Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

How hard is Cities of the Plain to read?

Cities of the Plain scores 63 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 68 out of 100

McCarthy employs a rich, often regional vocabulary, featuring specialized cowboy and Southwestern terms like 'deshabille,' 'caldillo,' 'chifforobe,' 'alcahuete,' 'curandera,' 'soogan,' and 'ocotillo.' Frequent untranslated Spanish dialogue and descriptive words like 'niellate ebony holder' and 'calendered velour' elevate the lexical challenge beyond accessible literary fiction, though not to the level of highly obscure or invented language found in works like 'Ulysses' or 'Finnegans Wake.'

Sentence structure: 75 out of 100

The text is characterized by McCarthy's distinctive lack of quotation marks, forcing readers to infer dialogue and speaker shifts, which significantly increases cognitive load. Sentences often run long, employing extensive conjunctions and clauses without traditional punctuation breaks, creating a flowing but demanding reading experience. This style, while not as extreme as 'Ulysses' unpunctuated monologue, shares a similar disregard for conventional grammatical aids, placing it closer to the complexity of Faulkner's 'Absalom, Absalom!' in its demands on reader attention.

Abstraction: 62 out of 100

While primarily a concrete narrative of cowboy life and the borderlands, 'Cities of the Plain' frequently delves into philosophical and existential reflections through character dialogue and authorial observations. Discussions on fate, human nature, the meaning of life, and the nature of truth, particularly from characters like Mr. Johnson and the blind maestro, elevate the abstraction beyond simple storytelling. These moments of profound introspection, though grounded in the narrative, require readers to engage with deeper thematic layers.

Information density: 68 out of 100

The narrative maintains a consistent, moderate-to-high information density, weaving together detailed descriptions of the landscape, character interactions, and historical context without explicit exposition. McCarthy's prose is lean but packed, requiring close attention to infer meaning from sparse dialogue and subtle shifts in perspective. The lack of conventional punctuation further compresses information, demanding active engagement to track plotlines, character motivations, and thematic nuances, reminiscent of '2666's' layered approach.

Narrative indirection: 68 out of 100

McCarthy's signature style demands significant reader inference, as meaning is rarely explicitly stated. Dialogue often lacks direct attribution, requiring careful attention to discern speakers and their emotional states from context and action. This approach places a high burden on the reader to construct the narrative's emotional and psychological landscape, similar to the inference required in 'Beloved' where fragmented memories must be pieced together.

Symbolic density: 80 out of 100

The text is rich with recurring motifs and allegorical elements that extend meaning beyond literal events. The 'cities of the plain' themselves symbolize moral decay and a fading way of life, while horses embody deeper truths about instinct and justice. Events like the owl hitting the windshield or the old man's stories about wolves and geese carry profound, often somber, symbolic weight, placing it closer to 'Heart of Darkness' in its reliance on symbolic resonance.

Ironic distance: 35 out of 100

The narrative maintains a largely detached and earnest tone, presenting events and characters' perspectives without overt authorial irony or satire. While characters may be misguided or face tragic circumstances, the text does not typically mock their beliefs or actions. This directness in presentation keeps the ironic distance low, akin to the sincere emotional engagement found in 'It Ends with Us,' rather than the pervasive satire of 'The Sellout' or 'Lolita'.

Resolution withholding: 78 out of 100

The narrative consistently resists definitive closure, leaving many questions about characters' fates and the ultimate outcome of their struggles ambiguous. John Grady's quest for Magdalena is fraught with danger and ethical dilemmas, with no clear path to a simple resolution. The broader themes of a changing world and inevitable loss also remain open-ended, creating a sustained sense of uncertainty that surpasses 'The Great Gatsby' and approaches the unresolved mysteries of 'Crying of Lot 49'.

Structural complexity: 45 out of 100

While McCarthy's prose is stylistically challenging due to minimal punctuation and dialogue attribution, the narrative structure itself is largely linear and chronological. There are no significant shifts in point of view or experimental timelines; flashbacks are embedded within dialogue rather than disrupting the overall structure. This makes it less structurally complex than works like 'Ulysses' or 'Flights,' aligning more with the chronological epic scope of 'War and Peace' despite its unique stylistic demands.

How Cities of the Plain is regarded

Cities of the Plain holds a literary regard score of 66 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.