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cormac mccarthy

r

Bug

this is one of the challenges in the stoic people deck read a fiction novel spoiler alert!

  • I am collecting his hard copies and audiobooks
  • and his movies
  • not sure what exactly reading a fiction novel has to do with stoicism

cormac books I have have read

  • I have hard copies of most of these
book movie audiobook hard copy note
blood meridian x listen to the audiobook when I hike in the summer in the dry hot sun
the passenger x
stella marris x
outer dark x
suttree x
the crossing x
all the pretty horses x x
no country for old men x x
Cities of the Plain x
sunset limited x
the counselor x
orchard keeper
the road x

Ciaccona

  • the audiobook for his last book Stella Marris he plays this song, this version:
  • Cormac's books are text versions of a Ciacocona

A Ciaccona (or Chaconne) is a musical form that involves repeating a short, simple harmonic progression (often referred to as a "ground bass") throughout the piece. This repeated bassline provides a foundation for the composer to create variations, decorations, and melodic inventions.

Key characteristics of a Ciaccona:

  • Repeated harmonic progression: The same chords are repeated throughout the piece.
  • Variations: The melody and harmony change over time, creating a sense of development and interest.
  • Baroque era: This form was particularly popular during the Baroque period (1600-1750).
  • Examples: One of the most famous examples of a Ciaccona is the final movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor.

Think of it like a musical puzzle. The ground bass is the puzzle's foundation, and the composer fills in the gaps with different musical elements to create a complex and beautiful piece.

ground bass

  • the chaconne bass line in his books is the rules
Year Title Quote 1 Quote 2 Quote 3 Quote 4 Quote 5 characters providing the rules
1965 The Orchard Keeper
1968 Outer Dark tinker & the three necros
1973 Child of God sheriff
1979 Suttree
1985 Blood Meridian the judge
1992 All the Pretty Horses
1994 The Crossing
1998 Cities of the Plain
2005 No Country for Old Men anton
2006 The Road
2022 The Passenger
2022 Stella Maris alicia & the kid
1979 The Gardener's Son (Screenplay)
1992 The Stonemason (Play)
2006 The Sunset Limited (Play) professor of darkness

existence

  • the passenger
  • stella maris
  • do i believe in an afterlife? I do not believe in this one
  • to never have existed
  • that which drives the tale does not survive the tale
  • counselor
  • the extinction of all reality
  • is a concept no resignation can encompass
  • blood meridian
  • no country
  • i got here the same way as the coin
  • sunset limited

reality

  • suttree
  • not dressing the world in shabbier clothes than it is already wearing
  • sunset limited
  • i do not regard my state of mind as some pessimestic view
  • i regard it as the world itself

the rules

  • counsellor
  • suttree
  • sunset limited
  • stella maris
  • if the rules are not in the stuff
  • no country
  • you have to call it or it wouldn't be fair
  • blood meridian
  • they are all here for the dance
  • those who dance

death

  • stella maris
  • do i believe in an afterlife? I do not believe in this one
  • counsellor
  • the extinction of all reality
  • is a concept no resignation can encompass
  • suttree
  • sunset limited
  • the shadow of the axe hangs over every joy
  • every road ends in death
  • no country
  • i got here same way as the coin now call it
  • you have to call it or it wouldn't be fair
  • you have been puttin it up your whole life you just didn't know it
  • the road
  • i was afraid i was going to die
  • then i was afraid i was not going to die
  • blood meridian