Against Nostalgia: Turning The Page of Cormac Mccarthy’s Cities of the Plain

A g a i n s t N o s t a l g i a : T u r n i n g t h e P a g e o f C o r m a c M c C a r t h y ’ s C it ie s o f t h e P l a in T r e n t o n H i c k m a n N o st a lg ia ! N o , t h a t is a c h ar ge t h a t ir r it at e s u s p r ofou n d ly , o n e t h a t w e t ak e p a r t ic u la r p a in s t o r efu te . I f n o st a lg ia is t h e c r a v ­ in g fo r a p a st w ay o f life n o lo n ge r p o ssib le , t h e n w e a sk ou r accu se r s: w h a t v a n ish e d w ay o f life c a n p o ssib ly b e r e p r e se n t e d b y o u r b ar e , w in d in g p assage w ay s? . .. O u r p assage w ay s h a v e n o t h in g t o d o w ith so m e earlier, sim p le r w ay o f life; t h o u gh w e c a n ’t say, d o n ’t k n ow , w h at o u r p assage w ay s ar e, it w o u ld b e far tru er t o say t h a t t h e y b e a r n o r e la t io n w h at e v e r t o an y p e r io d o f o u r h ist or y , b u t r at h e r e x ist as a p la c e ap ar t — -a p la c e fr o m w h ic h t o c o n t e m p la t e t h e t o w n coo lly , or e v e n t o fo r ge t t h e t o w n alto ge t h e r. — S t e v e n M illh a u se r , “ B e n e a t h t h e C e lla r s o f O u r T o w n ” C o r m a c M c C a r t h y ’s C it ie s o f th e P lain (1 9 9 8 ) is t h e fin al n o v e l in h is c e le b r a t e d Bo r d e r Trilogy, fo llo w in g A ll th e P re t t y H o r se s ( 1 9 9 2 ) a n d T h e C r o ssin g (1 9 9 4 ) in t h e ir r e sp e ct iv e t ale s o f co w b o y s n e g o t ia t in g v ar io u s w ay s o f t r a v e lin g a n d k n o w in g t h e W e st (sp e cifically t h e So u t h w e st e r n U n it e d St a t e s a n d t h e N o r t h e r n T e r rit o ry o f M e x ic o ). In C it...