In this dissertation a comparative study is undertaken of an Afrikaans novel, Willem Anker’s Buys: ’n Grensroman (2014) and an American novel, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West (1985). The study focuses on the nature and function of carnivalesque elements in the portrayal of violence in the two novels. The theory of the carnivalesque, as developed by Mikhail Bakhtin in Rabelais and His World (1984), serves as a broad theoretical point of departure, while Steven Frye’s article “Blood Meridian and the Poetics of Violence” (2013) serves more specifically as a theoretical approach for the investigation into the protrayal of violence in the two novels. Following on Frye’s view of the carnivalesque as an “aesthetic strategy”, reference is made to the views of Terry Eagleton, Kenneth Burke and Fredric Jameson who regard the text as a strategic reaction to a given situation or context. The novels are consequently approached with due consideration to the violent contexts in which they were written, namely America in the wake of the Vietnam War in the case of Blood Meridian and the violence-ridden postcolonial South Africa in Buys’s case. Connections between the carnivalesque and postcolonial discourse as well as between the carnivalesque and violence are explored. The aestheticisation of extreme violence in Blood Meridian and Buys through the utilisation of carnivalesque images coupled with poetic, richly imagistic language which involves the reader emotionally, is briefly demonstrated. Ethical reservations regarding the aestheticisation of violence in literature are explored, while the ethical value Kearney atrributes to a narrative approach to historical violence is also considered. This is followed by a comparative analysis of violent scenes in the two novels in which the grotesque body, carnivalesque clothing, the carnivalesque blending of the kitchen with the battlefield and carnivalesque language occur. Finally the study concludes that the utilisation of carnivalesque imagery in scenes of violence in Blood Meridian and Buys is an aesthetic strategy whereby the reader’s experience of those historic atrocities are intensified as a result of being emotionally drawn to the events. This hightens the reader’s consciousness of the historical reality of moral transgression – a function performed by the original Medieval carnival – and calls attention to the fact that the violence demands an ethical response. / In hierdie verhandeling word ’n vergelykende studie onderneem van ’n Afrikaanse roman, Willem Anker se Buys: ’n Grensroman (2014), en ’n Amerikaanse roman, Cormac McCarthy se Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West (1985). Die studie fokus op die aard en funksie van karnavaleske elemente in die uitbeelding van geweld in die twee romans. Die teorie van die karnavaleske, soos ontwikkel deur Mikhail Bakhtin in Rabelais and His World (1984) dien as breë teoretiese vertrekpunt, terwyl Steven Frye se artikel “Blood Meridian and the Poetics of Violence” (2013) meer spesifiek as teoretiese invalshoek dien vir die ondersoek na die uitbeelding van geweld in die twee romans. Na aanleiding van Frye se beskouing van die karnavaleske as ’n “estetiese strategie” word daar ook aansluiting gevind by Terry Eagleton, Kenneth Burke en Fredric Jameson se sienings van die literêre teks as ’n strategiese reaksie op ’n gegewe situasie of konteks. Die romans word dus benader met inagneming van die gewelddadige kontekste waarbinne hulle gestalte gekry het, te wete Amerika in die nadraai van die Viëtnam-oorlog in die geval van Blood Meridian en die geweldgeteisterde postkoloniale Suid-Afrika in Buys se geval. Verbande word getrek tussen die karnavaleske en die postkoloniale diskoers, asook tussen die karnavaleske en geweld. Daar word kortliks aangetoon hoedat ekstreme geweld in Blood Meridian en Buys verestetiseer word deur karnavaleske beelde wat gepaard gaan met poëtiese, beeldryke taalgebruik wat die leser emosioneel betrek. Daar word stilgestaan by etiese voorbehoude oor die verestetisering van geweld in literatuur, terwyl die etiese waarde wat Kearney heg aan ’n narratiewe benadering tot historiese geweld ook onder die loep kom. Dit word gevolg deur ’n vergelykende ontleding van geweldstonele in die twee romans waarin die groteske liggaam, karnavaleske kleredrag, die karnavaleske vermenging van die kombuis en die slagveld en karnavaleske taalgebruik voorkom. Ten slotte word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die aanwending van karnavaleske beelde in geweldstonele in Blood Meridian en Buys ’n estetiese strategie is waardeur die leser se ervaring van daardie geweldsvergrype in die verlede geïntensiveer word deurdat hy emosioneel daarby betrek word. Dit verhoog die leser se bewustheid van die historiese werklikheid van morele transgressie – ’n rol wat ook deur die oorspronklike karnaval in die Middeleeue vertolk is – en maak ’n appèl op die leser dat die geweldsvergrype ’n etiese respons vereis. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns / Afrikaans / MA / Unrestricted

Scholars attuned to the mystical content in Cormac McCarthy’s novels focus primarily on what potential religious conclusions might be drawn from them. This dissertation argues that McCarthy’s prose, approached as stylized performances of linguistic failure, performs something quite different than what the scholarly assessments claim. Rather than mining McCarthy’s novels for indirect forms of religious affirmation, this project proposes a distinctive approach to McCarthy’s work: a narrative apophatic mysticism. Attention to the non-assertive character of apophasis or “un-saying” reveals that McCarthy’s philosophical and religious allusions perform their own collapse. In the tradition of apophatic mysticism, the novels represent an ordered failure of representation that indicates toward transcendence without rendering it explicitly. The result is the fictional production of indicative signs that keep assertions and information in suspense while gesturing toward the ineffable. Adapting interpretive approaches from Michael Sells and Charles Peirce, this dissertation approaches McCarthy’s novels by means of five rhetorical categories based on mystical traditions represented by Pseudo-Dionysius, Hadewijch, Meister Eckhart, Jacob Boehme, as well as work by Elaine Scarry and Bernard McGinn. These interpretive rhetorical categories are 1) the broken references of names; 2) the logic of ontological grounds; 3) the collapse of conceptual space; 4) potential infinite capacity of bodily pain; and finally, 5) the explicit argumentative tension within the novels generated by the other four categories. Through the repetitive use of apophatic themes over several texts, McCarthy’s novels simultaneously erode assertions about the nature of fate, justice, and being, indicating that the final truth of these important concepts is not reduceable to linguistic expression or artifice. By adapting apophatic literary techniques of religious and philosophical traditions referenced in his texts, McCarthy incubates within fiction an ancient mode of rhetoric meant to orient the reader toward ineffable truths, offering narrative apophasis as a form of imaginative spiritual exercise.

O romance The Road (2006) representa um desvio na carreira do escritor norte-americano Cormac McCarthy. Sua prosa concisa e seu cenário apocalíptico marcam um distanciamento tanto de seus primeiros romances (mais próximos do gótico sulista) quanto dos mais recentes (westerns). Acompanhando a jornada de um Pai e um Filho por um país devastado, o autor faz um comentário sobre os Estados Unidos contemporâneo do pós-11 de setembro e da ascensão neoconservadora e fortalecimento do neoliberalismo. Com o intuito de investigar como o livro figura o presente, essa dissertação evidencia elementos de nosso tempo que se materializam na narrativa. Para isso, num primeiro momento, situa a obra do escritor no panorama da literatura americana contemporânea, e o papel de The Road dentro da bibliografia de McCarthy, culminando com a análise do foco narrativo, e o que ele representa. A partir disso, o eixo do trabalho se torna a produção literária do 11 de setembro, e novamente como o romance se destaca dentro desta contrapondo-o a outra obra contemporânea a ele: Falling Man, de Don DeLillo. Por fim, a análise formal da narrativa irá discutir o apocalipse e dialética estabelecida entre ele e a distopia, que são duas forças em duelo no livro. Assim, articulando esse movimento investigamos o papel dos personagens, cenário e tempo. Conforme teoriza Fredric Jameson, vivemos na era do Capitalismo Tardio, também chamada de Pós-Modernidade, e esta se concretiza ao longo do romance, conforme demonstramos nessa análise. A principal base teórica, novamente, é dada por Jameson em seu The Political Unconscious, além de conceitos formulados por Tom Moylan sobre utopia/distopia, e Frank Kermode sobre apocalipse, entre outros. / The novel The Road (2006) represents a detour in the writings of American novelist Cormac McCarthy. Its concise prose and apocalyptic setting signalize a departure both from his early novels (which are closer to the Southern Gothic) than his latest ones (Westerns). By following a Father and Sons journey through a devastated country, the author makes a commentary on contemporary United States of the post-9/11, and the rise of the neocons and the strengthening of neoliberalism. In order to investigate how the book figures the present, this master thesis highlights elements of our time that materialize in the narrative. Thereunto, it starts locating McCarthys work in the contemporary American literature, and The Roads role in his bibliography, culminating in the analysis of the focalization in this novel, and what it represents. Afterwards, the axis of the this work turns to the 9/11 literary production, and once again how the novel stands out in this group opposing The Road to another contemporary book: Don DeLillos Falling Man. Lastly, the formal analysis of the narrative will investigate the apocalypse and the dialectic established between it and dystopia, which are the two forces dueling in the book. Thus, by articulating this movement we investigate the role of the characters, setting and time. As Fredric Jameson theorizes, we live in the age of Late Capitalism, also known as Post-Modernity, and this appears throughout the novel, as we will demonstrate in the present work. The main theoretical foundation of this thesis is, again, given by Jameson in his The Political Unconscious, in addition to concepts formulated by Tom Moylan on utopia/dystopia, and Frank Kermonde on apocalypse, among others.

O romance The Road (2006) representa um desvio na carreira do escritor norte-americano Cormac McCarthy. Sua prosa concisa e seu cenário apocalíptico marcam um distanciamento tanto de seus primeiros romances (mais próximos do gótico sulista) quanto dos mais recentes (westerns). Acompanhando a jornada de um Pai e um Filho por um país devastado, o autor faz um comentário sobre os Estados Unidos contemporâneo do pós-11 de setembro e da ascensão neoconservadora e fortalecimento do neoliberalismo. Com o intuito de investigar como o livro figura o presente, essa dissertação evidencia elementos de nosso tempo que se materializam na narrativa. Para isso, num primeiro momento, situa a obra do escritor no panorama da literatura americana contemporânea, e o papel de The Road dentro da bibliografia de McCarthy, culminando com a análise do foco narrativo, e o que ele representa. A partir disso, o eixo do trabalho se torna a produção literária do 11 de setembro, e novamente como o romance se destaca dentro desta contrapondo-o a outra obra contemporânea a ele: Falling Man, de Don DeLillo. Por fim, a análise formal da narrativa irá discutir o apocalipse e dialética estabelecida entre ele e a distopia, que são duas forças em duelo no livro. Assim, articulando esse movimento investigamos o papel dos personagens, cenário e tempo. Conforme teoriza Fredric Jameson, vivemos na era do Capitalismo Tardio, também chamada de Pós-Modernidade, e esta se concretiza ao longo do romance, conforme demonstramos nessa análise. A principal base teórica, novamente, é dada por Jameson em seu The Political Unconscious, além de conceitos formulados por Tom Moylan sobre utopia/distopia, e Frank Kermode sobre apocalipse, entre outros. / The novel The Road (2006) represents a detour in the writings of American novelist Cormac McCarthy. Its concise prose and apocalyptic setting signalize a departure both from his early novels (which are closer to the Southern Gothic) than his latest ones (Westerns). By following a Father and Sons journey through a devastated country, the author makes a commentary on contemporary United States of the post-9/11, and the rise of the neocons and the strengthening of neoliberalism. In order to investigate how the book figures the present, this master thesis highlights elements of our time that materialize in the narrative. Thereunto, it starts locating McCarthys work in the contemporary American literature, and The Roads role in his bibliography, culminating in the analysis of the focalization in this novel, and what it represents. Afterwards, the axis of the this work turns to the 9/11 literary production, and once again how the novel stands out in this group opposing The Road to another contemporary book: Don DeLillos Falling Man. Lastly, the formal analysis of the narrative will investigate the apocalypse and the dialectic established between it and dystopia, which are the two forces dueling in the book. Thus, by articulating this movement we investigate the role of the characters, setting and time. As Fredric Jameson theorizes, we live in the age of Late Capitalism, also known as Post-Modernity, and this appears throughout the novel, as we will demonstrate in the present work. The main theoretical foundation of this thesis is, again, given by Jameson in his The Political Unconscious, in addition to concepts formulated by Tom Moylan on utopia/dystopia, and Frank Kermonde on apocalypse, among others.

Qu’y a-t-il de commun entre Vladimir Nabokov, Norman Mailer, Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy et James Ellroy ? Ces cinq écrivains contemporains se sont intéressés au personnage du criminel asocial sur le territoire des États-Unis. Son existence repose sur le paradoxe propre à tout individu asocial : bien qu'il n'adhère pas aux conventions établies qu'il perçoit comme des entraves, il ne souhaite pas rompre les ponts avec la collectivité et refuse la vie en autarcie. S'il n'est donc pas antisocial, pourquoi fait-il le choix de l'asocialité ? Parce qu'il ne peut accepter ce qu'il perçoit comme des déviances dans le modèle de vie qui lui est proposé et qu'il va le remettre en question. Mais pourquoi serait-il de plus enclin à la criminalité ? La question est légitime dans la mesure où la relation entre criminalité et asociabilité n'est pas évidente alors que lier antisocial et criminel serait plus aisé car il y alors négation affirmée des lois de la société et volonté de s'en affranchir par l'action. A l'inverse, un asocial n'est pas nécessairement criminel. Cependant, chez les protagonistes des auteurs, ces deux caractéristiques vont de pair : peut-être sont-ils à la fois asociaux et criminels parce qu'ils ont décidé de vivre leur transgression en marge d'une société qui ne les satisfait pas mais qui ne les intéresse pas assez pour qu'il la combatte activement ? Ou peut-être trouvent-ils nécessaire de s'affranchir des lois pour exister dans le cadre qui leur est imposé et qu'ils ne cautionnent plus ? Il en résulte une écriture façonnée par ces questionnements et leurs nombreuses variations. Le corpus fait de biographies, récits fictionnels et non-fictionnels, entraîne une réflexion sur le modèle sociétal américain des années 50 à la fin des années 90 et plus particulièrement sur ses dysfonctionnements à l’origine de l’émergence de ce type de personnage qui devient alors l'instrument à visée démonstrative d'une littérature engagée. / What is the common point between Vladimir Nabokov, Norman Mailer, Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy et James Ellroy ? These five authors have been interested in a specific character in the contemporary literature, the asocial criminal in The United States. He appeared in a paradoxical way : while he is fighting against the established social conventions, he does not wish to live away from this society. So if this character is not antisocial, why does he make the choice to be asocial ? Because he cannot accept what he considers as a deviance inside the American way of life and he is going to fight against it in order to achieve his personal goals. But why should he also be a criminal ? This is a legitimate question since the link between crime and lack of sociability is not necessarily an obvious fact. On the contrary, it is pretty easier to tie crime and antisocial behaviors because there is a desire to live like an outcast, to infringe laws with violence. So, an asocial cannot be a criminal. However, concerning the authors' protagonists, both of these features work well together. Maybe they are asocial and criminal because they decided to live according to their wishes inside their society with its restrictive rules but as they refuse to lose their freedom, they know perfectly well they must not go too far ? Or maybe they also simply think they do not have to follow rules that they cannot accept and support ? Anyway, all these questions lead to a various corpus composed by biographies, fictions and non fiction stories. It entires the reader to think about the American consumer society and more particularly about the dysfunctions which gave birth to the asocial criminal character. So that the latter becomes a thought-provoking within the socially-engaged literature.

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This thesis examines the links between and intersections of violence and subjectivity in a comparative, transatlantic and transnational study of the fiction of four recognized international authors, namely, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, J. M. Coetzee, and Yvonne Vera. Despite their differing geographical, temporal, cultural and socio-political situations and situatedness, these writers’ common, thematic concerns with taboo topics of violence such as rape, incest, infanticide and necrophilia, situate violence as a constitutive, intimate and intricate part of subjectivity. In providing varied, and not unproblematic, renderings of the mutuality of violence and subjectivity, their novels do not just reveal the ambiguous and ambivalent character and the fragile and tenuous processes of (exercising and asserting) subjectivity; their fiction enacts and engenders its own kind of textual violence that reflects and refracts the (metaphysical and epistemological) violence of the subjective process. Raising crucial questions about the place, role and efficacy of literature in articulating violence and subjectivity, this thesis argues that violence is meaningful to and constitutive of the subjective process in these authors’ works that offer an experiential, lived appreciation of subjectivity. Providing an historical and socio-political contextualization of the novels, the thesis maintains that these authors’ specific interpretations of violence in their fiction necessarily interrogates and reconfigures questions of race and culture, gender and sexuality, as well as morality; that is, it reexamines and repositions conventional interpretations of being and belonging, of subjectivity in general. In this way, their fiction reveals literature’s ability not merely to disprove theory but, through its very textuality, extend and enhance it to reflect the materiality of being.

Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Dante's the Inferno contain textual and thematic comparisons. While the Inferno creates a world that exhibits the worst fears of the medieval Catholic subconscious of Dante's time, The Road paints a world of the darkest fears of the current American subconscious. Both texts reflect a critical dystopia that speculates on human spirituality and offers a critique of society through a tour of sin and suffering in a desolate setting.

There are many textual and thematic similarities between Dante’s Inferno and Cormac McCarthy’s Outer Dark. There are also significant textual similarities between the New Testament and McCarthy’s third novel, Child of God. Juxtaposing Outer Dark and Child of God to Inferno and the New Testament, respectively, suggests a common trope that redemption requires characters’ name and repent of sin.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the topic of nature in novelistic oeuvre of American author Cormac McCarthy. This thesis pursues all ten novels, which are divided into three sections according to the region they are associated with. Ecocriticism was chosen as an approach; therefore, the first chapter deals with a short introduction to this interdisciplinary field. The aim of this thesis is to prove that the nature is a core aspect in Cormac McCarthy's novels, the significance of which lays both in description of American spaces and an ecological appeal on transformation of the anthropocentric perspective on the environment.