A Reader's Guide to Blood Meridian is the essential companion to the classic novel by Cormac McCarthy. Every reader, whether a student of literature or a fan of the book, will find a wealth of information in these pages. Shane Schimpf has researched every aspect of the novel from terminology to foreign language translations to historical references to literary underpinnings. The content is presented as a page-by-page analysis facilitating a simultaneous reading of both. The result is a more complete understanding of the novel and McCarthy's dark vision contained therein.
Unlike other written works about the novel, A Reader's Guide to Blood Meridian includes:
1) Chapter-by-chapter, page-by-page annotations to the novel.
2) A subject index which includes the initial appearance of major characters, references to historical figures, geographical locales, indigenous flora and fauna, biblical references and more.
3) A thematic overview of Blood Meridian exploring the relationship between the novel's two major figures, The Kid and The Judge.
The first page of the annotations, reproduced below, offers an example of what the reader can expect to find in A Reader's Guide to Blood Meridian:
CHAPTER ONE - PAGE 3
Nacogdoches: The oldest town in Texas, founded in 1779. Named after the Caddo Indians who originally lived in this area, Nacogdoches played a prominent role in Texas history; in particular, the town was the site of three failed attempts to establish the Republic of Texas. As a result, nine flags have flown over the city: Spanish, French, Mexican, The Magee-Guiterrez Repubic, The Long Republic, The Fredonia Republic, The Lone Star, The Confederate, and The United States. See cets.sfasu.edu/NacHis. html. Last visited on 04/08/2006.
An affray: A noisy quarrel or brawl.
See the child: Perhaps an allusion to Alexander Pope's Essay on Man: Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law/Please with rattle, tickled with straw (274-5).
Shane Schimpf lives in Seattle, Washington. He attended Oberlin College, majoring in Philosophy and History, and then the University of Michigan where he was a doctoral student in Philosophy. His studies focused on Philosophy of Mind with special emphasis on theories of consciousness. After moving to Seattle in 1994, he pursued a career in information technology. When not working, Mr. Schimpf enjoys reading, writing, poker, basketball and exercising. This is his first published work.
