Frontier Justice in the Novels of James Fenimore Cooper and Cormac McCarthyJames Fenimore Cooper and Cormac McCarthy are two of the most celebrated and influential writers of the American West. Both have written powerful narratives that focus on the disappearance of the nineteenth century frontier, and both show an interest in the dramatic ways in which the frontier gave shape to American culture. But is it possible that the kinship between these two writers extends beyond simply sharing an interest in this subject? Teasing out the implications of the recurrent allusions to Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales in the pages of McCarthy’s Southwestern novels, this book finds Cooper and McCarthy engaged in a complex legal and ethical dialogue despite the centuries that separate their lives and their work. The result of their dialogue is a provocative, nuanced analysis of the effects of the frontier on the American justice system – and, for both writers, an expression of alarm at the violation of the principles upon which the system was established. |
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Frontier Justice in the Novels of James Femimore Cooper and Cormac McCarthy Daniel Davis Wood No preview available - 2016 |
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actions administer justice administration of justice allows American appears approaching argue assume become behaviour Bill Billy Blood Meridian chapter characters conceptual Constitution contribution Cooper Country critics cultural death demand depicts destabilisation detective developed dime-novel dime-novel frontiersman early effect established ethic of frontier expansion figure force formulation frontier justice frontier settlement frontiersman genres hero Indians individual initial trilogy institutional authorities interpersonal John Jones Judge judgments jurisprudential justice system land later Leatherstocking Leatherstocking’s less literary logic McCarthy McCarthy’s means Mohicans myth narrative nineteenth century notes novels offers opportunities Pioneers political popular population position Prairie pre-emption present principles published reach reading reputation responsibility result says settled settlers sheriff sort Southwestern spaces structure success suggests superhero Tales territory throughout turn United urban violence West Western writes
Bibliographic information
| Title | Frontier Justice in the Novels of James Fenimore Cooper and Cormac McCarthy |
| Author | Daniel Davis Wood |
| Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016 |
| ISBN | 1443896543, 9781443896542 |
| Length | 265 pages |
| Subjects | › › Literary Criticism / General Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |