Download - Westerns by Joyce Saricks
Westerns
A Landscape Genre
Landscape Appeal:Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Westerns
• Settings—whether real or imagined—and background details frame these stories
• Often slower paced at first to accommodate extensive details and world building
• Stories may build on historical characters or events or retell familiar tales
• Timeless—or out-of-time quality. Don’t date as quickly; classics remain popular.
Why Read Westerns?
• Useful crossover for some historical fiction fans
• Great stories—adventure, exploration, gunslingers, pioneers
• Represent the past of both our countries so there’s a guaranteed market
Westerns in the US…
• Are set west of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from end of Civil War (1865) until 20th century
• Offer a feel of the Old West rather than the details of Historical Fiction
• Feature cowboys, scouts, Indians, settlers, and lawmen• Explore the clash between civilization and anarchy in
mythic stories of men and the land.• Share similarities with Australia: terrain, aborigines,
settling the unsettled areas
The Appeal of Westerns
Frame/Setting
Rich in landscape descriptions with setting lyrically and evocatively described but also treacherous
Characterizations
Stories feature mythic heroes and real historical characters. Women may be secondary in traditional westerns but play a larger role in recent titles. Often stereotypical good/bad.
Story LinesStory lines often place hero in a morality play; he brings justice and restores order.Other themes include survival in a harsh environment, the redemptive power of the west, revenge, and coming of age.
Pacing
Pace depends on storyline. Adventure moves story more quickly; description slows the pace. These are stories of the westward expansion and there’s a sense of forward movement.
Style/Language
Colorful but spare language. Often rich in jargon.Reminiscences and diaries sometimes tell these stories.Even poetry.
Tone/Mood
Often a nostalgic tone, celebrating past times.Humor may also play a role.Think: cowboy songs
Classic: Elmer Kelton
• Sure Bet• Character-centered• Historically accurate• Texas settings• Characters placed in
realistic settings rather than action
Classic: Louis L’Amour• Sure Bet• Congressional Gold Medal
and Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Revived Westerns stories• Action-packed tales of
adventure and survival• Strong heroes fighting for
justice • Lives on in reprints
Classic: Ivan Doig
• Sure Bet• Homesteaders, not
cowboys• Western Montana
setting• Lyrical writing• Sense of place and love
of the land
More Classics
• Robert B. Parker• Don Coldsmith• Owen Wister• Jack Schaefer• A. B. Guthrie• Alan LeMay
Johnny D. Boggs
• Action and adventure• Vividly drawn
characters, including Native American protagonists
• Unusual settings• Spur Award winner• Also writes historical
fiction
Loren D. Estleman• Known also for Detroit
Mysteries• Single title westerns about
Western figures and Page Murdock series (Mystery blend)
• Solid research• More elegant writing• Gritty • Details of western landscape,
external and internal
Joe Lansdale
• Dark, gritty, quirky and offbeat tales
• Fast paced adventures • Well-drawn characters• Witty style• Also writes award-
winning mysteries and horror
Larry McMurtry• De-romanticized the West,
historical and contemporary• Vivid characters, including
woman• Strong sense of time and
place• Lyrical prose• Often nostalgic, melancholy
tone• Sweeping, cinematic tales• Leisurely paced• Western Nonfiction
Richard S. Wheeler
• Prolific with multiple series
• Frontiersmen and settlers
• Real historical figures• Character-centered• Richly detailed settings• Compelling stories
Genre-blending
Historical Fiction as biggest crossover genre with tales of the historical figures and the settlement of the West. The line between the two can be very faint.
More Genre Blends• Mystery
• Romance
• Inspirational
• Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Horror
The Ultimate Blend
• Western• Historical Fiction• Crime Thriller• Literary Fiction• Black humor
Trends
Modern “Western”
Reprints and Whole Collection
“Adult” Westerns
• Explicit sex and violence• Less concern for
Western settings and themes
• Generally covers reveal whether traditional or adult
Westerns on the Web
• Western Writers of America
• Western Fictioneers
• Western Authors
U.S. Awards for Westerns
• Spur
• Western Heritage
• Peacemaker
Literary Westerns