Owen Wister's paladin of the plains : The Virginian as a cultural hero
Date
2008Author
Smith, David A.
Publisher
South Dakota State Historical SocietyType
ArticleRefereed Paper
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In 1902, Owen Wister published The Virginian : A Horseman of the Plains. It is possible the most widely read novel ever written by an American. Smith explores the origins of Wister's cowboy hero and the reasons behind the public's enthusiastic acceptance of him at the time when the United States was becoming a global power. The article also examines the continuing influence of The Virginian's cowboy hero on America today.
Citation
South Dakota History vol. 38, no. 1 (Spring 2008): 47-77Subject
Wister, Owen, 1860-1938
The Virginian (1902)
American West
American history