Our Numinous Nature
Our Numinous Nature is a traveling podcast in search of profound stories focused on regional flora & fauna, folklore & history with a penchant for the mysterious. We’ll be hearing from folks with a deep connection to the land, from herbalists to hunters, folk artists, paranormal investigators, & living historians. The hope is to reach the soul of these people & places through tales of profundity & awe. Find a comfy log and join us at the sonic campfire.
Our Numinous Nature
CORMAC MCCARTHY'S KNOXVILLE & THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC | English Professor | Bill Hardwig
Bill Hardwig is a Cormacian scholar & associate professor of English at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. This episode is devoted to the early Appalachian Tennessee novels of the late, great, literary master, Cormac McCarthy [best known for No Country for Old Men, All The Pretty Horses, & The Road]. We begin by defining and discussing the literary genre: the southern gothic. From there we lay out the synopsis & inspiration behind three of Cormac's outstanding southern gothic novels: Child of God about a depraved serial killer roaming the Tennessee hills; Outer Dark about an incestuous brother & sister & their baby that's left for dead; and Suttree, Cormac's first acclaimed masterpiece about a shiftless fisherman living amongst the river & street life of 1950's Knoxville where he befriends the likes of petty-criminals, drunks, vagrants and prostitutes. Throughout we will hear of Cormac's upbringing in Knoxville with tidbits on trapping, taxonomy, hellhounds, regional flora & fauna, a folder of local stories, and city landmarks one can visit from Suttree. Bill reads us two passages to illustrate Cormac's ability to capture the region's voice, and finally, we end on highlighting the importance of ambiguity in great works of fiction.
Check out Bill's map of literary landmarks in Knoxville: LiteraryKnox.com
Support Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.
Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on Instagram
Check out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my art
Contact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com