Book description
The western is arguably the most iconic and influential genre in
American cinema. The solitude of the lone rider, the loyalty of his
horse, and the unspoken code of the West render the genre popular yet
lead it to offer a view of America's history that is sometimes
inaccurate. For many, the western embodies America and its values. In
recent years, scholars had declared the western genre dead, but a steady
resurgence of western themes in literature, film, and television has
reestablished the genre as one of the most important. In The Philosophy
of the Western, editors Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki examine
philosophical themes in the western genre. Investigating subjects of
nature, ethics, identity, gender, environmentalism, and animal rights,
the essays draw from a wide range of westerns including the recent
popular and critical successes Unforgiven (1992), All the Pretty Horses
(2000), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and No Country for Old Men (2007), as well
as literature and television serials such as Deadwood. The Philosophy of
the Western reveals the influence of the western on the American psyche,
filling a void in the current scholarship of the genre. Jennifer L.
McMahon, associate professor and chair of the English and Languages
Department at East Central University, is a contributor to The
Philosophy of TV Noir, The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, and The
Simpsons and Philosophy. She lives in Stratford, Oklahoma. B. Steve
Csaki was most recently a visiting professor at Centre College, where he
taught courses in philosophy, the humanities, and Japanese. He lives in
Stratford, Oklahoma.
