When people hear the phrase “Howdy, Partner!” they often will associate that phrase with the sublime Western genre. Along with similar settings and themes in all writings of the Western genre, there is also a similar language that stories share. Common themes of the stories include remote western American towns with the cattle culture, plots with a simple hero versus villain conflict, or a protagonist’s encounters with different cultures like the Indians or Mormons. These heroes often will have to “rid the community of savage forces (generally Indians or outlaws) to make way for the ineluctable coming of civilization” (Levinson). Evident in the Western genre, certain vocabulary, figures of speech, and use of dialogue reveal a unique aspect of American Literature. Vocabulary in the Western genre generally because it gives the writing background and a unique identity. The vocabulary in this genre consists of slang that exemplifies the Western genre in an American context. The authors of this genre use iconic terminology, like “Howdy”, “Giddy up” or “Yeehaw”, in their stories to give the readers a sense of direction to understand an unfamiliar aspect of American Literature. This colloquial language is the quintessence of how the Western genre gives America an identity. During the time in which these stories were being written, European countries had thought of America as a young, undeveloped country that just finished facing “old problems” like slavery. In early American literature, the Romantics attempted to give America a Literary identity, but did so by writing stories involving old legends and folklore with impeccable characters. The Western genre provides history with an important contribution to American Literature; it created... ... middle of paper ... ...e enhancement of a reader’s comprehension to the context of a story. Knowing the context of the story, an audience can understand some of the historical references that an author may make. The Western genre is overall important to American Literature because “The West defines how Americans view their past, and this region, more than any other, is the source of the American identity, pride, and cherished heroes” (Blake). The context also shows the relationship between the Western genres to the rest of American Literature. The iconic settings, themes, and language used by the authors, make the Western genre one of the most significant elements of American Literature. Works Cited Blake, Kevin S. "Zane Grey's West Society -." Zane Grey's West Society -. N.p., 2 Apr. 1995. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. Levinson, Julie. "Genre Gender." Genre Gender. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
My analysis begins, as it will end, where most cowboy movies begin and end, with the landscape.Western heroes are essentially synedoches for that landscape, and are identifiable by three primary traits: first, they represent one side of an opposition between the supposed purity of the frontier and the degeneracy of the city, and so are separated even alienated from civilization; second, they insist on conducting themselves according to a personal code, to which they stubbornly cling despite all opposition or hardship to themselves or others; and third, they seek to shape their psyches and even their bodies in imitation of the leanness, sparseness, hardness, infinite calm and merciless majesty of the western landscape in which their narratives unfold.All of these three traits are present in the figures of Rob Roy and William Wallace--especially their insistence on conducting themselves according to a purely personal definition of honor--which would seem to suggest that the films built around them and their exploits could be read as transplanted westerns.However, the transplantation is the problem for, while the protagonists of these films want to be figures from a classic western, the landscape with which they are surrounded is so demonstrably not western that it forces their narratives into shapes which in fact resist and finally contradict key heroic tropes of the classic western.
O’Connor, Flannery. “Good Country People.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 188-201.
Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. 2 ed. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.1274.print.
In Contemporary Fiction Writers of the South, edited by Joseph M. Flora and Robert Bain. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993. An appreciative summary of the work. 28 Apr. 2011 Magill, Frank N. Magill's Survey of American Literature, Volume 5. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1991.
Tindall, G.B. & Shi, D.E. (2010). America a narrative history 8th edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. p.205-212.
In three dynamic pieces of literature, the desperate yet hopeful characters gallantly endure the struggles of achieving their dreams as they experience the pain of desolation and the life-fulfilling happiness of a friendly companion. Through hostile resentment, the intense repulsion created by generations of territorial disputes tears apart two vengeful foes, Ulrich and Georg, in Saki’s captivating tale. Whereas in Remarque’s gory war novel, the pure terror of battle brutally slaughters the once innocent minds of soldiers as they undergo changes in their heart and soul within themselves. Although impervious to the influence of the reclusive residents tied to the ranch, as they quest for their shared aspirations, George and Lennie forge an invincible friendship in Steinbeck’s calamitous novelette.
Studies in American Fiction 17 (1989): 33-50.
Most Americans probably believe our times are different from Washington Irving’s era. After all, almost 200 years have passed, and the differences in technology and civil liberties alone are huge. However, these dissimilarities seem merely surface ones. When reading “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” I find that the world Irving creates in each story is very familiar to the one in which I grew up. The players may have changed, and institutions have mostly replaced roles traditionally taken on by people, but the overall pieces still fit the rural lifestyle of contemporary America.
Some of the most aspiring and influential authors show to be American novelists. American novelists brought about a new style of writing, which became very popular. John Steinbeck shows this style of writing in his novel, East of Eden. This makes Steinbeck one of the most significant American novelists in the twentieth century. East of Eden contains many parts, which add detail and interest to the novel. Many of Steinbeck’s novels and other works remain and continue to be nationally acclaimed. Many elements exist in East of Eden that bring about the meaning and concept of the novel. The study of John Steinbeck and his book, East of Eden, will help the reader better understand the element of fiction and interpret the meaning of the work.
I’m fascinated by the spoken word variety of storytelling. Splintered Literacies, when tied into my personal experience surrounding Native American and Spanish American literature drew me to the realization that grammatically correct English, the variety found typeset in classrooms and institutions, lacks substantial oral tradition. The author and extended family from rural Appalachia clearly value the stories passed down through the generations. Her account of her grandfather’s experience
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
O’Conner, Flannery. “Good Country People.” Literature An Introduction To Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia 3rd ed. New York Longman, 2003. 247-261
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
O'Connor, Flannery. Good Country People. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, And Drama. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Longman. 2002. (247-261)
Between the years of 1865 and 1914, American literature was mainly comprised of three writing styles: realism, regionalism, and naturalism. Realism aims to portray life realistically. Though realism...