This volume offers new critical insights into the increasingly mythological figure of the American cowboy and “The West” in the 21st century while seeking to explain how these components of American identity continue to fit into our shared culture narrative.

The September 11th attacks in 2001 and the subsequent 'War on Terror' have had a profound effect on American cinema, and the contemporary Western is no exception. In this book, John White explores how films such as Open Range, True Grit and Jane Got a Gun reinforce a conservative myth of America exceptionalism; endorsing the use of extreme force in dealing with enemies and highlighting the importance of defending the homeland. Placing their characters within a dark world of confusion and horror, these films reflect the United States' post-9/11 uncertainties, and the conflict between civilised values and the brutality employed to defend them.

Though one of the most popular genres for decades, the western started to lose its relevance in the 1960s and 1970s, and by the early 1980s it had ridden into the sunset on screens both big and small. The genre has enjoyed a resurgence, however, and in the past few decades some remarkable westerns have appeared on television and in movie theaters. From independent films to critically acclaimed Hollywood productions and television series, the western remains an important part of American popular culture. Running the gamut from traditional to revisionist, with settings ranging from the old West to the “new Wests” of the present day and distant future, contemporary westerns continue to explore the history, geography, myths, and legends of the American frontier. In Contemporary Westerns: Film and Television since 1990, Andrew P. Nelson has collected essays that examine the trends and transformations in this underexplored period in Western film and television history. Addressing the new Western, they argue for the continued relevance and vibrancy of the genre as a narrative form. The book is organized into two sections: “Old West, New Stories” examines Westerns with common frontier locales, such as Dances with Wolves, Unforgiven, Deadwood, and True Grit. “New Wests, Old Stories” explores works in which familiar Western narratives, characters, and values are represented in more modern—and in one case futuristic—settings. Included are the films No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, as well as the shows Firefly and Justified. With a foreword by Edward Buscombe, as well as an introduction that provides a comprehensive overview, this volume offers readers a compelling argument for the healthy survival of the Western. Written for scholars as well as educated viewers, Contemporary Westerns explores the genre’s evolving relationship with American culture, history, and politics.

The first in a two-volume survey, readers are invited to re-examine the history of the West and its art through a multi-faceted contemporary lens. More than 40 artists are included who reflect the tremendous diversity, depth, and breadth of a field steeped in history. While some follow the traditions established by Remington and Russell, others seek to break from tradition, busting myths and bringing new insights and artistic styles to the genre. They come from both sides of the Mississippi and have pedigrees that range from bona fide cowboy or Native American credentials to careers in commercial illustration. The unifying theme is a common concern for and commitment to their art and the West itself. In this volume, contemporary artists are featured whose work revolves around the American Cowboy. Within these pages, many different artists, some of whom have been cowboys themselves, exhibit their rendition of the wonderful world of the West.

Over 450 entries provide information on cowboy history, culture, and myth of both North and South America.

Herding cattle from horseback has been a tradition in northern Mexico and the American West since the Spanish colonial era. The first mounted herders were the Mexican vaqueros, expert horsemen who developed the skills to work cattle in the brush country and deserts of the Southwestern borderlands. From them, Texas cowboys learned the trade, evolving their own unique culture that spread across the Southwest and Great Plains. The buckaroos of the Great Basin west of the Rockies trace their origin to the vaqueros, with influence along the way from the cowboys, though they, too, have ways and customs distinctly their own. In this book, three long-time students of the American West describe the history, working practices, and folk culture of vaqueros, cowboys, and buckaroos. They draw on historical records, contemporary interviews, and numerous photographs to show what makes each group of mounted herders distinctive in terms of working methods, gear, dress, customs, and speech. They also highlight the many common traits of all three groups. This comparative look at vaqueros, cowboys, and buckaroos brings the mythical image of the American cowboy into focus and detail and honors the regional and national variations. It will be an essential resource for anyone who would know or portray the cowboy—readers, writers, songwriters, and actors among them.

Start this clean and wholesome sweet cowboy romance series today! Every book features a former rodeo hero paired with a woman who'll give him a run for his money. You'll go into the hills to a ranch in beautiful Utah and experience cowboy life, sweet romance, and happily-ever-after! Go up the canyon to Brush Creek Ranch, where a community of retired rodeo cowboys are looking for love... He's a cowboy raising his son alone. She's a widow with a chocolate obsession. Can Brush Creek cowboy Walker get over his losses and fears in order to build a future with Tess? ★ USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR ★ Former rodeo champion and cowboy Walker Thompson trains horses at Brush Creek Horse Ranch, where he lives a simple life in his cabin with his ten-year-old son, Michael. He's worked with Tess Wagner, a widow who came to Brush Creek to escape the turmoil of her life to give her seven-year-old son, Graham, a slower pace of life. Together, they run a cotton candy stand at the town's Heritage Festival every fall, and Walker gets up the nerve to ask Tess to dinner. Neither of them wants to inflict more sorrow and suffering on the other than they've already endured. So when Tess confesses that her breast cancer has flared up again, Walker backs off. Way off. He'll have to decide if he'd rather spend even a short time with Tess and Graham than not have them in his life at all. Tess wants to feel God's love and power, but she'll have to discover and accept God's will in order to find her happy ending. Can Walker and Tess make a family with their sons, the horses, and a lot of chocolate? Find out in this series starter, which is a clean and wholesome romance, with sweet kisses, loads of cowboys, and great chemistry and wit in this friends to lovers with a single dad love story! Also available in paperback and soon to be in audiobook too.