James H. Maguire

Western Literary Regionalism and Globalizing Literary Studies

Jam es Maguire presented a talk about future directions in western literary studies that generated lots of buzz. We present a version of that talk here, hoping for further discussion. If you’d like to respond, please send an e-mail to < wal@cc.usu.edu>. We will then post responses on the W LA website: < http://www.usu.edu/westlit>. Check it frequently to catch up with the conversation. Melody Graulich

The Dispossessed by Don Carpenter (review)

lawman and saloon keeper. But Plummer, in his turn, becomes corrupt. The exact relation between him and The Kid is not clear, but the name of Plummers enemy, Bill Mackie, is very much like that of The Kids enemy Big Mack, and his girl friend, Florrie, might be Flora with a different history. Both The Kid and Plummer join with the Comanches, what is left of the army, and all the good settlers to fight Big Mack and stop the destruction of the land. The book ends very much on the note of the Grail Quest, with the land renewed. This book is skillfully done, though the relationship between the mythic and realistic levels is not always clear. For instance, the bear in most sections of the book is symbolic, usually described as standing up against the horizon, sometimes with one of the characters saying that seeing the bear is good luck. But in the Plummer section, the bear is a circus animal named Betsy. Another intriguing relationship is that between Florrie and Flora. Florrie, the realistic heroine, is nearly raped; but Flora, the mythic heroine, is kidnapped to be married, suggesting that it is easier to be a mythic heroine.

The Western Literature Association

Ann Ronald (1981) University of Nevada Gerald Haslam (1980) California State University, Sonoma Beatrice Morton (1982) Bowling Green State University David Stouck (1980) Simon Fraser University, Canada Fred Erisman (1982) Texas Christian University Joseph Flora (-1981) University of North Carolina Harold Simonson (1981) University of Washington Frederick Manfred (1982) Luverne, Minnesota Barbara Meldrum (1982) University of Idaho Kenneth B. Hunsaker Utah State University