Roaming Pauses in Cormac McCarthy’s <i>The Road</i>

This article discusses a textual feature in Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road (2006) that has hitherto been misunderstood by the reception, namely the spaced ellipses between several paragraphs which are considered by notable McCarthy scholars to signal particularly distinct pauses in the textual flow of the novel. The article demonstrates that this is a misperception with significant consequences for the interpretation of the story’s rhythm. Drawing on textual scholars such as Jerome McGann, Bill Brown, John Bryant, and John B. Thompson, the article finally discusses how neutral bibliographical codes occasionally express their own intentions that are in conflict with those of the author.