

Interesting take. I thought it was a gnostic metaphor of man forever toiling under an oppressive reality but I think your interpretation fits the story much better without resorting to analogies that the author may or may not have been alluding to.

[@lukemac6428]

very well done and said

[@AmericanGwyn]

"The judge smiled."

[@DamanHillard]

Thank you.

[@adamnoble1689]

NICE

[@Hoots_Maguire]

I appreciate your view and I think your interpretation is very convincing BUT a well crafted story can be more than one thing at once, and nothing about your "enclosure" reading excludes a gnostic or mystical reading, or even a kind of science-fiction-fantasy reading where the figures are wanderers on the gnostic planet Anareta. I think your comments on Harold Bloom (in this video and the preceding one) are quite harsh considering that he tendered his remarks as clearly speculative. He was a great teacher with a serious passion for literature, the one who championed Blood Meridian when it was not well regarded, and who really doesn't deserve your scorn.

[@AmericanGwyn]

Where did I say Gnostic readings of Blood Meridian are invalid?

[@Hoots_Maguire]

@@AmericanGwyn You do not explicitly say so, but the implication seems to be there. At 4:20 in the video you say "I did grow up on a cattle-ranch in Oklahoma where i got a schooling that gave me greater insight into BM's epilogue than two graduate degrees from Yale seem to have given [Bloom]". This tends to imply that Bloom's tentative reading, which is dualistic if not fully gnostic, is all wrong. Forgive me if I've misinterpreted your words, but in any case they still strike me as disrespectful of Bloom, who as I stated before was a sincere and passionate teacher of literature who may be engaged with and argued with, but not scorned as some kind of pseudo. Still following your interpretations which I think are fascinating. Your recitations of the text are quite excellent too, reminiscent of Richard Poe's audiobook readings and maybe even better.

[@DaleMontdale-xd1mc]

The holes are fences or telephone poles as I gathered.