Virginian : A Horseman of the Plains

by Wister, Owen

• ISBN13: 9780806509235
• ISBN10: 0806509236
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2049-01-01
• Publisher: Citadel Pr

Summary

In the untamed West, pioneers came to test their fortunes - and their wills. The Wyoming territory was a harsh, unforgiving land, with its own unwritten code of honor by which men lived and died. Into this rough landscape rides the Virginian, a solitary man whose unbending will is his only guide through life. The Virginian's unwavering beliefs in right and wrong are soon tested as he tries to prove his love for a woman who cannot accept his sense of justice; at the same time, a betrayal by his most trusted friend forces him to fight against the corruption that rules the land.

Author Biography

Owen Wister was born in Philadelphia to Owen Jones Wister, a physician, and Sarah (Butler) Wister, daughter of the actress Fanny Kemble. After graduating from Harvard in 1882, Wister spent some time in the West and documented his experiences in a series of diaries. In 1891, after a conversation in which Wister and his former Harvard classmate Theodore Roosevelt discussed the literary potential of Wister's impressions of Western life, Wister began writing stories of America's last frontier, which paved the way for The Virginian. Wister's stories helped establish the cowboy as an archetypal, individualist hero, and The Virginian is widely recognized as the first true Cowboy novel

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
To the Reader	p. xxiii
Re-Dedication and Preface	p. xxv
Enter the Man	p. 1
"When You Call Me That, Smile!"	p. 6
Steve Treats	p. 19
Deep into Cattle Land	p. 27
Enter the Woman	p. 37
Em'ly	p. 40
Through Two Snows	p. 52
The Sincere Spinster	p. 55
The Spinster Meets the Unknown	p. 59
Where Fancy Was Bred	p. 66
"You're Going to Love Me Before We Get Through"	p. 76
Quality and Equality	p. 85
The Game and the Nation--Act First	p. 91
Between the Acts	p. 97
The Game and the Nation--Act Second	p. 102
The Game and the Nation--Last Act	p. 108
Scipio Moralizes	p. 125
"Would You Be a Parson?"	p. 129
Dr. MacBride Begs Pardon	p. 137
The Judge Ignores Particulars	p. 141
In a State of Sin	p. 145
"What Is a Rustler?"	p. 155
Various Points	p. 162
A Letter with a Moral	p. 169
Progress of the Lost Dog	p. 173
Balaam and Pedro	p. 183
Grandmother Stark	p. 196
No Dream to Wake From	p. 218
Word to Bennington	p. 220
A Stable on the Flat	p. 230
The Cottonwoods	p. 239
Superstition Trail	p. 246
The Spinster Loses Some Sleep	p. 259
"To Fit Her Finger"	p. 268
With Malice Aforethought	p. 272
At Dunbarton	p. 295
Literary Allusions and Notes	p. 309
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 321
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