Playing Cowboys

This book examines the Western hero - a principal image of American manhood since publication of "The Virginian" - as portrayed by a variety of post-World War II novelists and film-makers. This book demonstrates that the Western is not primarily about escape or violence, but, at its best, it is about development. The would-be hero adopts the existing role only to find it is inadequate, and, forced to "reimagine" himself, he defines the Western hero anew. At the core of this process is strength - not power over others, but courage to go beyond the established boundaries. Although women do appear in the Westerns, it is fundamentally a man's world, offering an important view of male identity.