For Critical Insights volume under contract:
Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses
WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE
We seek submissions for a Critical Insights volume, under contract with Salem Press, on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, All the Pretty Horses. Praised for its “finely wrought craftsmanship” and “ferocious energy,” McCarthy’s expansive prose and rich textures catapulted him toward prominent status and merited comparisons to classic American storytellers as William Faulkner, Larry McMurtry, and Mark Twain. This collection will revisit All the Pretty Horses for an audience hungry for the search for integrity that McCarthy’s heroes undertake and the author’s portrayal of nature’s awesome and oftentimes quiet power.
DEADLINE AND HOW TO APPLY
Submissions should be representative of current critical discourse about the novel and conceptually within reach of current students at the secondary and undergraduate levels. The expansiveness of McCarthy’s prose evokes the breadth of the frontier world, and his characters’ flawed but desperate search for integrity strikes accord in readers who appreciate that truths sometimes can be found in fiction. Essays that attempt to articulate the subtle and not-so-subtle mastery of McCarthy’s prose especially will be appreciated, as well as those that compare his work to other compelling writers.
Submissions should be tailored to one of the following categories:
- A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL essay (this essay is limited to 2500 words);
- A CRITICAL RECEPTION essay that traces the reception of McCarthy’s novel from publication to today;
- CRITICAL LENS essays that offer a close reading of the novel from a particular critical standpoint;
- COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS essays that analyze the work or author in the light of another work or author;
- CRITICAL READING essays that focus on contemporary readings of a McCarthy’s novel, with emphasis on ways readers (i.e. students in secondary and university settings) might be able to appreciate or problematize the text(s) with new eyes and current literary theories.
By January 9, please submit a 250-350-word abstract, a 75-word biographical statement (including your affiliation), and contact information to the acquiring editor, Dr. Laura Nicosia: lauranicosia@gmail.com.
Submissions of approximately 5000 words (inclusive of Works Cited) will need to be completed by April 2, 2023.
Honoraria will be awarded by the publisher to contributors after publication.