Introduction/Background

I have just begun reading “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy and decided to do an entry with background information on the author and the book. Not only does McCarthy seem to have a different kind of writing, but it also takes place in a time and place I know nothing about. I thought it would be a good idea to know some facts about each before I continued with the book. Here is what I found:

Cormac McCarthy is considered one of America’s greatest living authors. Born in Rhode Island, McCarthy has traveled around the world and currently resides in Texas. He is known to use his experiences and knowledge to write his books. McCarthy is known for his simple writing and distinguished style. He is compared to Hemingway both in style and subject matter. He usually writes about adventures, but in a poetic manner. He uses little punctuation and writes quotations in Spanish occasionally in "All the Pretty Horses". Cormac McCarthy prefers to be left alone and is often characterized as his books are written: simple.

“All the Pretty Horses” takes place in Texas and Mexico around the 1950’s. Because McCarthy is currently living in Texas, he was able to create a beautiful setting that the reader can clearly envision. I have only read a couple pages, and I feel like I know exactly what Mexico looks like. Its important to note that even though Mexico is not all Indians and cowboys in the 1950’s, it is a savage land “where dreams are paid for in blood.”

I’m excited to get further into the book, because the reviews I have read are wonderful. However, his writing is going to take a while to get used to. Without quotation marks, it is hard to figure out who is talking sometimes. Plus, being in AP Language, I constantly want to correct his sentences - They are an English teacher’s nightmare. However, I have learned that people usually write for a reason, so I am interested to see how this kind of writing develops his story.