This wide-ranging book illuminates the importance of the Western in
American history. It explores the interconnections between the
Western in both literature and film and the United States in the
20th century.
Structured chronologically, the book traces the evolution of the
Western as a uniquely American form. The author argues that
America's frontier past was quickly transformed into a set of
symbols and myths, an American meta-narrative that came to underpin
much of the 'American century'. He details how and why this process
occurred, the form and function of Western myths and symbols, the
evolution of this mythology, and its subversions and
reconstructions throughout 20th-century American history.
The book engages with the full range of historical, literary and
cinematic perspectives and texts, from the founding Western
histories of Theodore Roosevelt and Frederick Jackson Turner to the
New Western history of Patricia Nelson Limerick and Richard
White.
Key texts used to illustrate the narrative include:
Owen Wister's "The Virginian"
Jack Schaefer's "Shane"
Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian"
Ishmael Reed's "Yellow Back Radio Broke Down"
Films from Edwin Porter's "The Great Train Robbery" to Fred
Zinneman's "High Noon" and from Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" to
the post 9/11 Westerns "Open Range,"" The Alamo" and "Brokeback
Mountain"
This book is an essential and comprehensive analysis of the
significance and enduring legacy of the American Western.
Key Features:
Includes chapters on Western history, literature and film
Shows the interconnections between the Western (in all its
forms) and 20th-century American history, politics, culture
andsociety
The only book to take a multi-disciplinary approach to the
subject
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