Abstract
Cormac McCarthy's representation of the comic theories of the carnivalesque, incongruity, and absurdism by the antagonists of Blood Meridian and No Country for Old Men demonstrates the unique and ostensible power of humor over (or at least, its awareness of and reconciliation to the absurdity of) death; it also emphasizes the supreme power and influence of humor as a means for destroying other institutions and philosophies which claim knowledge or authority but fail to sustain individuals in times of crisis. This makes humor a formidable factor in determining and justifying the outcome of human interactions and in defining the strengths and limitations of McCarthy's antagonists.
Degree
MA
College and Department
Humanities; Humanities, Classics, and Comparative Literature
Rights
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Covington, Ruth Ellen, "The Subjection of Authority and Death Through Humor: Carnivalesque, Incongruity, and Absurdism in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and No Country for Old Men" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 4106.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4106
Date Submitted
2014-06-12
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd7026
Keywords
Cormac McCarthy, humor, Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, Judge Holden, Anton Chigurh, carnivalesque, incongruity, absurdism
Language
English