Cormac McCarthy: A complexity theory of literature offers the first sustained analysis of complexity science in McCarthy's literary works. McCarthy's fiction makes a significant case study demonstrating how literature can help us imagine and grapple with complex systems and crises, from global economic inequality to climate change. -- .
Contemporary literary Westerns challenge traditional portrayals of masculinity, which often depict gun-slinging, individualistic heroes. This examination reveals anxieties surrounding the concept of masculinity and its ties to power and national identity. The narratives critique the rigid codes of manhood that permeate society, highlighting the struggle to define humanity in a context where "being a man" is both a dangerous ideal and a source of conflict. These novels confront the complexities of masculinity, suggesting it can be both desirable and destructive.