The appeal of the Western shows no signs of diminishing. What do you think keeps it alive?
I’m glad to hear you say that, because a more common refrain for a number of years, at least in some quarters, has been “the western is dead.” Hollywood frequently adopts that mantra…until the next western wins an Academy Award. Publishers have been known to say “westerns don’t sell anymore,” but it’s always been my contention that one cannot sell from an empty wagon.
I believe the western has proved an enduring art form—and one that’s distinctly American. Canada and Australia also have western and frontier traditions, but when someone mentions “Old West” or “Wild West,” folks worldwide automatically picture the American West’s iconic cowboys, gunmen, lawmen, homesteaders, dancehall girls, and Indians. Those archetypes and tropes are larger than life, and they’re embedded in American culture. That past, largely romanticized, informs our present and our future.
As interpreted today, westerns are much broader and deeper than one might imagine. Traditional western shoot-’em-ups in which obvious good triumphs over obvious evil still sell, as do stories about the loner who rides in to save the town and then disappears. I think those kinds of stories always will find an audience. An increasing number of western authors, though, are telling stories outside what one might think of as “the norm.” Protagonists are more diverse, like the black Union soldier in Bound for the Promise-Land.
different reasons. Promise-Land is an insightful tale about the perseverance of the human spirit. Unbroke Horses is one of the most emotionally difficult stories I’ve ever encountered. I had to force myself to read the book, because it is ceaselessly and graphically violent. Utter hopelessness washes off the pages and submerges the reader from the beginning until shortly before the end. Ultimately, the pain is worth the effort. It’s a great story.
Kathleen Rice Adams
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