In literary and cinematic representations, deserts often betoken collapse and dystopia. Reading Aridity in Western American Literature offers readings of litera

This Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the literature of the American West, one of the most vibrant and diverse literary traditions.

A challenging look at feminist criticism as well as ecocriticism and the burgeoning literature of the environment. The author explores how American literature h

"Western writers," says Thomas J. Lyon in his epilogue to Updating the Literary West, "have grown up with the frontier myth but now find themselves in the early