Title: On “Desiring Machines” in Blood Meridian

Abstract: Violence in McCarthy’s novel, Blood Meridian is not only criticized by academia but also a difficult point to study. The application of the concept of Deleuze and Guattari’s “desiring machines” to explore the causes of “blood” or violence with the consideration of historical and social context of the United States as well as American national unconsciousness will be helpful for us to understand such a problem better. Violence is a means to satisfy desires for imperial expansion, which can be considered as a flow of libido triggered by imperial unconsciousness, exhibiting features of productivity, fluidity, and diversity. The interpretation of symbols and symbolic presentations of desiring machines and their becoming as well as the hidden cultural logic behind the machines presented in Blood Meridian can make it clear that these desiring machines are complex in their involvement and entanglement, and that the mechanical operation of violence and civilization is McCarthy’s reflection on human nature.

Keywords: Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, violence, desiring machines, unconsciousness

Authors: Xiaoping Zhang, Professor, College of International Studies, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Ying Cheng, Ph.D. Candidate, College of International Studies, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2024.04.005