The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of the American West

Description

This Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to one of the most vibrant and expansive traditions in world literature. The American West occupies a unique place in the global imagination, and the literature it produced transcends the category of 'region' in theme and form. Written by prominent international scholars, the essays cover a diverse group of key texts and authors, including major figures in the Native American, Hispanic, Asian American, and African American movements. Treatments range from environmental and ecopoetic to transnational and transcultural, reflecting the richness of the field. This volume places the literature in deep historical context and features a chronology and a bibliography for further reading. It will be an essential guide for students of literature of the American West and of American literature generally.

Steven Frye is Professor of English at California State University, Bakersfield. He is President of the Cormac McCarthy Society, editor of The Cambridge Companion to Cormac McCarthy, and author of Understanding Cormac McCarthy and Understanding Larry McMurtry.

'The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of the American West offers precisely what the Companions are meant to offer - a rich compendium of contextual, historical, and thematic approaches to literatures under discussion, in this case, literatures of the American West. This book, a straightforward, usable, and accessible volume, will be indispensable for undergraduate, graduate, and emerging scholars on the topic, and advanced scholars will find the pleasures of concise and thoughtful overviews here as well.' Lydia R. Cooper, Cercles