The Western Story: A Chronological Treasury

by TUSKA JON

• ISBN13: 9780803294394
• ISBN10: 0803294395
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

The Western Story: A Chronological Treasuryconsists of twenty Western stories spanning the years 1892 to 1994. For that generation of American writers who saw the frontier in the last centuryincluding Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and Owen Wisterit seemed exotic, strange, wonderful. Others, such as Frederic Remington and John G. Neihardt, reflected the clash between various Indian nations and pioneers. These authors prepared the way for the founders of the first Golden Age of the Western story: Willa Cather, who wrote of pioneer life in Nebraska; Zane Grey, who combined wilderness experiences with romance and the search for spiritual truth; B. M. Bower, who portrayed the cowboys and frontier women she knew growing up in Montana; Max Brand, who created dramas in which the psychological and spiritual meaning of life was more important than the physical terrain; and Ernest Haycox, who combined character and drama with historical accuracy. Another generation of writers perpetuated this first Golden Age: Peter Dawson and T. T. Flynn, who began writing Western stories in the 1930s; Walter Van Tilburg Clark, who created a masterpiece inThe Ox-Bow Incident; Dorothy M. Johnson and Les Savage Jr., who experimented with making the Western story still more realistic; and Louis L'Amour, whose visibility and popularity won legions of new readers to the genre. Humanity, depth, and verisimilitude were already part of the Western story when Will Henry, Elmer Kelton, and T. V. Olsen came on the scene to intensify these qualities in their own stories even as they experimented with new perspectives. And Cynthia Haseloff's story (written especially for this collection), with its symbolism and its simplicity, may be the harbinger of a second Golden Age.

Author Biography

Jon Tuska is the author or editor of numerous works about the American West, including Stories of the Far North (Nebraska 1998).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii	(2)
Introduction	ix
PART ONE THE EAST GOES WEST	6	(59)
"Hank's Woman" (1892)	6	(13)
Owen Wister
"The Californian's Tale" (1893)	19	(10)
Mark Twain
"A Sergeant of the Orphan Troop" (1897)	29	(13)
Frederic Remington
"Three Vagabonds of Trinidad" (1900)	42	(13)
Bret Harte
"The Last Thunder Song" (1904)	55	(10)
John G. Neihardt
PART TWO FOUNDERS OF THE GOLDEN AGE	65	(124)
"The Wild Land" (1913)	65	(13)
Willa Cather
"The Desert Crucible" (1915)	78	(14)
Zane Grey
"Werewolf" (1926)	92	(61)
Max Brand^(TM)
"Bad Penny" (1933)	153	(17)
B.M. Bower
"Blizzard" (1939)	170	(19)
Ernest Haycox
PART THREE STORYTELLERS OF THE GOLDEN AGE	189	(108)
"Retirement Day" (1942)	189	(16)
Peter Dawson
"What Color Is Heaven?" (1943)	205	(27)
T.T. Flynn
"The Wind and the Snow of Winter" (1944)	232	(13)
Walter Van Tilburg Clark
"A Man Called Horse" (1949)	245	(15)
Dorothy M. Johnson
"The Shadow in Renegade Basin" (1950)	260	(37)
Les Savage Jr.
PART FOUR VISIONS OF DREAMS AND DANCING	297	(100)
"War Party" (1959)	297	(15)
Louis L'Amour
"The Tallest Indian in Toltepec" (1966)	312	(27)
Will Henry
"Desert Command" (1980)	339	(22)
Elmer Kelton
"Jacob's Journal" (1994)	361	(24)
T.V. Olsen
"Redemption at Dry Creek" (1994)	385	(12)
Cynthia Haseloff
Suggested Further Reading	397