Lecture 31: Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger and Stella Maris

Buckle up, readers. Kimberly's finally indulging herself (and YOU) in an extra-deep-dive lecture on one of her favorite writers of all time. Tune in for close readings that illuminate why McCarthy's prose is so gorgeous, why his influences are key, and why Kimberly is so happy about him finally centering A WOMAN in these, his final texts.
Plus! A literary PARLOR TRICK that definitively proves Kimberly's hot-take thesis about digression in The Passenger.

[@laurasalo6160]

@1:17:29 Owls are generally solitary too. He is seeing something beautifully rare.

[@laurasalo6160]

Such a great video ! Cheers!

[@thefoxedpage]

Thank you so much for this! I looked these books. Obviously. And I so appreciate your close listening. I do think part of the gift of McCarthy is the depth of every tiny thing...image, word choice, names, world building. I feel weirdly appreciative that he ended his oeuvre with work that feels like a departure--toward women in some ways! Thank you so much for writing! And listening/watching!

[@laurasalo6160]

Oh, i love "the foxed page". Never heard of it, so thank you. What a great name. Looking forward to perusing your channel. Regards from Canada 🇨🇦

[@thefoxedpage]

I love Canada! My grandmother lived in Vancouver for a long time. And you are so kind to write these notes! There is soooo much in McCarthy. The owl, the divesting himself--so rich and often glossed over because there is so much to notice. Good work! haha Of course, my memory is so bad I don't remember these small instances. The overlapping character comment is also so astute. I do believe the comparisons to Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha County are good ones. Nothing like a memorable, rounded, fully formed character showing right up in another work! Whew. SO smart. I'm continually surprised--in the best of ways--that the McCarthy podcast is the one that has been listened to most during the year I've been doing this. Clearly I need to wade in to more. Thank you so much for writing!

[@laurasalo6160]

@1:05:30 Apparently, Billy Ray "Red" Callahan is a character in Suttree if im not mistaken (possibly based on an actual person?). Im glad he didnt name the cat Erwin or something. That wouldve been too much lol. I guess we will have to read Suttree now to comprehend the kitty cat. 😀

[@thefoxedpage]

How have I not responded to these comments earlier?? I love the idea of this kind of close analysis and deep thinking. Sometimes when I'm doing quality-checks of random episodes, especially if I haven't heard them in a while, I think of questions and comments for myself and wonder why I didn't slow down and think of it then! It's very gratifying to think that listeners are engaging like this! Thank you so much for writing!

[@marty1596]

I listened to these novels as audiobooks and loved them both immensely, and I knew there were resonant themes for me in them in terms of the emotional impact of someone's death by suicide, but it really took your discussion of Jeffrey's character for me to connect the dots as to how I felt. Thank you for making this, I teared up a bit while out on a walk by myself listening to that part (and to the part about Debussy Fields but less so because I relate directly to her experience (which is part of what that digression addresses (something that I'm also now attempting to address via digression😇)))

[@thefoxedpage]

I was so moved by this note! There is such depth and sadness in this pair of texts but the sense of communion or sympathy or solace or understanding--or whatever magic McCarthy is pulling off here--is so potent. He does that thing where you feel less alone while feeling these deeper, more melancholy feelings. And with all the digressions--yours and mccarthy's!--you end up with such breadth. Thank you for writing!

[@KelleyGreenEcstasy]

Haven't listened yet, but some quick thoughts after finishing The Passenger during the Summer and finishing up Stella Maris right now; They are both amazing. Basically a distillation of Cormac's philosophies or speculations laid bare. Having only read The Passenger once, I did find myself getting a little confused on what the plot was doing, but it really is one of those books that is better to read and revisit because some of the passages are just so profound.

[@thefoxedpage]

I couldn't agree more! It's definitely one I will return to. I have a sense that when I go back with different expectations (that the search for/interest in the initial passenger from the plane is largely beside the point) that I will be able to engage even more fully with the text.

[@thefoxedpage]

I also keep thinking about how glad I am that he finally centered a woman in the text (in some ways) at the end of his life!

[@laurasalo6160]

@1:03:24 "he has divested himself of everything" (his posessions). Dont su¡c¡dal people do that too...?

[@Ozgipsy]

“The Foxed”, very good. Excellent review. I find him to be a “mens” writer, as you say. I was just thinking that today.

[@thefoxedpage]

This is such an interesting question to me. The idea of writing for men or women. I remember reading Richard Ford or John Updike decades ago and thinking it was so interesting to get into the minds' of men. Pynchon, DeLillo, Foster Wallace, McCarthy, Vonnegut... the list goes on and on for me. In an age when we are so skeptical of sex and gender differences, (and having just done a whole Jane Austen bender haha), I continue to be interested in this. Thanks for writing!

[@laurasalo6160]

I actually find that women have made such a huge whining deal about "women in books" that i just cannot bring myself to care anymore. I am not remotely interested in books written by women or, especially, about women.

[@desireeclepper9131]

I believe it is Eliza Western.

[@thefoxedpage]

Thank you for this! I have to admit that my memory is so bad that I can't remember what my question was! This was originally recorded in the fall. Too many books in my head! But thank you so much for listening and for taking the time to write! (Also--could the name "Eliza Western" be any more McCarthy-esque??)

[@barflytom3273]

What does the sentence "You really take the plaid rabbit" mean. Anyone?

[@thefoxedpage]

Wow do I wish I had the kind of memory that would allow me to remember this. I really don't know. Without ANY idea of the context, I'm thinking of the Velveteen Rabbit, the story about how true love allows one to be alive?? The syntax makes me think of "you take the cake," which would mean high praise but is often deployed ironically?? But this is just 100% me riffin on the one phrase out of context. Also, honestly, I love this kind of thorough reading. And often there are really good crowd-sourced answers to this kind of thing. If you're still interested, maybe try reddit?? Sorry to not be more helpful! And thank you for tuning in!