Abstract
This article examines the critique of global capitalism in Cormac McCarthy’s 2013 screenplay and film The Counselor. McCarthy’s economic views have been critically understudied, and The Counselor offers key insight into his critique of capitalism, and his critique of the failure to imagine any alternatives to capitalism, or to neoliberal justifications for value systems imposed by a free market, in Western nations. Through its evocation of distasteful Jewish stereotypes and gratuitous violence and sexual predation, McCarthy’s “trashy” film exposes the monstrosities of late global capitalism. Specifically, the Sephardic Jewish diamond merchant, the Tarantino-esque violence of the cartel, and the seductive, predatory Malkina all invoke the looming crisis of global capitalism. McCarthy’s gore-drenched film brings to vivid life a monstrous and exploitative market system that may be lurching toward its own demise.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 445-458 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Critique - Studies in Contemporary Fiction |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 8 2018 |
Fingerprint
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Literature and Literary Theory
Cite this
Diamonds, drugs, and the digital age : Global capitalism in Cormac McCarthy’s The Counselor. / Cooper, Lydia R.
In: Critique - Studies in Contemporary Fiction, Vol. 59, No. 4, 08.08.2018, p. 445-458.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Diamonds, drugs, and the digital age
T2 - Global capitalism in Cormac McCarthy’s The Counselor
AU - Cooper, Lydia R.
PY - 2018/8/8
Y1 - 2018/8/8
N2 - This article examines the critique of global capitalism in Cormac McCarthy’s 2013 screenplay and film The Counselor. McCarthy’s economic views have been critically understudied, and The Counselor offers key insight into his critique of capitalism, and his critique of the failure to imagine any alternatives to capitalism, or to neoliberal justifications for value systems imposed by a free market, in Western nations. Through its evocation of distasteful Jewish stereotypes and gratuitous violence and sexual predation, McCarthy’s “trashy” film exposes the monstrosities of late global capitalism. Specifically, the Sephardic Jewish diamond merchant, the Tarantino-esque violence of the cartel, and the seductive, predatory Malkina all invoke the looming crisis of global capitalism. McCarthy’s gore-drenched film brings to vivid life a monstrous and exploitative market system that may be lurching toward its own demise.
AB - This article examines the critique of global capitalism in Cormac McCarthy’s 2013 screenplay and film The Counselor. McCarthy’s economic views have been critically understudied, and The Counselor offers key insight into his critique of capitalism, and his critique of the failure to imagine any alternatives to capitalism, or to neoliberal justifications for value systems imposed by a free market, in Western nations. Through its evocation of distasteful Jewish stereotypes and gratuitous violence and sexual predation, McCarthy’s “trashy” film exposes the monstrosities of late global capitalism. Specifically, the Sephardic Jewish diamond merchant, the Tarantino-esque violence of the cartel, and the seductive, predatory Malkina all invoke the looming crisis of global capitalism. McCarthy’s gore-drenched film brings to vivid life a monstrous and exploitative market system that may be lurching toward its own demise.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85043356265&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85043356265&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00111619.2017.1412937
DO - 10.1080/00111619.2017.1412937
M3 - Article
VL - 59
SP - 445
EP - 458
JO - Critique - Studies in Contemporary Fiction
JF - Critique - Studies in Contemporary Fiction
SN - 0011-1619
IS - 4
ER -