Gender and genre : an introduction to women writers of formula westerns, 1900-1950

Norris W. Yates presents here a number of women writers who have been overlooked in studies of Western formula fiction, arguing that their work constitutes a subgenre of the western novel. Like women writers of serious fiction, they appealed to the prejudices of the mass market on a superficial level but presented subtexts that contradicted or subverted those prejudices. Writers such as B. M. Bower, Caroline Lockhart, Vingie E. Roe, Honoré Willsie Morrow, and Katharine Newlin Burt drew more on the conventions of the domestic novel than those of the dime novel Western. They deemphasized violence, especially gunplay, and portrayed active rather than passive heroines. They frequently manipulated the traditional ending, allowing the heroine to retain a portion of her premarital individuality and independence. In these ways the writers supported and yet subverted Western-style images of ideal femininity and male hegemony. Gender and Genre will appeal to fans of the western novel as well as scholars in American literature and women's studies. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 © 1995......Page 5 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Introduction......Page 11 1 The Formula Western and How It Grew......Page 19 2 B. M. Bower and the Happy Family......Page 27 3 Caroline Lockhart and Her Strong-Willed Heroines......Page 47 4 Vingie E. Roe's Novels of Beset Womanhood......Page 67 5 Women, Religion, and Politics in The Western Novels of Honoré Willsie Morrow......Page 91 6 Persons, Property, and Power: Katharine Newlin Burt's Western Heroines......Page 113 7 Other Authors......Page 127 8 Recapitulation and Conclusions......Page 143 Notes......Page 151 Bibliography......Page 169 Index......Page 181 Ch. 1. The Formula Western And How It Grew -- Ch. 2. B.m. Bower And The Happy Family -- Ch. 3. Caroline Lockhart And Her Strong Willed Heroines -- Ch. 4. Vingie E. Roe's Novels Of Beset Womanhood -- Ch. 5. Women, Religion, And Politics In The Western Novels Of Honore Willsie Morrow -- Ch. 6. Persons, Property, And Power: Katharine Newlin Burt's Western Heroines -- Ch. 7. Other Authors -- Ch. 8. Recapitulation And Conclusions. Norris Yates. Examines The Work Of B. M. Bower, Caroline Lockhart, Vingie E. Roe, Honoré Willsie Morrow, Katharine Newlin Burt, And Others. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 159-170) And Index. Introduction The Formula Western and How it Grew B.M. Bower and the Happy Family Carloine Lockhart and Her Strong-Willed Heroines Vingie E. Roe's Novels of Beset Womanhood Women, Religion, and Politics in the Western Novels of Honore Willsie Morrow Persons, Property, and Power: Katharine Newlin Burt's Western Heroines Other Authors Recapitulation and Conclusions Notes Bibliography This book goes into detail about the women writers of formula westerns from 1900 to 1950.