Cowboy Classics : : The Roots of the American Western in the Epic Tradition / / Kirsten Day.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Edinburgh University Press Complete eBook-Package 2016
• VerfasserIn: Day, Kirsten,
• Place / Publishing House: Edinburgh : : Edinburgh University Press, , [2022]; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Series: Screening Antiquity : SCAN
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (240 p.) :; 20 B/W illustrations 1 B/W tables

Compares the ancient epic and the American Western as parallel cultural narrativesCowboy Classics looks at the remarkably intimate connection between Westerns and Greek and Roman epics, each of which focuses on a mythic-historical period from the past where our societal notions of what constitutes heroism, masculinity and honour were first forged. Through her insightful analysis of Red River, High Noon, Shane, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Kirsten Day illustrates the parallels between these seemingly disparate yet closely related genres, allowing us to see each through a new lens while gaining insight into the persistence of these concepts in our world today.Key Features Discusses the recent scholarly interest in classical representations in popular culture Looks at how both Greco-Roman epic and Western film in general help to define foundational ideologies for their respective culturesIncludes case studies of four films - Howard Hawks' Red River (1948), Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952), George Stevens' Shane (1953), and John Ford's The Searchers (1956) - which analyze specific affinities with the Homeric epics and Virgil's AeneidExamines John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) as an Oedipal drama, in relation to Greek and Roman epic

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Series Editors' Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Illustrations -- Prologue -- Introduction: Western Film and the Epic Tradition -- 1 Howard Hawks's Red River -- 2 Fred Zinnemann's High Noon -- 3 George Stevens's Shane -- 4 John Ford's The Searchers -- 5 John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Filmography -- Index