The Virginian (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) - Softcover

Wister, Owen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593082363 ISBN 13: 9781593082369

Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2005

Synopsis

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RThe Virginian&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&ROwen Wister&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

• New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences―biographical, historical, and literary―to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RThe western is one of America’s most important and influential contributions to world culture. And it was &&LSTRONG&&ROwen Wister&&L/B&&R’s &&LI&&RThe Virginian&&L/I&&R, first published in 1902, that created the familiar archetypes of character, setting, and action that still dominate western fiction and film.   &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LI&&RThe Virginian&&L/I&&R's characters include: The hero, tall, taciturn, and unflappable, confident in his skills, careful of his honor, mysterious in his background; the heroine, the “schoolmarm from the East,” dedicated to civilizing the untamed town, but willing to adapt to its ways―up to a point; and the villain, who is a liar, a thief, a killer, and worst of all, a coward beneath his bluster. Its setting―the lonely small town in the midst of the vast, empty, dangerous but overwhelmingly beautiful landscape―plays so crucial a role that it may be regarded as one of the primary characters. And its action―the cattle roundup, the capture of the rustlers, the agonizing moral choices demanded by “western justice,” and the climactic shoot-out between hero and villain―shaped the plots of the thousands of books and movies that followed. &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LSTRONG&&RJohn G. Cawelti&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R has published ten books, including &&LI&&RApostles of the Self-Made Man&&L/I&&R, &&LI&&RAdventure&&L/I&&R, &&LI&&RMystery and Romance&&L/I&&R, &&LU&&RThe Spy Story&&L/U&&R, &&LI&&RLeon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations&&L/I&&R, and &&LI&&RThe Six-Gun Mystique Sequel&&L/I&&R. He has also published about seventy essays in the fields of American literature, cultural history, and popular culture, and has made oral presentations at more than one hundred universities and scholarly conferences.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This is the classic novel of the American West, which served as a model for thousands of later novels and films.

It is a story of ranch life and cowboy living at the turn of the century. The hero of the novel, the "Virginian", the only name by which he is known, has left his native state at an early age to try his fortunes in the western country. After roughing it along the way, he settles on Judge Henry's cattle ranch in Wyoming, where the owner makes him his right-hand man. The Virginian is strikingly handsome, twetny-seven years old, and, though unversed in the ways of the world and ignorant as to book learning, he has character and personality that inspire respect from all who know him. He manages to force on a turbulent community his idea of law and order-- "getting the drop" on an enemy, vigilante committees, and lynch law.

The novel recounts his adventures, including his romantic initiation at the hands of Molly Wood, the Vermont girl who became a western school techer. And it introduces him to Trampas, the legendary villain who is the prototype of the "bad guys" of future western novels and films.

"The Virginian" has been filmed three times, most memorably with Gary Cooper, and also became a long-running television series.

About the Author:

John G. Cawelti has published ten books, including Apostles of the Self-Made Man, Adventure, Mystery and Romance, The Spy Story, Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations, and The Six-Gun Mystique Sequel. He has also published about seventy essays in the fields of American literature, cultural history, and popular culture, and has made oral presentations at more than one hundred universities and scholarly conferences.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1593082363
• ISBN 13: 9781593082369
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432