In the first book-length study of McCarthy’s "pastoralism" — which Guillemin defines as "the principal quest for harmony in a better world" — the author stresses that within McCarthy's vision lie other forces which work against the quest for harmony even as it unfolds. Guillemin argues that the tension between the pastoral quest and the seeming inevitability of its frustration yield the distinctive melancholy tone of much of McCarthy's work. This critical study is especially valuable for its attention to the distinctive forms of representation of the natural world in the novelist's works, a focus which clarifies one of the most consistently discussed and misunderstood aspects of McCarthy's extended literary project.