Description
Focusing on twenty-first century Western films, including all major releases since the turn of the century, the essays in this volume cover a broad range of aesthetic and thematic aspects explored in these films, including gender and race. As diverse contributors focus on the individual subgenres of the traditional Western (the gunfighter, the Cavalry vs. Native American conflict, the role of women in Westerns, etc.), they share an understanding of the twenty-first century Western may be understood as a genre in itself. They argue that the films discussed here reimagine certain aspects of the more conventional Western and often reverse the ideology contained within them while employing certain forms and cliches that have become synonymous internationally with Westerns. The result is a contemporary sensibility that might be referred to as the postmodern Western.
About the Author
Douglas Brode is a retired instructor at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications. Shea T. Brode is an independent scholar who has collaborated with his father as editor on several previous collections.
Reviews
Once upon a time there was the classic Western. Times have changed, but those under the misconception that the Western is dead need look no further than Douglas and Shea Brode's book for evidence to the contrary. The twenty original essays in this volume speak to the genre's durability and adaptability in the twenty-first century, demonstrating ways in which the Western has been reinvented and reflecting contemporary sensibilities and contradictions regarding gender, race, sexual orientation, violence, and the environment. Postmodern Westerns build upon traditional myths of the past while presenting new heroes, landscapes, and issues, and the diverse authors represented in this book capture the essence of the stories they tell and audiences they address. -- Kathy Merlock Jackson, Virginia Wesleyan University, president of the Popular Culture Association
Book Information
ISBN 9781793615114
Author Douglas Brode
Format Hardback
Page Count 296
Imprint Lexington Books
Publisher Lexington Books
Weight(grams) 653g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 160mm * 25mm
About the Author
Douglas Brode is a retired instructor at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications. Shea T. Brode is an independent scholar who has collaborated with his father as editor on several previous collections.
Reviews
Once upon a time there was the classic Western. Times have changed, but those under the misconception that the Western is dead need look no further than Douglas and Shea Brode's book for evidence to the contrary. The twenty original essays in this volume speak to the genre's durability and adaptability in the twenty-first century, demonstrating ways in which the Western has been reinvented and reflecting contemporary sensibilities and contradictions regarding gender, race, sexual orientation, violence, and the environment. Postmodern Westerns build upon traditional myths of the past while presenting new heroes, landscapes, and issues, and the diverse authors represented in this book capture the essence of the stories they tell and audiences they address. -- Kathy Merlock Jackson, Virginia Wesleyan University, president of the Popular Culture Association
Book Information
ISBN 9781793615114
Author Douglas Brode
Format Hardback
Page Count 296
Imprint Lexington Books
Publisher Lexington Books
Weight(grams) 653g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 160mm * 25mm
