All the Pretty Horses: Cormac McCarthy’s Reading of For Whom the Bell Tolls

A l l t h e P r e t t y H o r s e s : C o r m a c M c C a r t h y ’ s R e a d i n g o f F o r Wh o m t h e B e l l T o l l s D e n n i s C u t c h i n s E v e r y n o v e l w h ic h is t r u ly w r it t e n c o n t r ib u t e s t o t h e t o t a l o f k n o w l­ e d g e w h ic h is t h e r e a t t h e d i sp o sa l o f t h e n e x t w r it e r w h o c o m e s, b u t t h e n e x t w r it e r m u st p ay , a lw ay s, a c e r t a in n o m in a l p e r c e n t a g e in e x p e r ie n c e t o b e a b le t o u n d e r st a n d a n d a ssim ila t e w h a t is a v a il­ a b le a s h i s b ir t h r ig h t a n d w h a t h e m u st , in t u r n , t a k e h i s d e p a r t u r e fr o m . — E r n e st H e m in g w a y , D e at h in th e A f t e r n o o n T h e u g ly fa c t is b o o k s a r e m a d e o u t o f b o o k s . T h e n o v e l d e p e n d s fo r it s life o n t h e n o v e l s t h a t h a v e b e e n w r it t e n . — C o r m a c M c C a r t h y , in t e r v ie w w it h R ic h a r d W o o d w a r d E a r l y in C o r m a c M c C a r t h y ’s fir st i n s t a l l m e n t o f w h a t w a s t o b e c o m e h is B o r d e r T r ilo g y , h e in c l u d e s a l i n e t h a t , a t a fir st r e a d in g , m a k e s li t t le se n se . A s Jo h n G r a d y a n d L a c y R a w l i n s le a v e t h e R a w lin s r a n c h , t h e n a r r a t o r m e n t i o n s t h a t “ t h e y h e a r d so m e w h e r e in t h a t t e n a n t l e s s n i g h t a b e ll t h a t t o lle d a n d c e a s e d w h e r e n o b...