ILS614 - Fall, 2001
Genre Projects
WESTERN ROMANCE GENRE

  Definition and Overview  

According to Dorothy Garlock, a well-known author of the Western genre, “the Western novel, as we now know it, seems to be any story set west of the Mississippi during the last half of the 19^th century. The land west of the Mississippi was overwhelmingly vast, both beautiful and brutal, a land of promise and pain, a land of unbelievable hardship and unbelievable riches. The people who came west were people of noble strength and virtue and some of the meanest SOB's to leave a mark on the face of American civilization.

The Old West is uniquely American. Nothing like it exists anywhere in the world. Other lands may have had their wild and rowdy histories, but the Old West belongs only to America.”[1]

However, Genreflecting : A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction, defines the Western as an attitude toward life with worldwide appeal, as long as there is a hero, a horse, and wild, open spaces.[2]   There must be a good story, strong on adventure and thrilling action.

A final point made by Genreflecting, is that literary quality may differ widely within this genre.  Fans of the western genre may not be the same as those of the historical novel of the West.  In some westerns, the reader may find stereotyped plots, overly romantic dialogue, and misuse of dialect – all of which may distort experiencing a true Western.

Resources for Studying this Genre

Bibliographies and Print Resources

Barron, Neil, Wayne Barton, Kristin Ramsdell and Steven A. Stilwell.  What Do I Read Next? : A Reader’s Guide to Current Genre Fiction : Fantasy, Western, Romance, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction. 

Braun, Matthew.  How to Write Western Novels, 1^st ed.  Cincinnati, Ohio:  Writer’s Digest Books, 1988.

Ramsdell, Kristin.  Romance Fiction :  a Guide to the Genre.  Englewood, Colo.:  Libraries Unlimited, 1999.

Rosenberg, Betty and Diana Tixier Herald.  Genreflecting : a Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction.  Englewood, Colo.:  Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1991.

Saricks, Joyce G. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction.  Chicago:  American Library Association, 2001.

The Western Hall of Fame : an Anthology of Classic Western Stories, edited by Bill Pronzini and Martin H. Greenberg.  New York:  Morrow, 1984.

Electronic

These online resources are current, as of November 12, 2001.

http://www.readthewest.com/booksRomance.html

This leading monthly online magazine of the American West highlights the month’s best Western romance reads.

http://www.bookbrowser.com/Western/index.html

Western Fiction: Series & Sequels
Series listed by author with links to BookBrowser reviews.

http://www.readwest.com

Honoring authors of Western literature.

 http://www.silcom.com/~manatee/r_hist_w.html

Website is called “Under the Covers Book Reviews :  Books Worth Reading Past Bedtime”    At this website you will find a thorough listing of reviews for historical western romances.

http://www.overbooked.org/readers.html

This site must be browsed.  Lots of links to bring you many literary delights!

http://www.theromancereader.com/

The Romance Reader, featuring the very latest news and views of romance novels.  A simple search with keyword “western” will give the reader many possibilities, with reviews.

http://www.autopen.com/books.romance.western.shtml

You’ll find lots of suggestions for western romance books at this site, brought to you by “The Reader’s Corner - On-Line Genre Reading for the World Wide Web since January 1995”.  Reviews are tied in to Amazon.com for immediate purchase. 

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http://www.colapublib.org/services/advisory/authors.msql?nGenreID=57

Stories of the West, historical or contemporary, as well as those featuring the cowboy lifestyle and Native American culture.

http://www.zanegreysws.org/zgwestbk.htm#The Western Novels

Zane Grey's West Society -  the Western Novels listed alphabetically by title.

http://www.genrefluent.com/toc.html

This website, by the author of Genreflecting : A Guide to Reading Interest in Genre Fiction, offers a table of contents and an author index to enable readers to find books of interest.

http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/spur.htm

Given annually since 1953, the Spur Awards are given for distinguished writing about the American West.  They are among the oldest and most prestigious awards in American literature.

http://www.readthewest.com/booksSpur.html

Western Writers of America present the 2001 Spur Awards given for works whose inspiration, image, and literary excellence best represent the reality and spirit of the American West.

http://novelist4.epnet.com/novelist/default.asp

NoveList is an electronic readers' advisory resource which assists fiction readers in finding new authors and titles. The product also supports library staff who are working with these readers. It is a subscription service. NoveList, your guide to fiction, database may be accessed through some library’s home pages. Listing of books to read, by genre and sub-genre, can be requested.

Accessed through iCONN, the Connecticut Digital Library, http://www.iCONN.org,

the GaleNet database, “What do I read next” http://catalog.biblio.org/cgi-bin/timeout-biblio?http://www.biblio.org/bibsearch.htm+1595

Includes recommended similar titles, a feature all readers of the western romance genre will enjoy.

Discussion Groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Western-/Romance-Lovers

“Whether it be about sexy savage Indians or rugged handsome cowboys, this is the place to talk about your favorites.”

http://www.webrary.org/rs/flsubunsub.html

Go here to subscribe to Fiction_L, an electronic discussion group for lovers of fiction.  Morton Grove Public Library in Illinois is the sponsor of this group.

For romance genre in general:

http://www.onelist.com Regency Discussion List

Publishers

Simon and Schuster, Bantam Books, Domhan Books, Doubleday, Warner Books, Avon Books, Bantam Books, Arsenal Pulp Press, Avalon Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., Pocket Books, Topaz, Thorndike Press.

Major Authors

Brown, Sandra; Butler, Elizabeth; Criswell, Millie; Garwood, Julie; Gentry, Georgina; Heath, Lorraine; Howard, Linda; Johnson, Susan; Kane, Kathleen; Kirkpatrick, Jane;  O’Banyon, Constance; Wick, Lori.