Charles Portis #3

I have written about Portis here and here and here.

Now let's see what academia, by way of Scholar Blog, has to say about Charles Portis:

 "Style

Charles Portis has been described as “one of the most inventively comic writers of western fiction. With an unerring ear for the rhythms of speech and idiosyncrasies of language, he delivers deadpan humor as his characters strive to come to terms with their own limitations and an increasingly cockeyed world” (Cleary 610). He utilizes the effectiveness of humor to define various components of the American character and its spirit.

Yep, he does have a deadpan humor towards the America of his characters. He reminds us how strange is this country.

Themes

The primary theme of Portis’ novels is that of conflict between his characters’ desire for travel and adventure and their attraction to the comforts of home and daily routine (Idol 361). A restless disposition is linked to this impasse. Portis “shows that restlessness has its moments of both high humor and profound sadness. He presents this restlessness as a trait of Americans, as well as a universal fact of man’s existence” (Idol 362).

And is not restlessness an American trait? It is for me.

So, serious commentators and people like me agree this is a man whose novels need be read.

The Scholar Blog ends with a summary of Portis' novels.

5/3/22