I know that this is a strange request, and possibly a strange place to voice my request, but when I think about it, writers seem like th most likely people to ask for help. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone can give me some insights into the workings of the wild west. In literature and film, it's usually depicted in certain ways tht, while not realistic, are now associated with the genre. I want to knwo the symbols, the commonalities, between characters in various wild west works. Everyone knows that bad guys wear black, and good guys are always steely eyes, but what about the details? What are the little things that tell us, before we even know the characters through their actions, that we are dealing with a dark avenger, or with a principled villain? Do good guys wear their gun belts slightly askance? Is blowing wind a good thing for hte hero or a bad thing? Any insight you folks can offer me into the inner workings of the genre would be very valuable. =D

Attached Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Western_fiction_authors

An educated guess would be that the formulas and archtypes of the genre started with the first popular authors of Westerns. Look to Zane Grey, Max Brand, and Louis L'Amour, James Fenimore Cooper, and others (there's a reasonably good list of authors at the link).

But I bet also responsible were the reporters who went out west and transoformed real people into the super legends of their times. There really was a Jesse James and a Calamity Jane, but their reality was far out shadowed by the stories told in the Eastern newspapers.

Message edited on: 05/07/2005 08:23

I haven't seen this book so I can't recommend it one way or the other, but you can get it cheaply through Amazon.com or possibly free from the library:

The Western Story--Fact, Fiction, and Myth
Author: Durham, Philip
Publisher: HBJ College & School Division
Format: Trade Paperback

When I say, "go to the library," I mean, "go ask a librarian." They get these questions all the time and can help you determine what is a good reference material versus one with dubious information. Many libraries do telephone and online reference questions, so you can email or call your nearest library if you can't physically get to the building.

Message edited on: 05/07/2005 08:36

Ugh, I should have proofed these postings. Apologies for the types. I really do know how to spell "transformed." Sigh. And I do have a spell check. I do.

No problem. Thanks a bunch dialyn! I'll check into those today. I'm also going to try film references, as well. Any good filmmaker has spent time coming up with ways of visually demontrating a character's idiom without relying on lots of dialogue to build impressions, so someone out there has surely made a study of it. ;)

I would investigate Western art, as well. Film makers tend to lean on the cliches, but there are Western artists who worked both in myth and fact. Some of the works are well worth looking at for inspiration and information. Frederic Remington comes to mind. :)

:) dialyn's always got the best and coolest info! :)