Cormac McCarthy's secret muse breaks silence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does “muse” mean in this context? Was he banging a 16-year old when he was 40?

Famous author is revealed to be the sexual predator / experience plagarist of an underage girl.

This one is not really bothering me. Not sure she was underage either. 17 is not underage in most states at that time. And the part about being chased by the FBI seems flat out false to me. Never happened.

Well yeah it's false. He lied because that's what predators do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does “muse” mean in this context? Was he banging a 16-year old when he was 40?

Famous author is revealed to be the sexual predator / experience plagarist of an underage girl.

This one is not really bothering me. Not sure she was underage either. 17 is not underage in most states at that time. And the part about being chased by the FBI seems flat out false to me. Never happened.

Well yeah it's false. He lied because that's what predators do

Transportation of minors (under 18) across state lines is a federal offense. Increased sentencing for nefarious or illicit sexual intent

[Anonymous]

Did the muse get anything in his will or estate after he died? Who gets his tens of millions?

I saw her say he bought her a Cadillac Escalade, does that imply he was giving her large sums of money for years and maybe put her in the will, too?

[Anonymous]

So she never married? She is childless? I don't get why she never married him, at least once she was middle aged?

Is it possible she's making up his continued pursuit and proposals to her?

[Anonymous]

I have a problem with the way the article was written. I know these things happen and I do understand, but the journalist wrote it in such a way as to normalize and glamorize what are essentially pedophile relationships. He starts off the article in a breathy way, calling it the greatest love story ever, he talks about how irresistible it was to be in front of this beautiful 16-year-old, it's incredibly creepy and it shows how our culture sexualizes female children in particular, and makes it seem both sexy and OK for middle-aged men to leer at them, target them, and have sex with them. The article not only justified what happened, but made it seem glamorous.

I'm definitely not the only person thinking this, there are a lot of people out there who were appalled by the article. I am an open minded person, and as a teen girl I had many crushes on older men, but for some reason this article gave me really bad feelings. I mean do we want a culture where girls are married off at puberty to men in their 40s and 50s?

[Anonymous]

All of Cormac's papers will be released next year in 2025 so there's some speculation that she's trying to get ahead of whatever will be revealed there. Also apparently there's some dispute about how old she actually was - some of her details don't square so it's possible she was 14, not 16.

[Anonymous]

I have no prob with this either. Some of you want life to be "right" and "good" as in making sense. Except life is messy, totally insensible and can be quite ugly. The most important thing is perspective and perception. The writer "romanticizes" the unacceptable relationship because the subject - her - felt that their relationship was a benefit. She enjoyed her time with him and they were into each other. Why does anything else matter it's not like she was 10. At that age of 16/17, esp back in the day, it's old enough. And I don't think it's anyone's business but theirs as long as she felt it was beautiful.

People judge and they scold. This is in the grand scheme of life not exactly a debacle.

I personally had a relationship with someone who "wasn't good for me" yet I consider him the love of my life even as I can't be with him. In dark times it's those memories I hold onto. Ain't nobody's business or place to judge me.

[Anonymous]

If I were in her shoes I would have told him to stop writing books that leeched off my personal life. Even if he was a great writer.

Seems like trauma + manic pixie dreamgirl + guns was his ideal.

No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were in her shoes I would have told him to stop writing books that leeched off my personal life. Even if he was a great writer.

Seems like trauma + manic pixie dreamgirl + guns was his ideal.

No thanks.

Yeah, I don't personally judge the individuals in this story (in large part because I haven't read the article yet) but I sure do judge how our society positions and objectifies teenage girls, guns, and hates on women who are capable of standing up for themselves.

[Anonymous]

I have no problem with this. I do accept that with great genius sometimes come unsavory character traits. I’m able to silo the issues I have with these people to let their genius and their beautiful creations shine. I’m sorry for this lady about all the terrible things that happened to her and I’m sorry for everyone that wants to give up on the work of an amazing artist whoever that artist may be just because you found out that he was doing something shady on the side. Plus the way that she writes about this gives major Lolita vibes as in the actual book and the plot in it. For those who haven’t read it, you should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a problem with the way the article was written. I know these things happen and I do understand, but the journalist wrote it in such a way as to normalize and glamorize what are essentially pedophile relationships. He starts off the article in a breathy way, calling it the greatest love story ever, he talks about how irresistible it was to be in front of this beautiful 16-year-old, it's incredibly creepy and it shows how our culture sexualizes female children in particular, and makes it seem both sexy and OK for middle-aged men to leer at them, target them, and have sex with them. The article not only justified what happened, but made it seem glamorous.

I'm definitely not the only person thinking this, there are a lot of people out there who were appalled by the article. I am an open minded person, and as a teen girl I had many crushes on older men, but for some reason this article gave me really bad feelings. I mean do we want a culture where girls are married off at puberty to men in their 40s and 50s?

That’s the Atlantic for you. Really annoying writing style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no prob with this either. Some of you want life to be "right" and "good" as in making sense. Except life is messy, totally insensible and can be quite ugly. The most important thing is perspective and perception. The writer "romanticizes" the unacceptable relationship because the subject - her - felt that their relationship was a benefit. She enjoyed her time with him and they were into each other. Why does anything else matter it's not like she was 10. At that age of 16/17, esp back in the day, it's old enough. And I don't think it's anyone's business but theirs as long as she felt it was beautiful.

People judge and they scold. This is in the grand scheme of life not exactly a debacle.

I personally had a relationship with someone who "wasn't good for me" yet I consider him the love of my life even as I can't be with him. In dark times it's those memories I hold onto. Ain't nobody's business or place to judge me.

I mean. You’re evidently a real idiot, even looking at life with the gift of perspective, and that I note.

[Anonymous]

I read it. It sounds as though the girl spent much of her life in dreadful foster situations. Cormac came along and sort of rescued her. Is it bad? Yes. But, relative to what she was going through, it did offer her a sort of weird escape. Much of America is white trash. Her white trash family abandoned her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were in her shoes I would have told him to stop writing books that leeched off my personal life. Even if he was a great writer.

Seems like trauma + manic pixie dreamgirl + guns was his ideal.

No thanks.

Yeah, I don't personally judge the individuals in this story (in large part because I haven't read the article yet) but I sure do judge how our society positions and objectifies teenage girls, guns, and hates on women who are capable of standing up for themselves.

PP. Yes, what grosses me out is not her age (assuming she really was 16 which is the border of old enough from my perspective as a former teen girl). It's how mushy he got about certain personality characteristics and behaviors plus things like putting her cat's name into a book, making many of the characters based on her die, being married while dating her, etc.

It's pretty clear she didn't want to be owned or pinned down by him as a young woman. He hid important things from her like a wife and a grown kid.

Lots to dislike before freaking out about the age gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a problem with the way the article was written. I know these things happen and I do understand, but the journalist wrote it in such a way as to normalize and glamorize what are essentially pedophile relationships. He starts off the article in a breathy way, calling it the greatest love story ever, he talks about how irresistible it was to be in front of this beautiful 16-year-old, it's incredibly creepy and it shows how our culture sexualizes female children in particular, and makes it seem both sexy and OK for middle-aged men to leer at them, target them, and have sex with them. The article not only justified what happened, but made it seem glamorous.

I'm definitely not the only person thinking this, there are a lot of people out there who were appalled by the article. I am an open minded person, and as a teen girl I had many crushes on older men, but for some reason this article gave me really bad feelings. I mean do we want a culture where girls are married off at puberty to men in their 40s and 50s?

That’s the Atlantic for you. Really annoying writing style.

Except that the article is in Vanity Fair.