How Cormac McCarthy Ruined His Legacy

[@WriteConscious]

For those who comment before watching the video, McCarthy's legacy hasn't been ruined for me. In this video, I detail how the McCarthy estate not getting in front of this story will be bad for his legacy in the long run to the masses. The skeleton in his closet has been hijacked and manipulated by opportunists looking for book sales.

[@katherinegarcia3256]

@@WriteConscious how do you call child rape a skeleton in his closet? I will never understand anyone who can minimize the rape of a child. I have several writers that I love wholeheartedly. But if I found out that they were pedophiles. I would throw out all their books. I would not support them as a writer and try to separate their actions from their work. Never that's like saying " yeah Hitler killed a lot of Jewish kids and babies but he was great with dogs." Come on! IMO that fact is all future generations need to know about McCormick -- he raped kids. If you make an exception for one you make an exception for all.

[@theheadytimetraveler3864]

Paparazzi going to McCarthy's grave with an EMF detector, voice recorder, and a Ouija Board: "Cormac, would you like to make a comment on your relationship with Augusta Britt?"

[@sweetviolents29]

Ngl I’d watch it

[@katherinegarcia3256]

@@theheadytimetraveler3864 child rape isn't a relationship. It's a crime. End of story

[@cass52206]

He's literally dead not literarily dead.

[@seanmurphy7011]

I'm sorry, did the words in his books change? His legacy is fine.

[@montecristo6613]

You mean to tell me an artist had bizarre sexual proclivities? This is shocking

[@doclime4792]

How bizarre how bizarre... You like that song Nick? I don't just wanted to see if you did.

[@Beau2874-kf4rz]

Some of y'all need your hard drives checked. Sheesh.

[@Issacson]

People can still read McCarthy if they so choose, but actually defending and downplaying what he did is outright abhorrent. A child was exploited. Nothing negates that fact.

[@KamPatterson69]

Dude got some young psleeve while writing some of the best novels of the 20th/21st centuries. Total OG move. The hack vanity fair piece makes Cormac even better

[@upbeatsarcastic8217]

Is anyone actually defending his choices though?

[@Issacson]

@@upbeatsarcastic8217 Read the comment right above you. SMH.

[@upbeatsarcastic8217]

@@Issacson lol fair. I'm hoping that person is just trolling you but...fair.

[@varlamplatonov6099]

What ruined his legacy were the last 16 years of his life wasted for 500 pages.

[@christianvchacon]

McCarthy even uses gnosticism in Stella Maris. I found this in less than 10 seconds, and I quote: “Eight. The Ogdoad. The Ogdoad? In Gnostic years.”

[@WriteConscious]

Lol, thank you! That dude is an idiot

[@christianvchacon]

Absolutely, Ian!

[@batman5224]

I’ve learned to separate the art from the artist. There’s no such thing as moral purity in art. Everyone has sinned. Edgar Allan Poe married his 13 year old cousin and lied about her age on the marriage certificate. Charles Dickens treated his wife horribly. He isolated her from her children, tried to put her in a madhouse, and had an affair with a girl who was barely of legal age. He was a complete hypocrite, but I’ll still read him because I enjoy his stories. Art is created by flawed human beings. We’re not looking for saints.

[@gregory_bloomfield]

Well said!

[@shannonm.townsend1232]

Yeah but

[@theslyngl]

Okay but be more fair in your presentation tho: "Everyone has sinned" - yeah but the magnitude and severity GREATLY differs. Don't make it out like rapists are the same amount of bad as having an affair. "We're not looking for saints": no one is claiming you have to be a saint to be read. You're doing yourself and your point a huge disservice with this bs

[@ShadowoftheRisingSun]

​​​@@theslynglit really does depend on your ethical and morality scale. You need to have yours and judge from that. Right now, society is so fragmented that most people don't agree on a standard. For myself, as an extreme example, I don't care about how many great quotes might be in Mein Kampf, I would never endorse it.

[@theslyngl]

@@ShadowoftheRisingSun There's a big difference between endorsing a book and reading it for innocent or historical/productive reasons

[@austinstillwell]

Charlie Chaplin married a 13 year old. I still enjoy his movies. So regardless of the veracity of these accusations, I will continue to enjoy McCarthy's books. Scandals can tarnish reputations, but they can never tarnish works of genius.

[@ExpatRiot79]

I love it! pimp daddy CM's legacy grows stronger everyday! Right now it's stuck in this moralistic ox shit of a culture we have, but in a hundred years, two hundred years, this stuff is gonna be golden.

[@opencarrydrift6308]

the article was so badly written that I don't believe most of the details, just comes off as dishonest in some way.

[@reaganwiles_art]

As if mofo gave a fo

[@swannmercury]

I can't remember the last time I heard this much gossip about a novelist.

[@KamPatterson69]

Sad that BS tabloid gossip about a great writer is more impactful then actual great novels

[@gregory_bloomfield]

I’m going to continue to read McCarthy. He is one of the greatest authors of all time. I love his work. I know what he did was terrible, but it seems it was consensual if it even happened. We actually don’t know because we weren’t there. I really don’t believe her.

[@1haunt]

I think it's quite telling that Augusta Britt decided to share her story with the young writer (not a McCarthy Scholar) who wouldn't have any way to verify the stuff she was saying. Not dismissing all her claims but the original article read like fanfiction at times. What a mess.

[@isaiahbasaldua924]

he's a writer his personal life has no bearing on his legacy or his writing. I think whatever he did was probably murky, but I don't think that's for us to judge, especially posthumously. Also making money from this relationship or whatever you call it is just low and very opportunistic

[@zombiewarking]

Nobody really cares especially since the girl he "Abused" doesn't seem to really feel like she abused.

[@InstruMentalCase]

A child cannot consent because they lack the maturity, life experience, and brain development to fully understand the implications of such a relationship. Abusers exploit this, grooming children to normalize the abuse, which can distort their perception of the situation later in life. If an adult looks back fondly on an inappropriate relationship, it’s often a result of the manipulations and abuse they endured, not proof that it was acceptable. Cormack’s reputation will be irreparably damaged by this, and those recommending his work will feel compelled to acknowledge and denounce him as a child sex predator in the same breath. This will also deter many people who would otherwise have read his work.

[@marcelberes469]

​@@InstruMentalCase There is no point in "denouncing" him. He's dead, and it's not like he was a saint before this.

[@emmaphilo4049]

​@@marcelberes469I think it's important to acknowledge past pedophilic behaviours because as a society it's still creating victims everyday. Especially in powerful or culturally significant figures because the influence the whole society in this behaviour consciously or not.

[@KamPatterson69]

@@InstruMentalCase who cares, he’s the best writer of the last half century. His work will be praised for centuries and this story will ve forgotten

[@ryanusa860]

“If they’re old enough to bleed they’re old enough to butcher.”

[@rickeyepittman]

A fantastic presentation! I so agree with you. I've lived long enough to know when I see targeted attacks against an author. Thanks for this.

[@Kahunacatto]

At which point the state are silent because they know this is going to increase sales ?

[@kevinogracia1615]

The plot thickens.

[@sethrakes1991]

A child of God much like yourself perhaps.

[@Seraphim_Metal_Works]

Lol isnt the same channel that said "its ok to live unconciously" and defended John Paul Jones? I really dont care about McCarthy's sex life. Writers are pests and thats a rule but you could at least pretend to be consistent.

[@reaganwiles_art]

McCarthy did what the usufruct he wanted and succeeded.

[@mikedahuman]

H.P Lovecraft was a terrified racist and anti-Semitic, But people still love his work and is still seen as one of the greats. You can say he was a Great writer and creative, but not that great of a person...

[@peybak]

Indeed, something's fishy in Denmark.

[@taambangerz]

Im not suprised you stand your ground, but I could not believe Aaron Gwyns tweet. What a whimp

[@alvinshultz4676]

Ian - Small thing, but Dianne Luce is pronounced like “Loose” and not Lucey. Folks usually don’t pronounce the middle initial either. Nitpicky think to mention, I know, but a lot of folks know of her and it is just a tad distracting.

[@croinkix]

This reminds me of the scholars in 2666 and the movie Henry Fool by Hal Hartley

[@WriteConscious]

Yes!!! The threesomes in Mexico would be a great addition to this story lmao

[@croinkix]

@WriteConscious 😂😂😂

[@claudesaint-nuage]

Britt was based on Wanda.

[@paulchironi7902]

I self-identify as a genius since I experienced my first diagnosed manic episode at the age of 59. I am currently experiencing a manic episode, so if you wish to disregard my opinion, that is okay. I support this young man, whom I shall refer to as Write Conscious because I can't slow down my mind enough to find out his name. I believe that Kindness is the key to brilliance, that my progress to brilliant to genius and then likely never to Genius. When people use the phrase misunderstood genius, let me put it this way, I now know why Cormac McCarthy didn't use punctuation. Punctuatioon slows down a Beautiful Voice and when your Muse speaks motherfucker, you listen. This is a kindhearted, thoughtful young man and he deserves to be taken seriously. Please do your best to respect his opinion. And my Write Conscious friend, if you want to interview an Agnostic who is still in a manic state, I would be honored to share my fanboy admiration of Cormac McCarthy at any time. I live in the CET time zone.

[@martyclark-np7ov]

No one wants to interview you man, please take your meds

[@larrylicavoli]

Glad im not a big corm reader. All you guys basing your writing on his style are in a hard place. Ian said he mightve met a young girl at a motor court pool, like the main character in NCFOM meeting a young girl at a motor court pool. Its been in front of you the whole time lol.

[@Beau2874-kf4rz]

"Separate the artist from their work" they say. I guess sometimes that's impossible.

[@pauls.7530]

Vin-CHEN-zo

[@MoeGar-e6e]

Hollywood Groomers 👎🏾

[@dirkrodgers4400]

Anyone else starting to think john from the passenger was a self insert? Kinda like a confession

[@kentjensen4504]

Sir Ian Cattanach.

[@punkpoetry]

Who cares

[@katherinegarcia3256]

The Road was the worst book I have ever read. It's the only book in my 58 years of life that I threw in the trash after finishing. It doesn't surprise me that he was a pedophile. That's what he was. He didn't have a "relationship" with this girl. He's a predator who abused a child.

[@CJ.S-v3y]

Hopefully someone pulled it out of the trash and enjoyed it where you couldn’t. Cormac was a genius. A flawed genius.

[@loliH9]

How old was this child?

[@williambartholmey5946]

@@loliH9 14

[@account-gp4sn]

You sound like a bitter dumbass

[@martyclark-np7ov]

It’s the Dudebro sphere man, they all read and worship the same crappy books across the board.

[@michaelmayo]

Can't stand CM. All his stuff is nihilistic sludge ie "Life's a Bitch and Then You Die." Reading his stuff (I've tried) is like being dragged over dirt...slowly. The idea that people would actually devote their lives to studying him is beyond me. I mean, is there anything to actually learn from this guy other than if you're pretentious enough and flatter the "America Is GENOCIDE!!!" crowd, people will buy your tripe. In terms of his relationship to a minor, it wouldn't surprise me. CM obviously had money and status, so he should have been able to find relationships closer to his age, but my guess is that he couldn't handle a more equal relationship and instead went for a hero-worshipping hot piece. Unless she lied to him, he should have known about her age too, which is doubly damning. You guys are welcome to this exploitive piece of trash...

[@CJ.S-v3y]

I mean the fact that you haven’t successfully read McCarthy shows. Or even struggled to read his work and harbor resentment for people who have. It’s not nihilistic sludge. Have you read his border trilogy? Exactly. Are you referencing Blood Meridian? It’s not nihilistic. Did you try and read The Road? It’s an apocalyptic setting so you did yourself a disservice. Your overview reminds me of an old friend I tossed in the trash who hated films he didn’t understand and by proxy the people who enjoyed them because his own narcissism said that if I can’t get it, then I know they don’t because I’m better than them. You sound like him. Maybe you are him😅

[@michaelmayo]

@CJ.S-v3y I don't resent people who read CM, why would I? (I don't think I'm "him" either.) I've read Faulkner, "Ulysses," and "Moby Dick." Challenging works don't bother me, pointless ones do. ("The Road," btw, is a crock. The apocalyptic ecosystem where everything has been wiped out simply is unrealistic and, again, a giant authorial thumb put on the story. In fact, given that many predators would be lessened, there would be an explosion of the species that did survive.) But lets flip the script, since you wrote back. You Tell Me, as long or as short as you want, why I should read CM? What did you gain from reading him? What would I gain from reading him? (other than a greater appreciation of punctuation...)

[@CJ.S-v3y]

@@michaelmayo It depends on what you’re looking to get out of a book. Blood Meridian is Cormac creating a fantasy out of pre-existing ideas of Gnosticism across the Texas/Mexico desert where one of the gangs “leaders” is Yaldabaoth. It’s incredible. Do you walk away having learned something? I wouldn’t say it’s The Brothers Karamazov level, but it’s also not the intention. He took a true story of a real gang and fused gnostic ideas into a kind of hyper-reality or alternate universe. It’s hard to describe where it exists in the ethers of storytelling but when you chew on the bigger ideas it’s overwhelmingly gratifying because there isn’t anything like it. If you hated The Road, then I think his earlier work is better suited, especially if you’re versed in Faulkner and Melville. If you want a short McCarthy book that you can plow in a day or two, read “Outer Dark.” That’s my pick. The prose is great and setting is bleak but the payoff is rich. People who describe his writing as “nihilistic” truly don’t get McCarthy because his books usually end with a form of hope. His books remind me of that quote from season 1 of True Detective where Marty looks up at night sky and says something like, “looks like the dark has a lot more territory.” And Rustin counters with, “no, you’re lookin at it wrong. Once there was only dark. If you ask me the lights winning.” His books are drenched in dark which then only serves to highlight the sprinkles of light he leaves in them and those aspects of light are the takeaway. Blood Meridian’s moment of light comes in the paragraph of the epilogue, but it’s there and it changes the whole experience. Read, Outer Dark. If you’re into it but need something as or more sophisticated but with a better balance of dark and light, read The Crossing.

[@blurredlenzpictures3251]

He always seemed like a creep

[@Samuel-vw2wy]

everyone makes mistakes

[@WriteConscious]

This video isn't about McCarthy's mistakes. It's about his estate ruining his legacy.

[@katherinegarcia3256]

Wow child rape isn't a mistake it's a crime.

[@Aqibkhan-wl8qw]

Brother!

[@account-gp4sn]

Dude, why the hell do you keep saying she was "13/14"? That's not verified at all! You're just as bad as they are. Really.

[@iammraat3059]

Ian is being sloppy or disingenuous here

[@WriteConscious]

​@@iammraat3059 - That is the whole point of this video. They botched this entire thing, are holding onto the information for future book sales, and didnt' do enough research to know that the Guy Davenport letter existed which would throw the whole timeline into question. I am cool with acknowledging that McCarthy took another young girl to Mexico in 1974. But, that seems unlikely, and throws the whole idea of "the muse" out the window. Davenport's letters are not dated wrong because the book McCarthy was helping with came out in 1974.