The western : parables of the American dream /

Wallmann (Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) offers an expansive survey of the Western as a genre that is often employed to examine US culture. Tracing the Western from its beginnings in the Puritan ethos to its modern generic hybrids, he focuses on the conflicts of dualism that shape representations of the American dream and explores how this popular form--in novels, films, and television programs (including "domestic Westerns" composed by women)--reflects American consciousness. He is especially perceptive on Owen Wister and Zane Grey and their indebtedness to the dime novel. Wallmann relates post-1960s Westerns to such US moments as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Ronald Reagan, then probes the rise and fall of television Westerns and the significance of contemporary skepticism regarding the genre's conventional values. Insisting that Western writers write necessarily for markets, Wallmann has little patience with polemical revisionists (e.g., Jane Tompkins and Richard Slotkin); he argues that their readings are often narrowly selective. Wallmann's critical readings are penetrating and refreshing, his knowledge virtually encyclopedic. Although occasionally top-heavy with titles and quotations (and excessively long paragraphs), this book will be an exceptionally useful research tool, especially given its excellent bibliography and index. All collections. J. J. Wydeven; Bellevue University