Western (genre)

The Western is an American genre in literature and film. Westerns are art works – films, literature, sculpture, television and radio shows, and paintings – devoted to telling stories set in the American West, often portraying it in a romanticized light.

Definition

Westerns, by definition, are set in the American West, almost always in the 19th century, generally between the Antebellum period and the turn of the century. Many incorporate the Civil War into the plot, or into the background, although the west was not touched by the war to the extent the east was. However, their setting may extend further back to the time of the American colonial period or forward to the mid-twentieth century. They may also range geographically from Mexico to Canada.

Related Topics:
American West - 19th century - Antebellum - Civil War - Colonial period - Mexico - Canada

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Many westerns involve semi-nomadic characters who wander from town to town, their sole possessions consisting of clothing, a gun, and (optionally) a horse. The high technology of the era – such as the telegraph, printing press, and railroad – may appear, occasionally as a development just arriving, and usually symbolizing the impending end of the frontier lifestyle which will soon give way to the march of civilization.

Related Topics:
Nomad - Clothing - Gun - Horse - Telegraph - Printing press - Railroad - Frontier - Civilization

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The Western takes these simple elements and uses them to tell morality tales, usually setting them against spectacular American landscapes. In some movies, scenery becomes almost the star of the movie. Westerns often stress the harshness of the wilderness and frequently set the action in a desert-like landscape for example in The Searchers (1956) and Open Range (2003). However, this desert landscape is not as evident in High Noon (1952), which is set in a gritty, dirty western town and shows a juxtaposition between the dirty town and the beautiful landscape.

Related Topics:
Morality - Landscape - The Searchers - Open Range - High Noon

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Specific settings include lonely isolated forts, ranch houses, the isolated homestead, the saloon or the jail. Other iconic elements in westerns include Stetsons and Spurs, Colt .45s, prostitutes and the faithful steed.

Related Topics:
Colt .45 - Prostitute

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:See also: Frederic Remington, Indian Wars, Continental Expansion of the U.S., Manifest Destiny, The West

Related Topics:
Frederic Remington - Indian Wars - Continental Expansion of the U.S. - Manifest Destiny - The West

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