Reading Cormac McCarthy initially sends my brain into a tizzy! As our bodies need to acclimate to the gentle rhythm when adrift at sea, our minds have grown accustomed to the standard punctuation rules to hold the words and phrases in their proper places, which makes his writing feel like a swaying boat. After a few chapters, the flow is so natural it's hardly noticeable. It's getting off the boat and walking on stable ground (reading any other author), which then feels disorienting. His bravery and creativity are incredible.
How fascinating. That degree of confidence astonishes me. My favorite aspect of this piece is the intellectual generosity of helping others craft the best and most compelling expression of their ideas. His multidisciplinary curiosity is also beautiful. Thanks for the vivid visual of McCarthy’s punctuation versus Faulkner’s. If this comment feels staccato it’s because I’m trying very hard not to use commas. 🙂
What a fascinating article. (I almost put an exclamation point after that last sentence.) I had no idea McCarthy was so interested in science and willing to put his skills in service to it.
Winston Churchill also eschews the comma whenever possible. His writing takes some getting used to.
Interesting all around! That’s what I am doing after a research career. Similar passion no doubt. Cut to the chase, make things readable, remove pretension. Just for academic papers. I met Cormac briefly at SFI, where we both agreed it was a bad idea to block access to the bar table. But I hadn’t yet read his work then, so I was too intimidated to go further. I have read most of it since then. I love his writing and his stories.
Both of these Lisa Randall books have been sitting on my self for longer than I care to admit. I haven't read them yet. I had no idea McCarthy helped to edit them. Now I'm looking forward to reading them even more than I already was.
As a writer, I both respect and bemoan McCarthy's repudiation of punctuation norms. While a talented writer such as himself may find the flow and successfully convey their meaning while escewing accepted punctuation rules, most novice writers are better served by more CLOSELY following the rules.
But ultimately, learning that the written word is primarily about conveying meaning and NOT necessarily about making sure you have placed your commas in the required place will eliminate much of the intimidation of writing.
Very interesting article! And yes, I meant the exclamation point. There is “interesting” and “interesting!” Maybe punctuation is for lazy writers…it takes more work to verbally show intensity.
I’m waiting for someone to remove the man- made punctuation from the Bible and then see how it reads. I’m already shocked when I take out the editor’s inserted section descriptions placed within a letter or a gospel.
Read Ephesians without those and then tell me editors can’t sway the reading.
Reading Cormac McCarthy initially sends my brain into a tizzy! As our bodies need to acclimate to the gentle rhythm when adrift at sea, our minds have grown accustomed to the standard punctuation rules to hold the words and phrases in their proper places, which makes his writing feel like a swaying boat. After a few chapters, the flow is so natural it's hardly noticeable. It's getting off the boat and walking on stable ground (reading any other author), which then feels disorienting. His bravery and creativity are incredible.
How fascinating. That degree of confidence astonishes me. My favorite aspect of this piece is the intellectual generosity of helping others craft the best and most compelling expression of their ideas. His multidisciplinary curiosity is also beautiful. Thanks for the vivid visual of McCarthy’s punctuation versus Faulkner’s. If this comment feels staccato it’s because I’m trying very hard not to use commas. 🙂
What a fascinating article. (I almost put an exclamation point after that last sentence.) I had no idea McCarthy was so interested in science and willing to put his skills in service to it.
Winston Churchill also eschews the comma whenever possible. His writing takes some getting used to.
Interesting all around! That’s what I am doing after a research career. Similar passion no doubt. Cut to the chase, make things readable, remove pretension. Just for academic papers. I met Cormac briefly at SFI, where we both agreed it was a bad idea to block access to the bar table. But I hadn’t yet read his work then, so I was too intimidated to go further. I have read most of it since then. I love his writing and his stories.
Theres simply no place in literature for bullet points.
Both of these Lisa Randall books have been sitting on my self for longer than I care to admit. I haven't read them yet. I had no idea McCarthy helped to edit them. Now I'm looking forward to reading them even more than I already was.
As a writer, I both respect and bemoan McCarthy's repudiation of punctuation norms. While a talented writer such as himself may find the flow and successfully convey their meaning while escewing accepted punctuation rules, most novice writers are better served by more CLOSELY following the rules.
But ultimately, learning that the written word is primarily about conveying meaning and NOT necessarily about making sure you have placed your commas in the required place will eliminate much of the intimidation of writing.
Awesome
Very interesting, thank you
Very interesting article! And yes, I meant the exclamation point. There is “interesting” and “interesting!” Maybe punctuation is for lazy writers…it takes more work to verbally show intensity.
I’m waiting for someone to remove the man- made punctuation from the Bible and then see how it reads. I’m already shocked when I take out the editor’s inserted section descriptions placed within a letter or a gospel.
Read Ephesians without those and then tell me editors can’t sway the reading.
This was such an enjoyable and insightful read. Thank you so much for sharing it! It gave me a lot to think about as a writer in training.