The Significance of the Western Myth in modern America

The Significance of the Western Myth in modern America
ISBN-10
3656497044
ISBN-13
9783656497042
Category
Literary Collections
Pages
17
Language
English
Published
2013-09-16
Publisher
GRIN Verlag
Author
Selina Schuster

Description

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,0, University of Paderborn (Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Pro-Seminar 'The American Frontier', language: English, abstract: In this term paper I’m going to answer the question if the Western Myth and the idea of an American Frontier are still current topics in modern day America. The glorified myth of a frontier moving faster and faster into the unknown is deeply rooted in the heads of the American people, since the first settlers moved westwards, over hundred-fifty years ago. It had an enormous impact on America’s history and on its national identity. But can this idea of a frontier still be found today, or is it just a historically important, but today mostly unappealing episode in recent history books? Furthermore, I will try to find an answer where hints and connections to the myth of the Old West - with its cowboys, lonesome riders and sheriffs - can be found in modern American culture. Are those images of the wild, deserted West still topical and influential, and if so, where. In which parts of life and culture can they be found, or are the Old West and the Western Myth just outdated? I’m going to carry out my researches about this topic with the help of the books ‘The American frontier – Go West, young man’ by Prof. Dr. Michael Porsche, ‘The frontier in American History’ by Frederick Jackson Turner, ‘The Wild West: Myth and History’ by Alexander Emmerich and several internet sources to illustrate and prove my theses. At the end of this term paper I hope to be able to point out, in which parts of everyday life in modern America references to the myth of the Wild West and the American Frontier can be found and which significance they have.

Similar books

  • A Concordance to Conrad's Victory
    By Todd K. Bender, James W. Parins, Robert J. Dilligan

    ossession:-amā'the “oise: , ś head'ail but lying under her as deadly, ... seemed to undes stand, exactly how to deal with conceited death 's head.

  • Understanding Ingeborg Bachmann: Understanding Modern European and Latin American Literature
    By Karen Achberger

    Similarly , Nadja in " Word for Word " is reluctant to call Mr. Frankel by his first name , Ludwig , an act which would signal an acceptance of his appropriateness for her , since Ludwig — like Robert , Ernst , Fritz , Erich , Franz ...

  • Bluegrass Cavalcade
    By Thomas D. Clark

    Ellen went to Mrs. Donahue's house for help and Pius was soon hurrying to St. Lucy to telephone for a doctor. When Pius returned he brought the Carriers who remained all night. Bill and Pius helped the doctor set the bone and bind in ...

  • Anime Wong: Fictions of Performance
    By Karen Tei Yamashita

    The mother was on Donahue. 60 Minutes did the doc and they'll repeat the news at ten. People dying, people killing, people crying— you can see it all on TV. Reality is really on TV. It's just another way to see— starvation in North ...

  • Byron: The Erotic Liberal
    By Jonathan David Gross

    Philip P. Wiener . New York : Charles Scribner's Sons , 1973 . Plato . Plato : The Symposium . Trans . and ed . Alexander Nehemas and Paul Woodruff . Indianapolis : Hackett Publishing Company , 1989 . Plummer , Kenneth , ed .

  • Evening Street Review Number 5
    By AMANDA ADAMS, ANDREA BATES, CYNTHIA BELMONT

    When the credits started to roll and Carmen, needing her meds and cigarettes, handed Ryan her car keys, Mary Ellen stared in disbelief. “She's giving him her keys!” she thought, eyeing Pepe, trying to catch his attention because he knew ...

  • The Science of Herself
    By Karen Joy Fowler

    Here she debuts a provocative new story written especially for this series.

  • The Lonely Planet Travel Anthology
    By Karen Joy Fowler, Alexander McCall Smith, Francine Prose

    We make our way slowly into the assembly hall, where 26 identical pillars cut from one rock line the sides. A fat stupa cut of the same rock stands at the innermost part of the hall; 20 feet high, it's shaped like an overturned bowl ...

  • Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts
    By John H. Walton

    ... 126 , 134 174 , 203 , 211 , 212 , 216 Theodorides , Aristide , 93 Wiseman , D. J. , 50 , 51 , 67 , Thomas , D. Winton , 170 , 84 , 85 , 89 , 93 , 170 , 200 171 , 200 Thompson , R. Campbell , Wolf , Herbert , 126 22 , 47 , 113 Wright ...

  • Selected Letters: Nicholas Hagger's Letters on His 55 Literary and Universalist Works
    By Nicholas Hagger

    Everyone seems to have got something out of the speeches, the Metaphysical Revolution was declared, and Shelley's wind is now scattering “sparks, my words among mankind” (the passage Kathleen Raine quoted). We now hope it translates ...