Lost in the New West: Reading Williams, McCarthy, Proulx and McGuane

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Description

Lost in the New West investigates a group of writers John Williams, Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx and Thomas McGuane who have sought to explore the tensions inherent to the Western, where the distinctions between old and new, myth and reality, authenticity and sentimentality are frequently blurred. Collectively these authors demonstrate a deep-seated attachment to the landscape, people and values of the West and offer a critical appraisal of the dialogue between the contemporary West and its legacy. Mark Asquith draws attention to the idealistic young men at the center of such works as Williams's Butcher's Crossing (1960), McCarthy's Blood Meridian (1985) and Border Trilogy, Proulx's Wyoming stories and McGuane's Deadrock novels. For each writer, these characters struggle to come to terms with the difference between the suspect mythology of the West that shapes their identity and the reality that surrounds them. They are, in short, lost in the new West.

Reviews

Employing the critical prism of four exemplary writers, this well-researched, engaging and perceptive book analyses the long shadow cast by the Western, tracing its multiple meanings, varied perspectives and consistently surprising reinventions. Reading Lost in the West both reminds us of the genres tenacious survival and its ageless significance. * Neil Campbell, Emeritus Professor of American Studies, University of Derby, UK *
This astutely focused study launches readers into a blazing metaphysical search for the essence of the American West, a place at once geographic and mythical, a 'portable signifier' as Asquith puts it, both imaginary and brutally real. Asquith excels especially in drawing thoughtful and unexpected connections between books as seemingly dissimilar as That Old Ace in the Hole and Blood Meridian, or picking out delightfully surprising threads running between Emersons transparent eyeball, the restrained prose of John Williams and the exuberantly gothic postmodernism of Cormac McCarthy. If we are lost in the New West, this book is a suggestion to continue wandering. * Sara Spurgeon, Professor of Literatures of the American Southwest, Texas Tech University, USA *
A beautifully written and timely book, Lost in the New West is an impressive guide through the literature of a vibrant and ever-changing American landscape. Mark Asquith offers a fresh approach to understanding the work of recent western authors who seek to move beyond damaging myths of place and nation. In this way, the book is essential reading for anyone wishing to connect more honestly and deeply with a region facing ongoing challenges and profound transformations. * Susan Kollin, Professor of English, Montana State University, USA *

Author Bio

Mark Asquith is the author of Reading the Novels of John Williams: A Flaw of Light (2017), The Lost Frontier: Reading Annie Proulxs Wyoming Stories (Bloomsbury, 2014) and Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain and Postcards: A Reader's Guide (Bloomsbury, 2009). He holds a PhD from UCL, University of London, UK.