Writing the Wild Frontier : 200 Years of the Best Western Writers and Their Novels.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

May, Stephen J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Western stories--History and criticism.

Western stories.

American literature--West (U.S.)--History and criticism.

American literature.

Frontier and pioneer life in literature.

Authors, American--Biography.

Authors, American.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (268 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson : McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2023.

Summary:

"For over 200 years, the American Western novel has chronicled much of the American experience, with exemplaries found in the works of James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte, Andy Adams, Jack Schaefer and Larry McMurtry. Alongside the roguish figure of the cowboy, the Western depicts the experiences of women and minorities as they face the hardships and deprivations of the frontier. This text is directed at the general, informed reader who is interested in Western literature, history and culture. Exploring novels by Western authors who have achieved a high level of acclaim, it is a survey and homage to the frontier's lasting works, detailing both the writers' lives and their fictional creations. The author traces the development of the Western novel through biography, anecdote, summary, analysis and informed criticism, revealing the struggles and triumphs of the genre's authors, the changing standards of the frontier story and the lasting effects of the region's magisterial landscape"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Table of Contents

Preface

Author's Note

1. James Fenimore Cooper

2. Mark Twain and Bret Harte

3. Owen Wister

4. Andy Adams and Jack London

5. Willa Cather

6. Zane Grey, Max Brand, and Luke Short

7. Edna Ferber and Laura Ingalls Wilder

8. Walter Van Tilburg Clark and A.B. Guthrie

9. Jack Schaefer

10. Edward Abbey and Charles Portis

11. Wallace Stegner

12. James A. Michener and Larry McMurtry

13. Cormac McCarthy

A Timeline of the Western Novel and Other Notable Works of the Frontier

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: May, Stephen J. Writing the Wild Frontier

ISBN:

9781476648224