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Chapter 17 - Science and Technology

from Part III - Intellectual Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2019

Steven Frye
Affiliation:
California State University, Bakersfield
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Summary

Cormac McCarthy’s interest in science and association with the interdisciplinary Santa Fe Institute is well remarked. Scholars less regularly explore how scientific theories inform his work, with critics more often noting his generally negative figuration of advanced technologies. On April 20, 2107, after decades of publishing only fiction, plays, and screenplays, McCarthy contributed an essay on linguistics, dream, and the unconscious to the online science journal Nautilus. “The Kekule Problem” occasioned notable critical reactions online, with McCarthy responding in a second essay. This chapter considers these essays while providing an overview of the influence of science and technology on his creative work. McCarthy’s interest in scientific theories promises rich territory for future scholarship, particularly to complement attention to dreams and to figurations of technology. Ultimately, McCarthy’s speculation on lingusitics proves less valuable to that field, of course, than as insights into his own writing process. Open scientific inquiry and speculation run alongside the power of dreams and tecnological skepticism throughout his creative work.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Science and Technology
  • Edited by Steven Frye, California State University, Bakersfield
  • Book: Cormac McCarthy in Context
  • Online publication: 12 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108772297.018
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  • Science and Technology
  • Edited by Steven Frye, California State University, Bakersfield
  • Book: Cormac McCarthy in Context
  • Online publication: 12 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108772297.018
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Science and Technology
  • Edited by Steven Frye, California State University, Bakersfield
  • Book: Cormac McCarthy in Context
  • Online publication: 12 December 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108772297.018
Available formats
×