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The Virginian
In the untamed West, pioneers came to test their fortunes -- and their wills. The Wyoming territory was a harsh, unforgiving land, with its own unwritten code of honor by which men lived and died. Into this rough landscape rides the Virginian, a solitary man whose unbending will is his only guide through life. The Virginian's unwavering beliefs in right and wrong are soon tested as he tries to prove his love for a woman who cannot accept his sense of justice; at the same time, a betrayal by his most trusted friend forces him to fight against the corruption that rules the land. Still as exciting and meaningful as it was when first published one hundred years ago, Owen Wister's epic tale of a man caught between his love for a woman and his quest for justice exemplifies one of the most significant and enduring themes in all of American literature. With remarkable character depth and vivid passages, The Virginian stands not only as the first great novel of American Western literature, but as a testament to the eternal struggle between good and evil in humanity. With an engaging new introduction by Gary Scharnhorst, professor of English at the University of New Mexico, this volume is an indispensable addition to the library of American Western literature.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1902
1,248 people are currently reading
9,167 people want to read
About the author
Owen Wister
198 books62 followersOwen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a neighborhood within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of Wisters raised at the storied Belfield estate in Germantown. His mother, Sarah Butler Wister, was the daughter of actress Fanny Kemble.
Education
He briefly attended schools in Switzerland and Britain, and later studied at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was a classmate of Theodore Roosevelt, an editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon (Alpha chapter). Wister graduated from Harvard in 1882.
At first he aspired to a career in music, and spent two years studying at a Paris conservatory. Thereafter, he worked briefly in a bank in New York before studying law, having graduated from the Harvard Law School in 1888. Following this, he practiced with a Philadelphia firm, but was never truly interested in that career. He was interested in politics, however, and was a staunch Theodore Roosevelt backer. In the 1930s, he opposed Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal.
Writing career
Wister had spent several summers out in the American West, making his first trip to Wyoming in 1885. Like his friend Teddy Roosevelt, Wister was fascinated with the culture, lore and terrain of the region. On an 1893 visit to Yellowstone, Wister met the western artist Frederic Remington; who remained a lifelong friend. When he started writing, he naturally inclined towards fiction set on the western frontier. Wister's most famous work remains the 1902 novel The Virginian, the loosely constructed story of a cowboy who is a natural aristocrat, set against a highly mythologized version of the Johnson County War and taking the side of the large land owners. This is widely regarded as being the first cowboy novel and was reprinted fourteen times in eight months.[5] The book is dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt.
Personal life
In 1898, Wister married Mary Channing, his cousin.The couple had six children.
Wister's wife died during childbirth in 1913, as Theodore Roosevelt's first wife had died giving birth to Roosevelt's first daughter, Alice.
Wister died at his home in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. He is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Education
He briefly attended schools in Switzerland and Britain, and later studied at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was a classmate of Theodore Roosevelt, an editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon (Alpha chapter). Wister graduated from Harvard in 1882.
At first he aspired to a career in music, and spent two years studying at a Paris conservatory. Thereafter, he worked briefly in a bank in New York before studying law, having graduated from the Harvard Law School in 1888. Following this, he practiced with a Philadelphia firm, but was never truly interested in that career. He was interested in politics, however, and was a staunch Theodore Roosevelt backer. In the 1930s, he opposed Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal.
Writing career
Wister had spent several summers out in the American West, making his first trip to Wyoming in 1885. Like his friend Teddy Roosevelt, Wister was fascinated with the culture, lore and terrain of the region. On an 1893 visit to Yellowstone, Wister met the western artist Frederic Remington; who remained a lifelong friend. When he started writing, he naturally inclined towards fiction set on the western frontier. Wister's most famous work remains the 1902 novel The Virginian, the loosely constructed story of a cowboy who is a natural aristocrat, set against a highly mythologized version of the Johnson County War and taking the side of the large land owners. This is widely regarded as being the first cowboy novel and was reprinted fourteen times in eight months.[5] The book is dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt.
Personal life
In 1898, Wister married Mary Channing, his cousin.The couple had six children.
Wister's wife died during childbirth in 1913, as Theodore Roosevelt's first wife had died giving birth to Roosevelt's first daughter, Alice.
Wister died at his home in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. He is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,122 reviews
December 15, 2024
This novel The Virginian, the first real western book published in 1902, began the genre as a popular art form in America the wild cowboy and the schoolmarm, cattle rustling the lynchings, Indian attacks an explosive card game the deadly shoot out between the good guy and the villain in the streets of a little isolated dusty town in the lawless mostly empty , Wyoming territory of the 1880's when cattle was king and vast cowherds roamed free on government lands without any fences . The devastating blizzard of 1887, ( The Big Die-Up ) when millions of animals froze destroyed that way of life forever, both for the cowboys and cattle barons an inevitable, slow vanishing of the myth occurred...until... The anonymous narrator a college graduate leaves the train in Medicine Bow , Wyoming a wealthy man from a prominent family in the civilized East, (similar to the author Owen Wister, who lived in 1885 in that territory, with a modern malady, the jitters) he needs to escape and breathe the clean fresh air, see the beautiful mountains, rivers, lakes , green pastures the big blue skies above but mostly by getting his hands dirty ride a horse many distant miles towards the horizon sleep on the cold ground , sometimes in tents make his body hard and lean become like a cowboy, by working as one the tenderfoot at the beginning is made fun of by the others, but that does not last, quickly earning their respect... He had met a dynamic tall man, the first day on the frontier in town the Virginian, ( waiting for the easterner) nobody called him anything else or knew any other name and took the newcomer to the ranch in Sunk Creek, as a guest of the judge 263 miles away, a young southerner with unusual skills, the best cowboy around who spoke little but through his abilities, working for Judge Henry, at his large estate. He gained a reputation as a man not to be ridiculed, but one person was not so deferential, the surly Trampas, a long feud of many years commenced, and ends, as all knew it would . A more pleasant situation was Molly Stark Wood, from Bennington, Vermont, who left that settled , law abiding state, to go out west and teach children, who needed education there, her family loss money after the mills closed. Molly is soon to discover that this land is not Vermont, seeing the Virginian, she is attracted and repelled at the same time, a fascinating, handsome, but frightening figure... should she go back East and marry a dull, but civilized man that had made numerous proposals? A book that will entertain, the last few chapters are very exciting and quite romantic, surprisingly a very adult narrative, a must read for those interested in the Western and yet will also be enjoyed by others...
November 29, 2022
For goodness' sake, another review of mine that just disappeared and I only noticed today because a GR friend "liked" this! I know I reviewed this book, I even remember it included squeals about the baby switch scene. And now nothing...
Fix your issues already, Goodreads. I don't want to keep losing more of my reviews, my memory ain't bad but it ain't so great that I remember all books I've read, and this site is my repository and my reading journal through life.
Fix your issues already, Goodreads. I don't want to keep losing more of my reviews, my memory ain't bad but it ain't so great that I remember all books I've read, and this site is my repository and my reading journal through life.
October 12, 2007
I cannot believe that I sat in American Lit reading Hawthorne when I could have been reading this. If you have never heard of this book, then I am not sure why; just as I am not sure why I had never heard of it. It is surely Romantic, and sometimes Heroic, but there is a depth of emotion, wit, and thought in this work which made me question how American it could be.
Of course, the author spent some schooling-time in Europe, and holds a dear enough place for Austen and Shakespeare not to descend into the self-important drear which has so long left American Literature moth-eaten.
However, it has also the rawness and adventure which we have been lead to expect from this frontier land. Both the dime-stores and megaplexes have profited so much from this sense of adventure that red-plumed explosions have become ho-hum. There is then a certain irony in the fact that in opening this book, I was shocked and surprised by its emotion more than I have been by an exploding car or knife-weilding killer. Perhaps that says something in and of itself about the repetetive nature of our arts: that we will make something uninteresting two times instead of something interesting once.
I could not resist the gentle humor nor the deep-felt influence of both the high British and the Russian realists in this book, and found it surprised me not in the least because it took a road other than either the expected or the contrary.
Though the author sometimes falls to that most grievous of sins: telling instead of showing, one gets the impression that this is because he knows his limits and would spare us the blunder of exceeding them. One also sometimes gets the sense of his desire to fondly remember this era, and to Romanticize it, but if that was ever a crime of Literature, it was only laid upon those we didn't like. I like The Virginian, and not the least of which because the author is humble enough to excuse himself from his crimes before making me do it for him. Too many modern books are started by the authors but finished by the readers.
Of course, the author spent some schooling-time in Europe, and holds a dear enough place for Austen and Shakespeare not to descend into the self-important drear which has so long left American Literature moth-eaten.
However, it has also the rawness and adventure which we have been lead to expect from this frontier land. Both the dime-stores and megaplexes have profited so much from this sense of adventure that red-plumed explosions have become ho-hum. There is then a certain irony in the fact that in opening this book, I was shocked and surprised by its emotion more than I have been by an exploding car or knife-weilding killer. Perhaps that says something in and of itself about the repetetive nature of our arts: that we will make something uninteresting two times instead of something interesting once.
I could not resist the gentle humor nor the deep-felt influence of both the high British and the Russian realists in this book, and found it surprised me not in the least because it took a road other than either the expected or the contrary.
Though the author sometimes falls to that most grievous of sins: telling instead of showing, one gets the impression that this is because he knows his limits and would spare us the blunder of exceeding them. One also sometimes gets the sense of his desire to fondly remember this era, and to Romanticize it, but if that was ever a crime of Literature, it was only laid upon those we didn't like. I like The Virginian, and not the least of which because the author is humble enough to excuse himself from his crimes before making me do it for him. Too many modern books are started by the authors but finished by the readers.
January 12, 2025
Famous for THE line ….
🐴 The Virginian’s pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding it unaimed. With a voice as gentle as ever, a voice that sounded almost like a caress, drawling a very little more than usual so that there was almost a space between each word he issued orders to the man Trampas:
“When you call me that, smile!”
🐴And he looked at Trampas across the table. Yes, the voice was gentle. But in my ears it seemed as if somewhere the bell of death was ringing; and silence, like a stroke, fell on the large room.
[Vintage, a mite slow because it was written in a slower time (1902) before cars and planes and the electrical grid and the hurly burly of our modern world. So, a story to be savored. Take your time.]
🐴 The Virginian’s pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding it unaimed. With a voice as gentle as ever, a voice that sounded almost like a caress, drawling a very little more than usual so that there was almost a space between each word he issued orders to the man Trampas:
“When you call me that, smile!”
🐴And he looked at Trampas across the table. Yes, the voice was gentle. But in my ears it seemed as if somewhere the bell of death was ringing; and silence, like a stroke, fell on the large room.
[Vintage, a mite slow because it was written in a slower time (1902) before cars and planes and the electrical grid and the hurly burly of our modern world. So, a story to be savored. Take your time.]
January 13, 2021
This book kept surprising me, from the start to its very end. It surprised me in a good way.
I went into this expecting a rough and tough, wild west cowboy tale. The beginning is the opposite; the start is instead cute and amusing. We are told of a hen, Emily, who sits herself down on not just eggs but turkey chicks, stones and even puppies! Poor Emily is confused. It’s hilarious. It cracks you up. A few pages later we have men, cowboys, but here they are called cowpunchers, travelling on a train. We listen in on a conversation. Men, and cowboys in particular, tend to be of a taciturn nature. Their conversation consists of one word sentences! With a minimum of words their sentiments and thoughts are conveyed. It is just such a perfect rendition that one must smile.
Then, we are served up a potential love affair. Is this a tale of the wild west?!
Wait--we soon learn of horses and cattle being stolen. Government authorities do nothing; they fail to take control. What are the ranchers and settlers to do? Their property, their horses and cattle, must be protected, and if necessary, they must do this themselves! The cattle rustling must stop. Lynchings occur. Here the story follows true events—in Johnson County, Wyoming, in the late 1880s and early 1890s, large cattle owners persecuted alleged rustlers who competed with them for land, livestock and water rights.
The story has morphed. The love story continues but the themes covered have widened. Real historical events have been added. The central character, the Virginian, works at one of the large cattle ranches. He has made a name for himself. He both likes and admires his employer, but he had also been a close friend of a man who had become a rustler. The psychological drama of the situation takes hold. Is a friend to be betrayed, and what if one has friends on both sides? The writing eloquently captures the Virginian’s dilemma.
The prose began by being cute and amusing. Now it turns serious and philosophical. It has you thinking. It is no longer light and frivolous. One carefully reads every word. The cowboys speak in a true to life jargon that isn’t simple to follow. The words and thoughts of the Virginian are intelligent. I enjoyed paying close attention. We are given a character study of a man.
Do you see why this book surprised me? Its focus continually changes. It starts out amusing and light. It goes on to captures life out west in Wyoming in the 1880s—both the people and the striking landscape. Then it goes deeper into the heart and thoughts of one man, the eponymous Virginian, a man from the South attracted by freedom and independence and the natural beauty of the American West.
The Virginian’s story is told by an unnamed narrator, a man from the East who came to know him.
John Pruden narrates the audiobook very well, so four stars for the narration. He reads clearly. He reads slowly. This is extremely important.
I feel the prose, the wording, is what makes this book better than just good. I feel it is important to think through what is said. Why? Because often what is said is implied rather than said outright. I close with a few quotes :
“Out of the eyes of every stranger looks either a friend or an enemy, waiting to be known.”
“Ah, me," she sighed. "If marriage were as simple as love!”
"I reckon," he said, "I couldn't be so good if I wasn't bad once in a while.”
“Has any botanist set down what the seed of love is? Has it anywhere been set down in how many ways this seed may be sown, in what various vessels of gossamer it can float across wide spaces, or upon what different soils it can fall and live unknown and bide its time for blooming?”
“If I had lived to be twenty-nine years old, like I am, and with all my chances made no enemy, I'd feel myself a failure.”
“But this I can say: to call any act evil, instantly begs the question. Many an act that man does is right or wrong according to the time and place which form, so to speak, its context; strip it of its surrounding circumstances, and you tear away its meaning.”
I went into this expecting a rough and tough, wild west cowboy tale. The beginning is the opposite; the start is instead cute and amusing. We are told of a hen, Emily, who sits herself down on not just eggs but turkey chicks, stones and even puppies! Poor Emily is confused. It’s hilarious. It cracks you up. A few pages later we have men, cowboys, but here they are called cowpunchers, travelling on a train. We listen in on a conversation. Men, and cowboys in particular, tend to be of a taciturn nature. Their conversation consists of one word sentences! With a minimum of words their sentiments and thoughts are conveyed. It is just such a perfect rendition that one must smile.
Then, we are served up a potential love affair. Is this a tale of the wild west?!
Wait--we soon learn of horses and cattle being stolen. Government authorities do nothing; they fail to take control. What are the ranchers and settlers to do? Their property, their horses and cattle, must be protected, and if necessary, they must do this themselves! The cattle rustling must stop. Lynchings occur. Here the story follows true events—in Johnson County, Wyoming, in the late 1880s and early 1890s, large cattle owners persecuted alleged rustlers who competed with them for land, livestock and water rights.
The story has morphed. The love story continues but the themes covered have widened. Real historical events have been added. The central character, the Virginian, works at one of the large cattle ranches. He has made a name for himself. He both likes and admires his employer, but he had also been a close friend of a man who had become a rustler. The psychological drama of the situation takes hold. Is a friend to be betrayed, and what if one has friends on both sides? The writing eloquently captures the Virginian’s dilemma.
The prose began by being cute and amusing. Now it turns serious and philosophical. It has you thinking. It is no longer light and frivolous. One carefully reads every word. The cowboys speak in a true to life jargon that isn’t simple to follow. The words and thoughts of the Virginian are intelligent. I enjoyed paying close attention. We are given a character study of a man.
Do you see why this book surprised me? Its focus continually changes. It starts out amusing and light. It goes on to captures life out west in Wyoming in the 1880s—both the people and the striking landscape. Then it goes deeper into the heart and thoughts of one man, the eponymous Virginian, a man from the South attracted by freedom and independence and the natural beauty of the American West.
The Virginian’s story is told by an unnamed narrator, a man from the East who came to know him.
John Pruden narrates the audiobook very well, so four stars for the narration. He reads clearly. He reads slowly. This is extremely important.
I feel the prose, the wording, is what makes this book better than just good. I feel it is important to think through what is said. Why? Because often what is said is implied rather than said outright. I close with a few quotes :
“Out of the eyes of every stranger looks either a friend or an enemy, waiting to be known.”
“Ah, me," she sighed. "If marriage were as simple as love!”
"I reckon," he said, "I couldn't be so good if I wasn't bad once in a while.”
“Has any botanist set down what the seed of love is? Has it anywhere been set down in how many ways this seed may be sown, in what various vessels of gossamer it can float across wide spaces, or upon what different soils it can fall and live unknown and bide its time for blooming?”
“If I had lived to be twenty-nine years old, like I am, and with all my chances made no enemy, I'd feel myself a failure.”
“But this I can say: to call any act evil, instantly begs the question. Many an act that man does is right or wrong according to the time and place which form, so to speak, its context; strip it of its surrounding circumstances, and you tear away its meaning.”
October 27, 2019
Review of free Kindle edition
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: May 12, 2012
Language: English
ASIN: B0082RIL04
250 pages
Considered to be the first real American western, The Virginian began an entire new genre of literature. A genre whose authors and readers are not limited to America. A fine novel not just a western, it remains one of the best of the lot. Longer and much more detailed than the Louis L'Amour novels which it spawned, it may be overly detailed and lengthy for some tastes.
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: May 12, 2012
Language: English
ASIN: B0082RIL04
250 pages
Considered to be the first real American western, The Virginian began an entire new genre of literature. A genre whose authors and readers are not limited to America. A fine novel not just a western, it remains one of the best of the lot. Longer and much more detailed than the Louis L'Amour novels which it spawned, it may be overly detailed and lengthy for some tastes.
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 26, 2022Not bad at all. Just a little too slow for my tastes.
January 18, 2021
This book took me longer to read than I wanted it to but I am glad I finished it. Considered to be one of the first western classics is why I decided to read this. It felt like I was reading something out of Laura Ingalls Wilder with the plains and the description of the mountains yet it was something new for me. Larry McMurty is the greatest writer of Westerns, in my opinion, and I found myself comparing Wister to McMurty so I stopped, deciding it wasn't fair to judge an author's creative process like this.
In the end, I liked the author's perception of the West (being Wyoming, and the shrewd characters he encounters. The Virginian is an interesting fellow/cowboy/gentleman of sorts; kind and just yet violent when need be, willing to learn and be loved even when the current is against him.
I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind over winded paragraphs, westerns and classics.
In the end, I liked the author's perception of the West (being Wyoming, and the shrewd characters he encounters. The Virginian is an interesting fellow/cowboy/gentleman of sorts; kind and just yet violent when need be, willing to learn and be loved even when the current is against him.
I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind over winded paragraphs, westerns and classics.
September 15, 2024
In 306 pages, we never learn his ‘Christian’ name—not that he is Christian exactly. He is known as ‘the Virginian’, ‘the cowboy, ‘cow-puncher’ or the ‘Southerner’ working for Judge Henry who considers him a ‘trustworthy man’; he is respected by loyal male friends and admired by women alike. Later, as he’s given various jobs, he becomes known by those titles—‘deputy foreman’, ‘foreman’—as well, but Mike, Thomas, Charles, or suchlike, never.
My husband says this is so he may remain the ideal Southern gentleman representing all/any HONORABLE men. That fits. He is a fine, strong, good man. He LIVES his upright character and only explains himself (to the narrator or other characters) when his motives or values are not clear through his actions. St. Francis’ motto was, “Pray always and when you have to, use words.” The Virginian believed something very similar: “Live your values always without apology and only explain yourself when you have to.”
Caveat, the Virginian is NOT perfect! He is not meant to be a Christ-figure. In the beginning of the book, he’s young and does some things which are not honorable ... but most are hilarious, and he is always learning ... refining his character against the rough land and circumstances he encounters in late 19th century Wyoming.
GREAT book, a classic which can be enjoyed, but not missed! My Father-in-law, a lover of the Western genre had never heard of it; my Mother-in-law, a retired Librarian, knew ALL about it, but had not read it either. My dear husband is reading it now and loving it!
NOTE: Early on I figured out I could not read this quickly. There is so much humor in Wister’s writing, but as it is of another generation, it must be read very carefully to cull the full flavor. With the back-and-forth one-upmanship of the cowboys, their slang, nuances and various unfamiliar subtleties, I needed to read parts of it three times to fully appreciate.
My husband says this is so he may remain the ideal Southern gentleman representing all/any HONORABLE men. That fits. He is a fine, strong, good man. He LIVES his upright character and only explains himself (to the narrator or other characters) when his motives or values are not clear through his actions. St. Francis’ motto was, “Pray always and when you have to, use words.” The Virginian believed something very similar: “Live your values always without apology and only explain yourself when you have to.”
Caveat, the Virginian is NOT perfect! He is not meant to be a Christ-figure. In the beginning of the book, he’s young and does some things which are not honorable ... but most are hilarious, and he is always learning ... refining his character against the rough land and circumstances he encounters in late 19th century Wyoming.
GREAT book, a classic which can be enjoyed, but not missed! My Father-in-law, a lover of the Western genre had never heard of it; my Mother-in-law, a retired Librarian, knew ALL about it, but had not read it either. My dear husband is reading it now and loving it!
NOTE: Early on I figured out I could not read this quickly. There is so much humor in Wister’s writing, but as it is of another generation, it must be read very carefully to cull the full flavor. With the back-and-forth one-upmanship of the cowboys, their slang, nuances and various unfamiliar subtleties, I needed to read parts of it three times to fully appreciate.
August 23, 2015
I have been meaning to get to this book for years, literally. It's one of the novels I'm sure my dad read and he wasn't really a reader, at least not when I knew him.
I'm sure that some of you will like this book far better than I do. I think that it's an exceptionally well written novel. The prose is at times almost musical, "in it's way". There are two things that caused me to have a struggle with my interest now and then.
First this novel is predominantly a romance. It is indeed a western with a very clear view of life in the west and this one is far closer to the way things were than a lot of our more modern western novels. Still, I'm not really a fan of romance with it's required angst and drama. The colliding social systems of New England and the West are on display here as the female protagonist ("the schoolmarm" Molly Stark Wood, or Molly Wood.)falls in love with The Virginian, a true western man of his time.
The other problem I had to overcome was the style of writing. Don't get me wrong, the book is beautifully written. It was written in 1901 (some places say 1902 but that appears to be the publication date). We open meeting the narrator who's later called "The Tenderfoot". After the basis of this relationship is established and of course we meet Trampas and set up that conflict the book progresses into the day to day life of the Virginian. It begins to revolve around the romance with the differences and conflicts in the west and the east.
The style of writing in that era was much more wordy and florid. I at times found my interest wandering off and really completely lost interest in the book. It of course picks up and we get to the final climax.
Try it yourself. The book is still in print after a 100 years. Must mean something.
I'm sure that some of you will like this book far better than I do. I think that it's an exceptionally well written novel. The prose is at times almost musical, "in it's way". There are two things that caused me to have a struggle with my interest now and then.
First this novel is predominantly a romance. It is indeed a western with a very clear view of life in the west and this one is far closer to the way things were than a lot of our more modern western novels. Still, I'm not really a fan of romance with it's required angst and drama. The colliding social systems of New England and the West are on display here as the female protagonist ("the schoolmarm" Molly Stark Wood, or Molly Wood.)falls in love with The Virginian, a true western man of his time.
The other problem I had to overcome was the style of writing. Don't get me wrong, the book is beautifully written. It was written in 1901 (some places say 1902 but that appears to be the publication date). We open meeting the narrator who's later called "The Tenderfoot". After the basis of this relationship is established and of course we meet Trampas and set up that conflict the book progresses into the day to day life of the Virginian. It begins to revolve around the romance with the differences and conflicts in the west and the east.
The style of writing in that era was much more wordy and florid. I at times found my interest wandering off and really completely lost interest in the book. It of course picks up and we get to the final climax.
Try it yourself. The book is still in print after a 100 years. Must mean something.
July 12, 2011
The western genre isn't one that I'm very familiar with, having read (in my impressionable early teens) some of my uncle's Tabor Evans Longarm series paperbacks. And let me just say for the record that the
only
thing the main character Longarm
wasn't
riding was a horse....Consequently, my only reading forays into western literature haven't been along the lines of Zane Gray's Riders of the Purple Sage so much as Evans' "Rider of the Purple-Nippled Wench" (my title, not his). As a result, I've been leary in the last 30+ years of picking up another saga of the 'ole west for fear it would be just another excuse for a horny lawman to bed as many busty saloon girls, indian squaws, and lusty train conductor's wives as possible within 200 pages.
So when I read a review of The Virginian from my GR friend Misfit, it whetted my interest to give westerns another try, and I'm glad I did.
Reading The Virginian reminded me very much of reading Mary Stewart's, Thornyhold - not in content, storyline or even writing style but in the fact that both writers invited their readers to immerse themselves in celebrating a time now vanished, but fondly remembered and richly recreated on the printed page. The Virginian isn't so much about a larger-then-life cowboy/hero as it is a love story about a place and time now enshrined in the American psyche: the wild west.
Wister's 110 year old prose was, in the beginning, often difficult for me to decipher and it was hard for me to get through the first 70 pages. However, after I found Wister's cadence, the story took off, and transported me to 1880's Wyoming, and the story of the unnamed Virginian, his rough and ready philosophy of life, and his on-going courtship of the gently-bred, eastern school marm, Molly Stark Wood. Wister presents the Virginian as the archetypal western ideal, and what an ideal this man is. By the book's end, I was more then a little in love with the Virginian myself :D
Presented as a series of vignettes, the stories of the Virginian and his exploits are classic western fare, complete with cattle rustlers, poker games, lynchings and the all-important high-noon gunfight. Interspersed between these darker events are chapters of levity, including an over-nurturing hen named Em'ly, a tall-tale to end all tall-tales featuring the booming frog ("frawg") leg industry and a case of mass baby swapping during a local barn dance.
This is a richly described and lovingly rendered story of the American west, and is considered the godfather of the western novel. It also comes highly recommended by one who was hesitant about sampling another western ever again.
So when I read a review of The Virginian from my GR friend Misfit, it whetted my interest to give westerns another try, and I'm glad I did.
Reading The Virginian reminded me very much of reading Mary Stewart's, Thornyhold - not in content, storyline or even writing style but in the fact that both writers invited their readers to immerse themselves in celebrating a time now vanished, but fondly remembered and richly recreated on the printed page. The Virginian isn't so much about a larger-then-life cowboy/hero as it is a love story about a place and time now enshrined in the American psyche: the wild west.
Wister's 110 year old prose was, in the beginning, often difficult for me to decipher and it was hard for me to get through the first 70 pages. However, after I found Wister's cadence, the story took off, and transported me to 1880's Wyoming, and the story of the unnamed Virginian, his rough and ready philosophy of life, and his on-going courtship of the gently-bred, eastern school marm, Molly Stark Wood. Wister presents the Virginian as the archetypal western ideal, and what an ideal this man is. By the book's end, I was more then a little in love with the Virginian myself :D
Presented as a series of vignettes, the stories of the Virginian and his exploits are classic western fare, complete with cattle rustlers, poker games, lynchings and the all-important high-noon gunfight. Interspersed between these darker events are chapters of levity, including an over-nurturing hen named Em'ly, a tall-tale to end all tall-tales featuring the booming frog ("frawg") leg industry and a case of mass baby swapping during a local barn dance.
This is a richly described and lovingly rendered story of the American west, and is considered the godfather of the western novel. It also comes highly recommended by one who was hesitant about sampling another western ever again.
September 16, 2020
Published in 1902, this book is considered a seminal novel of the American west. Set in Wyoming Territory in the 1870’s and 1880’s, the book’s narrator is met at the railroad station by the Virginian, and they gradually become friends. The Virginian works as a cowboy on a cattle ranch. He develops a romantic interest in the new schoolteacher, recently arrived from Vermont. He faces a gradually increasing animosity from a dishonest and jealous opponent. He experiences mental anguish over his role in frontier justice.
At the time it was written, this historical period was not that long in the past. Dramatic tension is established through the underlying conflict between Eastern and Western views of what should constitute “civilization” with the East represented by the schoolteacher and the West by the Virginian and his employer. Action oriented scenes are fewer than expected. Much of the narrative is spent in describing the landscape, riding horses, and engaging in dialogue. The Virginian’s friend, serving as narrator, becomes omniscient in places where he could not have been privy to events and conversations.
This novel is remarkably clear of Hollywood tropes. For example, it contains minimal gunfighting and Indians play only a background role. The story itself is entertaining and more complex than I had expected.
At the time it was written, this historical period was not that long in the past. Dramatic tension is established through the underlying conflict between Eastern and Western views of what should constitute “civilization” with the East represented by the schoolteacher and the West by the Virginian and his employer. Action oriented scenes are fewer than expected. Much of the narrative is spent in describing the landscape, riding horses, and engaging in dialogue. The Virginian’s friend, serving as narrator, becomes omniscient in places where he could not have been privy to events and conversations.
This novel is remarkably clear of Hollywood tropes. For example, it contains minimal gunfighting and Indians play only a background role. The story itself is entertaining and more complex than I had expected.
March 9, 2024
El Virginiano
Novela de principios del siglo veinte considerada como la primera gran novela del inicio del género western.
Es aquí donde aparece el cowboy, el rudo vaquero, héroe de tantas historias del Oeste.
Es la historia de un amor entre el vaquero de Virginia y Molly Wood, una maestra que llega del civilizado Este.
Mientras desde el Este se ve a la figura imponente del Virginiano como un salvaje:
«Bueno, supongo que habrá días en los que no matará a gente»
Éste, es un hombre que muestra su dominio hacia los demás a base de diálogo antes de imponerse físicamente y no desaprovecha la ocasión de ganarse a la maestra a base de aprender a leer a los grandes clásicos que ella le ofrece (Shakespeare, entre otros).
Es un héroe tranquilo que atrae las miradas y las envidias. Nunca sabremos su nombre.
Entre idas y venidas para conquistar a la joven maestra el Virginiano hace su trabajo conduciendo las reses hacia el norte o enfrentándose a los ladrones de ganado.
El Virginiano es un intento de humanizar al vaquero salvaje con el hilo conductor del romance con la maestra que llega al peligroso Oeste.
Al mismo tiempo es una suma de episodios de la vida del lejano Oeste que no tienen mucho que ver entre sí, pero que dan una idea del ambiente de esa época.
No faltan los cuatreros, la conducción de ganado, duelos entre pistoleros, indios y las celebraciones típicas del lejano Oeste.
Si bien esta novela fue el primer western, está bastante lejos de lo que se consideró novela del Oeste más adelante. Tenemos en mente este tipo de historias con el típico pistolero como protagonista, el saloon, el pianista, el whisky, las señoritas, los bandidos o los indios.
El Virginiano no es así. Es una historia más sosegada en la que el escritor deja sus reflexiones sobre la justicia y habla con el lector para hacerle participe de sus pensamientos.
Especialmente interesante el momento donde El Virginiano debe hacer frente a las provocaciones de Trampas. En un mundo tan salvaje como el Oeste, ¿debe enfrentarse a muerte con él? O ¿debe irse al Este por no matar a nadie y quedar como un cobarde para su gente del Oeste?
La verdad es que no es lo que me esperaba conociendo otras lecturas del mismo género. Con todo, es una buena lectura, otra visión del oeste, más reflexiva.
Esta historia ha sido llevada al cine varias veces. En los años sesenta se adaptó para una serie de TV que duró nueve temporadas, aunque no se parecía demasiado a la novela. Eran los años de las series del oeste. Bonanza, El Virginiano, Jim West, Daniel Boone, Furia, etc.
Novela de principios del siglo veinte considerada como la primera gran novela del inicio del género western.
Es aquí donde aparece el cowboy, el rudo vaquero, héroe de tantas historias del Oeste.
Es la historia de un amor entre el vaquero de Virginia y Molly Wood, una maestra que llega del civilizado Este.
Mientras desde el Este se ve a la figura imponente del Virginiano como un salvaje:
«Bueno, supongo que habrá días en los que no matará a gente»
Éste, es un hombre que muestra su dominio hacia los demás a base de diálogo antes de imponerse físicamente y no desaprovecha la ocasión de ganarse a la maestra a base de aprender a leer a los grandes clásicos que ella le ofrece (Shakespeare, entre otros).
Es un héroe tranquilo que atrae las miradas y las envidias. Nunca sabremos su nombre.
Entre idas y venidas para conquistar a la joven maestra el Virginiano hace su trabajo conduciendo las reses hacia el norte o enfrentándose a los ladrones de ganado.
El Virginiano es un intento de humanizar al vaquero salvaje con el hilo conductor del romance con la maestra que llega al peligroso Oeste.
Al mismo tiempo es una suma de episodios de la vida del lejano Oeste que no tienen mucho que ver entre sí, pero que dan una idea del ambiente de esa época.
No faltan los cuatreros, la conducción de ganado, duelos entre pistoleros, indios y las celebraciones típicas del lejano Oeste.
Si bien esta novela fue el primer western, está bastante lejos de lo que se consideró novela del Oeste más adelante. Tenemos en mente este tipo de historias con el típico pistolero como protagonista, el saloon, el pianista, el whisky, las señoritas, los bandidos o los indios.
El Virginiano no es así. Es una historia más sosegada en la que el escritor deja sus reflexiones sobre la justicia y habla con el lector para hacerle participe de sus pensamientos.
Especialmente interesante el momento donde El Virginiano debe hacer frente a las provocaciones de Trampas. En un mundo tan salvaje como el Oeste, ¿debe enfrentarse a muerte con él? O ¿debe irse al Este por no matar a nadie y quedar como un cobarde para su gente del Oeste?
La verdad es que no es lo que me esperaba conociendo otras lecturas del mismo género. Con todo, es una buena lectura, otra visión del oeste, más reflexiva.
Esta historia ha sido llevada al cine varias veces. En los años sesenta se adaptó para una serie de TV que duró nueve temporadas, aunque no se parecía demasiado a la novela. Eran los años de las series del oeste. Bonanza, El Virginiano, Jim West, Daniel Boone, Furia, etc.
September 23, 2019
Beware of the Frog!
This is what, as I would recommend, should be put as a warning appendix to the title of Owen Wister's famous Western novel "The Virginian", which was first published in 1902 - because, as I felt, one third of the novel in some way or other centres on the preparation and consumption as well as the "harvest" of our amphibious friends.
"The Virginian" is commonly regarded as t h e literary forebear of the western, next to James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, and it probably has been adapted for the screen quite as often, amongst others by the renowned director Cecil B. DeMille in 1914. The most famous version derived from the book is probably the 1929 film starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston. However, directors of "The Virginian" generally took a lot of liberties with this novel, basing their films rather loosely on Wister's tale.
If you ask yourself why these directors may have felt that they had to re-invent the story instead of carefully sticking to the original, you might come to a conclusion that will not go down well with public opinion, which is inclined to hold the book in high esteem as the starting point of the most American genre. This unpopular conclusion is that "The Virginian" is a botch of a novel that may probably still be of interest to the scholar, though hardly to the literary pleasure-seeker - a conclusion that clearly ranks it with Cooper's five novels.
First of all, it must be noted that Owen Wister is not much of a story-teller. Most of the action taking place in "The Virginian", for example the infamous lynching scene, is presented to the reader via time-delayed teichoscopy, i.e. characters give an account of what happened elsewhere. This device, which may be useful in plays, usually destroys quite a lot of tension in a novel, and is most cleverly applied in order to shed some light on the character reporting an event.
Secondly, the tale is told by a first person narrator who is alien to the old West and its ways and who by and by earns the respect of the eponymous hero, as he emancipates himself from the reputation of the tender-footed greenhorn. Unfortunately, Wister more often than not feels the need to narrate events that took place in the greenhorn's absence, which imbues the narrator with a God-like omniscience at times and which allows him to even go into detail with regard to the most intimate conversations between the Virginian and his lady-love. Wister's failure to stick to perspective likewise detracts from the appeal of the book. You may say that Melville did the same thing in "Moby-Dick", but then Wister is no Melville in terms of depth and style, and where Melville still keeps up his narrative flow, Wister clearly runs dry more than once.
Thirdly, the characters he describes are hardly able to create interest. His scoundrel, the sly and cowardly farm-hand Trampas, remains colourless and flat. The Virginian's love interest is a pasteboard character, and his hero has nothing to do with the grim, hard-nosed loners, or the bitter men that ride the Westerns of Anthony Mann or Budd Boetticher. Neither is he a mysterious knight-like Shane. The Virginian just seems to be a character created to illustrate Wister's naïve belief in Social Darwinism, which he sometimes has his narrator advocate in his typically stilted, but hardly skilful prose - just like this:
"There can be no doubt of this : -
All America is divided into two classes, - the quality and the equality. The latter will always recognize the former when mistaken for it. Both will be with us until our women bear nothing but kings.
It was through the Declaration of Independence that we Americans acknowledged the ETERNAL INEQUALITY of man. For by it we abolished a cut-and-dried aristocracy. We had seen little men artificially held up in high places, and great men artificially held down in low places, and our own justice-loving hearts abhorred this violence to human nature. Therefore, we decreed that every man should thenceforth have equal liberty to find his own level. By this very decree we acknowledged and gave freedom to true aristocracy, saying, 'Let the best man win, whoever he is.' Let the best man win! That is America's word. That is true democracy. And true democracy and true aristocracy are one and the same thing. If anybody cannot see this, so much the worse for his eyesight."
This is a bit hard to take for us who know that it is money that makes presidents, and it would still be hard to take, were it more skilfully written.
All in all, "The Virginian" is quite similar to the afore-mentioned frog in that you might have difficulty in keeping this book in your hand and that, like many a bloated frog, it will be found smaller than assumed.
This is what, as I would recommend, should be put as a warning appendix to the title of Owen Wister's famous Western novel "The Virginian", which was first published in 1902 - because, as I felt, one third of the novel in some way or other centres on the preparation and consumption as well as the "harvest" of our amphibious friends.
"The Virginian" is commonly regarded as t h e literary forebear of the western, next to James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, and it probably has been adapted for the screen quite as often, amongst others by the renowned director Cecil B. DeMille in 1914. The most famous version derived from the book is probably the 1929 film starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston. However, directors of "The Virginian" generally took a lot of liberties with this novel, basing their films rather loosely on Wister's tale.
If you ask yourself why these directors may have felt that they had to re-invent the story instead of carefully sticking to the original, you might come to a conclusion that will not go down well with public opinion, which is inclined to hold the book in high esteem as the starting point of the most American genre. This unpopular conclusion is that "The Virginian" is a botch of a novel that may probably still be of interest to the scholar, though hardly to the literary pleasure-seeker - a conclusion that clearly ranks it with Cooper's five novels.
First of all, it must be noted that Owen Wister is not much of a story-teller. Most of the action taking place in "The Virginian", for example the infamous lynching scene, is presented to the reader via time-delayed teichoscopy, i.e. characters give an account of what happened elsewhere. This device, which may be useful in plays, usually destroys quite a lot of tension in a novel, and is most cleverly applied in order to shed some light on the character reporting an event.
Secondly, the tale is told by a first person narrator who is alien to the old West and its ways and who by and by earns the respect of the eponymous hero, as he emancipates himself from the reputation of the tender-footed greenhorn. Unfortunately, Wister more often than not feels the need to narrate events that took place in the greenhorn's absence, which imbues the narrator with a God-like omniscience at times and which allows him to even go into detail with regard to the most intimate conversations between the Virginian and his lady-love. Wister's failure to stick to perspective likewise detracts from the appeal of the book. You may say that Melville did the same thing in "Moby-Dick", but then Wister is no Melville in terms of depth and style, and where Melville still keeps up his narrative flow, Wister clearly runs dry more than once.
Thirdly, the characters he describes are hardly able to create interest. His scoundrel, the sly and cowardly farm-hand Trampas, remains colourless and flat. The Virginian's love interest is a pasteboard character, and his hero has nothing to do with the grim, hard-nosed loners, or the bitter men that ride the Westerns of Anthony Mann or Budd Boetticher. Neither is he a mysterious knight-like Shane. The Virginian just seems to be a character created to illustrate Wister's naïve belief in Social Darwinism, which he sometimes has his narrator advocate in his typically stilted, but hardly skilful prose - just like this:
"There can be no doubt of this : -
All America is divided into two classes, - the quality and the equality. The latter will always recognize the former when mistaken for it. Both will be with us until our women bear nothing but kings.
It was through the Declaration of Independence that we Americans acknowledged the ETERNAL INEQUALITY of man. For by it we abolished a cut-and-dried aristocracy. We had seen little men artificially held up in high places, and great men artificially held down in low places, and our own justice-loving hearts abhorred this violence to human nature. Therefore, we decreed that every man should thenceforth have equal liberty to find his own level. By this very decree we acknowledged and gave freedom to true aristocracy, saying, 'Let the best man win, whoever he is.' Let the best man win! That is America's word. That is true democracy. And true democracy and true aristocracy are one and the same thing. If anybody cannot see this, so much the worse for his eyesight."
This is a bit hard to take for us who know that it is money that makes presidents, and it would still be hard to take, were it more skilfully written.
All in all, "The Virginian" is quite similar to the afore-mentioned frog in that you might have difficulty in keeping this book in your hand and that, like many a bloated frog, it will be found smaller than assumed.
August 20, 2008
The Virginian, Oh What a Man! Wow, this was so good; I could not put it down. The Virginian is the most incredible, honest, honorable, handsome (sigh) hero to come along the pike in a long long time. And what a scamp, LOL at his plot to switch the babies (clothes and all) around, so that the parents took home the wrong kids, had to come back to the Judge's ranch, leaving Molly the new teacher alone for him to call on!
Lots of love, laughter and excitement as the Virginian falls for the new teacher from the East, rounds up cattle rustlers and vanquishes the bad guys. The author's prose was glorious, although rather dense (for lack of a better word); it reminded me of Nathaniel Hawthorne. You really have to pay attention and don't let your mind wander or you will end up backtracking so you don't miss any of the story. The author's descriptions of the Wyoming countryside, and most especially the Tetons, were wonderful and I felt like I was right there.
Truly one of the best yarns I have ever read, with a nail biting finish during the final showdown with the bad guy, as Molly has to reconcile herself as to what is more important, her east coast sense of righteousness or her love for her man. Highly recommended.
Lots of love, laughter and excitement as the Virginian falls for the new teacher from the East, rounds up cattle rustlers and vanquishes the bad guys. The author's prose was glorious, although rather dense (for lack of a better word); it reminded me of Nathaniel Hawthorne. You really have to pay attention and don't let your mind wander or you will end up backtracking so you don't miss any of the story. The author's descriptions of the Wyoming countryside, and most especially the Tetons, were wonderful and I felt like I was right there.
Truly one of the best yarns I have ever read, with a nail biting finish during the final showdown with the bad guy, as Molly has to reconcile herself as to what is more important, her east coast sense of righteousness or her love for her man. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2024
cliffnotes here i come
yall literally im able to write a whole book report on this with only paying attention to one chapter (which i admit, was kinda based) even tho i only paid attention to it because my teacher said to
also i kinda lied to yall i didn’t really finish finish this book but after spending a month on it i think those last 70 pages I would’ve just skimmed anyways can be ignored
i actually hated my life reading this book thanks OWEN WISTER for that
GANGGG I GOT AN A ON THE PAPER FYI!!
yall literally im able to write a whole book report on this with only paying attention to one chapter (which i admit, was kinda based) even tho i only paid attention to it because my teacher said to
also i kinda lied to yall i didn’t really finish finish this book but after spending a month on it i think those last 70 pages I would’ve just skimmed anyways can be ignored
i actually hated my life reading this book thanks OWEN WISTER for that
GANGGG I GOT AN A ON THE PAPER FYI!!
May 12, 2016
It's a shame to have a book on my favorites shelf and never get around to reviewing it. This book is credited with being the first true Western written... The tale of the Virginian and how he made good in the West. He was from Virginia, hence the nickname (in a land where men were often known more by their handle than their Christian name)—only once, near the end, do we hear what that name is. Then there is the matter of the Eastern lady schoolteacher who comes out with high ideals of bringing civilization to the ranges and is in for some rude surprises.
In many ways this is one of the greatest romances ever written. Even the villain of the piece has some sympathy early on, before he turns totally to evil; also, there is the young fellow who the Virginian once rode with who begins to think the way of evil more easy than the way of hard work; we see the Virginian pleading with him to reconsider his path, then grieving for him as his choices overwhelm him. Add to that the heroine, who must sort through what good and evil actually are when they're beyond the reach of police and courts. The story is deeply layered and masterfully plotted.
There's humor, too...one of my favorite scenes is the baby-swapping: I laughed aloud at that one!
In many ways this is one of the greatest romances ever written. Even the villain of the piece has some sympathy early on, before he turns totally to evil; also, there is the young fellow who the Virginian once rode with who begins to think the way of evil more easy than the way of hard work; we see the Virginian pleading with him to reconsider his path, then grieving for him as his choices overwhelm him. Add to that the heroine, who must sort through what good and evil actually are when they're beyond the reach of police and courts. The story is deeply layered and masterfully plotted.
There's humor, too...one of my favorite scenes is the baby-swapping: I laughed aloud at that one!
April 21, 2023
This one has been on my radar for quite some time, and I'm glad I got around to it. I didn't love it; it was pretty meh. Published in 1905, it set the mold for the Western genre and it's generally considered the first.
When a tenderfoot from back East catches a train to the Wyoming territory, he's met at the station by a man known only as the Virginian. This guy is a man's man: ethical, honest, hardworking, and our city slicker gets a front-row seat the first day, when the Virginian confronts his arch-enemy Trampas in the saloon. After a long horse ride out to the ranch, the story transitions away from the easterner, who returns home, but stays with the Virginian who embarks on a cattle drive to Chicago. Trampas continues to be a thorn in his side, jockeying for leadership over the cowboys, but the Virginian retains his job by having a steady hand, exhibiting fairness over the men working the drive.
The story peaks when Trampas steals some of the horses and tries to escape with the men who are loyal to him, resulting in a chase and eventual shoot-out. If you've read Westerns before, you'll recognize all the hallmarks that are standard for the genre. There's not much here that interested me, per se, but I've always wanted to read this since it inspired an entire area of classic fiction, movies, and television.
When a tenderfoot from back East catches a train to the Wyoming territory, he's met at the station by a man known only as the Virginian. This guy is a man's man: ethical, honest, hardworking, and our city slicker gets a front-row seat the first day, when the Virginian confronts his arch-enemy Trampas in the saloon. After a long horse ride out to the ranch, the story transitions away from the easterner, who returns home, but stays with the Virginian who embarks on a cattle drive to Chicago. Trampas continues to be a thorn in his side, jockeying for leadership over the cowboys, but the Virginian retains his job by having a steady hand, exhibiting fairness over the men working the drive.
The story peaks when Trampas steals some of the horses and tries to escape with the men who are loyal to him, resulting in a chase and eventual shoot-out. If you've read Westerns before, you'll recognize all the hallmarks that are standard for the genre. There's not much here that interested me, per se, but I've always wanted to read this since it inspired an entire area of classic fiction, movies, and television.
July 6, 2016
I only saw ebook editions of this, although I have an old hardback at home & downloaded the audio book from the library. I read this as a teen, maybe 40 years ago & liked it a lot better. I have a feeling I skimmed through a lot of the first part. Listening to it just got to be a drag.
It's told in a rather odd way by a guy that knows the Virginian, a third person limited, but then it slips into third person omniscient in other places. That didn't harm the story at all, though. It was also well read.
What really got to me is that it just dragged on with the romance & I didn't find the dance of any real interest. The subtle word play in the conversations didn't delight me, either.
As I recall, the story does get better, but it's just not doing it for me in this format, so after several hours, I'm moving on to another book.
It's told in a rather odd way by a guy that knows the Virginian, a third person limited, but then it slips into third person omniscient in other places. That didn't harm the story at all, though. It was also well read.
What really got to me is that it just dragged on with the romance & I didn't find the dance of any real interest. The subtle word play in the conversations didn't delight me, either.
As I recall, the story does get better, but it's just not doing it for me in this format, so after several hours, I'm moving on to another book.
April 20, 2013
A friend told me, before I read this book, that it was one of the most romantic books she had ever read. What did she mean by romantic, I wondered? Was it the Regency swash-buckling, bodice-ripping type, or something more meaningful? My friend was correct. This was, perhaps, the ultimate romantic novel. It skillfully weaves a story of the Adam and Eve type, where man yearns for what he lacks and finds it in the woman who completes him.
Having been married for 25 years myself, I have learned and come to appreciate the differences between a man and a woman. Watching Miss Wood discover this for herself, as she learns the soul of her Wyoming cowboy suitor, reveals the strength of Adam as created by God. While she doesn't understand his wild ways and his stalwart attention to duty, responsibility, and enforcing justice, she comes to accept her rough cowboy as he is, and does not try to remake him into some female version of what she feels he should be. Likewise, the Virginian discovers the joy of finding another person to whom he can express the feelings and thoughts he had locked deep inside himself.
The reader discovers, through the Virginian's act of baring his most private thoughts and sharing them with his chosen mate, that this is the most intimate act of marriage. Likewise, Miss Wood's trusting in the goodness of her cowboy's nature, even when she does not understand his reasons, models the strength of the Christian marriage: one does not trust the person so much as one trusts the strength of God in a person's life, which creates a trust circumstances cannot affect. There is no need to share the intimate details of this couple's physical relationship to make this a romantic tale--this is done through the development of their trust and understanding of one another. Romance writers would do well to follow this model, which subtly leads the reader through the development of the most intimate part of a relationship--the development of understanding, trust, and appreciation between two opposing natures.
On another level, I appreciated the writer's ability to paint setting and characters through a minimal use of words. The writer is a master of "show don't tell," which I find gratifying, since it gives me the pleasure of feeling I have been led gently down the path of reaching my own insightful conclusions. I enjoy encountering a writer or friend who makes me feel, as I correctly draw my conclusions from the hints provided, that we understand one another while others in the room may not.
Having been married for 25 years myself, I have learned and come to appreciate the differences between a man and a woman. Watching Miss Wood discover this for herself, as she learns the soul of her Wyoming cowboy suitor, reveals the strength of Adam as created by God. While she doesn't understand his wild ways and his stalwart attention to duty, responsibility, and enforcing justice, she comes to accept her rough cowboy as he is, and does not try to remake him into some female version of what she feels he should be. Likewise, the Virginian discovers the joy of finding another person to whom he can express the feelings and thoughts he had locked deep inside himself.
The reader discovers, through the Virginian's act of baring his most private thoughts and sharing them with his chosen mate, that this is the most intimate act of marriage. Likewise, Miss Wood's trusting in the goodness of her cowboy's nature, even when she does not understand his reasons, models the strength of the Christian marriage: one does not trust the person so much as one trusts the strength of God in a person's life, which creates a trust circumstances cannot affect. There is no need to share the intimate details of this couple's physical relationship to make this a romantic tale--this is done through the development of their trust and understanding of one another. Romance writers would do well to follow this model, which subtly leads the reader through the development of the most intimate part of a relationship--the development of understanding, trust, and appreciation between two opposing natures.
On another level, I appreciated the writer's ability to paint setting and characters through a minimal use of words. The writer is a master of "show don't tell," which I find gratifying, since it gives me the pleasure of feeling I have been led gently down the path of reaching my own insightful conclusions. I enjoy encountering a writer or friend who makes me feel, as I correctly draw my conclusions from the hints provided, that we understand one another while others in the room may not.
April 7, 2013
A funny thing happened while I was reading The Virginian. The book was nothing but cliches, and yet it seemed fresh and alive. This surprised me. How was that possible?
Then it hit me. Wister invented the cliches. This is where the cliches of the Western came from. Every dusty Western town and literary cattle drive since has borrowed something from this book.
Yet Wister's Old West isn't the Old West of later books. The narrator of the story is an Easterner who goes west on various trips over a period of years, arriving by railroad. How often have you seen that connection between East Coast and Frontier in Western novels and movies? (I can only think of one example, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, also a great classic, perhaps not coincidentally.) The narrator steps between the two worlds because Wister did that. The narrator mentions seeing things you wouldn't think of-- a young man heading off on a ride across the desert buying canned peaches so he could drink the sweet juice and enjoy a treat along the way, the dump of rusting junk at the edge of each town-- because Wister saw these things. Wister was actually there.
An easy read, and recommended because of its historical interest, both as an insight into what the Old West was like, and into the origins of one of our enduring literary genres.
Then it hit me. Wister invented the cliches. This is where the cliches of the Western came from. Every dusty Western town and literary cattle drive since has borrowed something from this book.
Yet Wister's Old West isn't the Old West of later books. The narrator of the story is an Easterner who goes west on various trips over a period of years, arriving by railroad. How often have you seen that connection between East Coast and Frontier in Western novels and movies? (I can only think of one example, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, also a great classic, perhaps not coincidentally.) The narrator steps between the two worlds because Wister did that. The narrator mentions seeing things you wouldn't think of-- a young man heading off on a ride across the desert buying canned peaches so he could drink the sweet juice and enjoy a treat along the way, the dump of rusting junk at the edge of each town-- because Wister saw these things. Wister was actually there.
An easy read, and recommended because of its historical interest, both as an insight into what the Old West was like, and into the origins of one of our enduring literary genres.
February 4, 2017
Written in 1902, The Virginian is the original western novel from which we get many of the cowboy stereotypes and famous lines that would become staples, such as "Smile when you call me that." and "I'll give you till sundown to leave town."
I enjoyed it almost as much as Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, with which it has a lot in common, namely a hero, his love interest, a villain and cattle rustling.
I enjoyed it almost as much as Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, with which it has a lot in common, namely a hero, his love interest, a villain and cattle rustling.
October 5, 2013
I don't often read westerns, but this is a classic. The virginian is your typical cowboy in the white stetson, he's even nice to his horse.
There's the usual characters, the baddie, the innocent dupe and the tenderfoot who is also the narrator.
Plus it adds another state to the trip around the USA.
There's the usual characters, the baddie, the innocent dupe and the tenderfoot who is also the narrator.
Plus it adds another state to the trip around the USA.
April 15, 2012
For anyone fascinated by how the myth of the Western hero came into being, this is the book to read. Published in 1902, it became hugely popular for decades and inspired movies (a version with Gary Cooper in 1929) and a long-running TV series (1962-1971). A modern reader could easily guess the storyline without reading a synopsis - the classic elements are all there: tall, dark, handsome cowboy hero; pretty schoolmarm from back East; the villain who must finally face justice at the end of a gun.
Few historical novels are dedicated to American presidents, however, and another whole dimension of the novel opens up with the name appearing on the dedication page -- Theodore Roosevelt, a college friend of the author's. What Wister does, besides telling a story of adventure and romance, is portray a particular kind of heroic figure, a natural man whose integrity is untainted by the corrupt (though civilized) values of the East.
The book is a deliberate and often worshipful character study for the age of Teddy Roosevelt-style masculinity. The young Virginian charms us (and the narrator) with his courage and modesty and his thoughtful attempts to understand a world in which some men (even good ones) act dishonorably and make cowardly choices. Stoic and cool on the surface, the currents of sentiment run deep in this man. So does the will to self-improvement, as he reads Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott.
This book connects with so much of American myth over the last 100 years that you could easily write another book about it. Or you can simply enjoy it for what it is, a historical romance so well conceived, in spite of its sometimes dated views, that you keep on reading through each episode of the story, glad that Wister was in no hurry to cut to the chase. This is a book for any reader of Western literature, fiction or nonfiction. In it the many traditions of the western come together in popularized form for the first time.
Readers who enjoy this book will also like Elmer Kelton's novel, "The Day the Cowboys Quit." While it's more historically accurate in its portrayal of working cowboys, it captures many of Wister's same narrative elements, in the courage, modesty and thoughtfulness of its hero, its portrayal of the relationship between a top hand and his boss, its fateful pursuit of cattle rustlers, an account of a troubled friendship between two men, and of course the loneliness and yearning at the heart of a man who loves a woman from afar.
Few historical novels are dedicated to American presidents, however, and another whole dimension of the novel opens up with the name appearing on the dedication page -- Theodore Roosevelt, a college friend of the author's. What Wister does, besides telling a story of adventure and romance, is portray a particular kind of heroic figure, a natural man whose integrity is untainted by the corrupt (though civilized) values of the East.
The book is a deliberate and often worshipful character study for the age of Teddy Roosevelt-style masculinity. The young Virginian charms us (and the narrator) with his courage and modesty and his thoughtful attempts to understand a world in which some men (even good ones) act dishonorably and make cowardly choices. Stoic and cool on the surface, the currents of sentiment run deep in this man. So does the will to self-improvement, as he reads Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott.
This book connects with so much of American myth over the last 100 years that you could easily write another book about it. Or you can simply enjoy it for what it is, a historical romance so well conceived, in spite of its sometimes dated views, that you keep on reading through each episode of the story, glad that Wister was in no hurry to cut to the chase. This is a book for any reader of Western literature, fiction or nonfiction. In it the many traditions of the western come together in popularized form for the first time.
Readers who enjoy this book will also like Elmer Kelton's novel, "The Day the Cowboys Quit." While it's more historically accurate in its portrayal of working cowboys, it captures many of Wister's same narrative elements, in the courage, modesty and thoughtfulness of its hero, its portrayal of the relationship between a top hand and his boss, its fateful pursuit of cattle rustlers, an account of a troubled friendship between two men, and of course the loneliness and yearning at the heart of a man who loves a woman from afar.
October 9, 2018
ومع ذلك فإن الرذيلة لم تكن مكتوبة علي تلك الوجوه الوحشية ، التي ترتسم فيها الرجولة ، ولقد تلمح شيئاً من الضعة أحياناً ، ولكنها كانت شيئاً نادراً ، بل المرتسم علي تلك الوجوه هو الجرأة والضحك والجلد ، كان هذا اليوم الذي بدأت فيه معرفتي بهم بمثابة بدء تاريخ جديد بالنسبة لي ، كان في شخصهم وكيانهم شيئاً أثر في قلبي أثراً بليغاً لم أنسه ولن أنساه ما حييت ، ففي أجسامهم كانت تضطرب عواطفنا الوطنية إضطراباً صاخباً ، ولكن أرواحهم كثيراً ما كمن فيها من النبل الصريح ، وكثيراً ما اتخذت أشخاصهم سمة البطولة النادرة
،
الأدب الأمريكي ما أروعه ، وما أروع الحياة في الغرب الأمريكي كثيراً منا من محبي السينما يعلم جمال تلك العيشة ، ويعلم كم هي مثيرة للفضول حتي أن لها صنفاً خاصاً يسمي الويسترن في عالم الشاشة الكبيرة والصغيرة .
بادئ ذي بدأ أقل ما توصف به الترجمة أنها إحترافية ، أعقد أنها زادت الكتاب روعة علي روعته
أما عن الكتاب ، فبإمكاني أن أقول أن تلك الرواية فعلاً أحد أعلام الأدب الأمريكي والتي تأثرت بها السينما والدراما كثيراً في عرضها للحياة في الغرب الأمريكي
تبدأ الرواية مثل الأفلام الأمريكية تلك البداية الساخنة الشيقة المرحة التي تضفي علي روحك شيئاً من المتعة ، ولكن وتيرة الأحداث تتباطئ في المنتصف لدرجة تصيبك بالملل الذي ستغفره الفصول الأخيرة في الرواية لا تقلق ، فالفصول في المنتصف كانت من أجل بسط تلك الشخصية أكثر والإطلاع علي شخصية هذا الفيرجيني بشكل أوسع وما تحمله في طياتها من الطبيعة النقية والإنسان البدائي النبيل بالفطرة ، وتأخذ لتعرض لك الطقوس في الغرب الأمريكي وطريقة العيش والإحتفالات والنزالات والاحداث التي تصيب رعاة البقر في تلك المهنة وما تحيطها من الإثارة والخطر والمبادئ العجيبة وقيم الغربي وماذا يعني الشر والخير بالنسبة له وموقفه من الأدب والعلم والدين ، اعتقد أنه ظلم ممجحف أن اقول عن تلك الفصول أنها مملة نعم هي فقط تحتاج إلي صبر وطولة بال لتهضمها ، ثم نأتي للفصول الختامية أو أخر مائة صفحة وهي الأفضل في تلك الرواية الطويلة ، حيث نري الأزمات التي تعيق حب الفتي الغربي بالفتاة الحضارية المتطورة أو كما يطلق عليها الكاتب إبنه إنجلترة الحديثة ، ونري ما سيتمخض عنه صراعه مع اللص - ترمباس - ونري الكاتب أخيراً يتطرق لمناقشة أمور فلسفية هامة وقيم إنسانية هامة كالخير والشر التي تعتلج في نفس فارس السهول إبن فيريجينيا ، ولكن هل جاءت النهاية تقليدية ؟
حقيقة في الوقت الذي كتبت فيه الرواية كان ما نطلق عليه تقليدي الآن غير تقليدي هناك فلا أستطيع الجزم ، إلا بشئ واحد أن تلك الرواية هي أحد أفضل الروايات الطويلة التي قرأتها علي فترة طويلة لدرجة أشعرتني أنها كالصديق ، وعلي كل قارئ مهتم بهذا اللون من الأدب أن يقرأها .
،
الأدب الأمريكي ما أروعه ، وما أروع الحياة في الغرب الأمريكي كثيراً منا من محبي السينما يعلم جمال تلك العيشة ، ويعلم كم هي مثيرة للفضول حتي أن لها صنفاً خاصاً يسمي الويسترن في عالم الشاشة الكبيرة والصغيرة .
بادئ ذي بدأ أقل ما توصف به الترجمة أنها إحترافية ، أعقد أنها زادت الكتاب روعة علي روعته
أما عن الكتاب ، فبإمكاني أن أقول أن تلك الرواية فعلاً أحد أعلام الأدب الأمريكي والتي تأثرت بها السينما والدراما كثيراً في عرضها للحياة في الغرب الأمريكي
تبدأ الرواية مثل الأفلام الأمريكية تلك البداية الساخنة الشيقة المرحة التي تضفي علي روحك شيئاً من المتعة ، ولكن وتيرة الأحداث تتباطئ في المنتصف لدرجة تصيبك بالملل الذي ستغفره الفصول الأخيرة في الرواية لا تقلق ، فالفصول في المنتصف كانت من أجل بسط تلك الشخصية أكثر والإطلاع علي شخصية هذا الفيرجيني بشكل أوسع وما تحمله في طياتها من الطبيعة النقية والإنسان البدائي النبيل بالفطرة ، وتأخذ لتعرض لك الطقوس في الغرب الأمريكي وطريقة العيش والإحتفالات والنزالات والاحداث التي تصيب رعاة البقر في تلك المهنة وما تحيطها من الإثارة والخطر والمبادئ العجيبة وقيم الغربي وماذا يعني الشر والخير بالنسبة له وموقفه من الأدب والعلم والدين ، اعتقد أنه ظلم ممجحف أن اقول عن تلك الفصول أنها مملة نعم هي فقط تحتاج إلي صبر وطولة بال لتهضمها ، ثم نأتي للفصول الختامية أو أخر مائة صفحة وهي الأفضل في تلك الرواية الطويلة ، حيث نري الأزمات التي تعيق حب الفتي الغربي بالفتاة الحضارية المتطورة أو كما يطلق عليها الكاتب إبنه إنجلترة الحديثة ، ونري ما سيتمخض عنه صراعه مع اللص - ترمباس - ونري الكاتب أخيراً يتطرق لمناقشة أمور فلسفية هامة وقيم إنسانية هامة كالخير والشر التي تعتلج في نفس فارس السهول إبن فيريجينيا ، ولكن هل جاءت النهاية تقليدية ؟
حقيقة في الوقت الذي كتبت فيه الرواية كان ما نطلق عليه تقليدي الآن غير تقليدي هناك فلا أستطيع الجزم ، إلا بشئ واحد أن تلك الرواية هي أحد أفضل الروايات الطويلة التي قرأتها علي فترة طويلة لدرجة أشعرتني أنها كالصديق ، وعلي كل قارئ مهتم بهذا اللون من الأدب أن يقرأها .
September 3, 2023
From the jacket of the 1995 hardback edition published by Gramercy Books:
“The Virginian is storytelling at its best. It is an exciting tale filled with adventure, romance, humor, colorful characters, and above all, an admirable and noble hero. In basing his novel on a rough cowboy community in untamed Wyoming, on people whose distinctive way of life existed for only a short period of time, Owen Wister created a new and enduring genre of American fiction.”
I totally agree, and it makes me mighty regretful that I’ve taken so long to get around to this fantastic novel. It’s been around for 121 years, half of which I’ve been alive, so there’s really no excuse. It was on my Dad’s bookshelf when I was a kid, and has sat unopened on mine for more years than I care to remember. But, I finally read it, and I’m so glad I did. I consider it one of the best westerns I’ve ever read, and that’s saying a lot after having read so many by Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. Grey said that he studied this book a long time before venturing into the novel writing process. I can see how this one influenced his writing, and probably others who continued popularizing the genre that Wister began.
Most of the western genre’s tropes probably originated here, which wasn’t a surprise. The surprise for me came in the abundance of humor, romance, and philosophizing. There was also one scene I would never have imagined--Raising and herding frogs like cattle.
Some excerpts that I especially liked:
“He took her hand and his heart bounded. ‘You’re a gentleman!” he exclaimed.
It was now her turn to be overcome with merriment. ‘I’ve always wanted to be a man,’ she said.
‘I’m mighty glad you ain’t,’ said he, looking at her.”
“He rode up and received the coil which the Virginian held out, unloosing the disputed one on his saddle. If he had meant to devise a slippery, evasive insult, no small trick in cow-land could be more offensive than this taking another man’s rope. And it is the small tricks which lead to the big bullets.”
“In gatherings of more than six there will generally be at least one fool, and this company must have numbered twenty men.”
And, for western writing, it doesn’t get much better than this:
“Out of the lower country and its air he would urge his horse upward, talking to him aloud, and promising fine pasture in a little while. Then, when at length he had ridden abreast of the island pines, he would ford to the sheltered circle of his campground, throw off the saddle and blanket from the horse’s hot, wet back, throw his own clothes off, and shouting, spring upon the horse bare, and with a rope for bridle, cross with him to the promised pasture. Here there was a pause in the mountain steepness, a level space of open, green with thick grass. Riding his horse to this, he would leap off him, and with the flat of his hand give him a blow that cracked sharp in the stillness and sent the horse galloping and gamboling to his night’s freedom. And while the animal rolled in the grass, often his master would roll also, and stretch, and take the grass in his two hands, and so draw his body along, limbering his muscles after a long ride. Then he would slide into the stream below his fishing place, where it was deep enough for swimming, and cross back to his island, and dressing again, fit his rod together and begin his casting. After the darkness had set in, there would follow the lying drowsily with his head upon his saddle, the campfire sinking as he watched it, and sleep approaching to the murmur of the water on either side of him.”
Another feature of this edition that I really appreciated was the fantastic western art by Charles M. Russell at the head of each chapter.
If you love westerns as I do, you’ll love this beginning of the genre. A beautiful work of art.
“The Virginian is storytelling at its best. It is an exciting tale filled with adventure, romance, humor, colorful characters, and above all, an admirable and noble hero. In basing his novel on a rough cowboy community in untamed Wyoming, on people whose distinctive way of life existed for only a short period of time, Owen Wister created a new and enduring genre of American fiction.”
I totally agree, and it makes me mighty regretful that I’ve taken so long to get around to this fantastic novel. It’s been around for 121 years, half of which I’ve been alive, so there’s really no excuse. It was on my Dad’s bookshelf when I was a kid, and has sat unopened on mine for more years than I care to remember. But, I finally read it, and I’m so glad I did. I consider it one of the best westerns I’ve ever read, and that’s saying a lot after having read so many by Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. Grey said that he studied this book a long time before venturing into the novel writing process. I can see how this one influenced his writing, and probably others who continued popularizing the genre that Wister began.
Most of the western genre’s tropes probably originated here, which wasn’t a surprise. The surprise for me came in the abundance of humor, romance, and philosophizing. There was also one scene I would never have imagined--Raising and herding frogs like cattle.
Some excerpts that I especially liked:
“He took her hand and his heart bounded. ‘You’re a gentleman!” he exclaimed.
It was now her turn to be overcome with merriment. ‘I’ve always wanted to be a man,’ she said.
‘I’m mighty glad you ain’t,’ said he, looking at her.”
“He rode up and received the coil which the Virginian held out, unloosing the disputed one on his saddle. If he had meant to devise a slippery, evasive insult, no small trick in cow-land could be more offensive than this taking another man’s rope. And it is the small tricks which lead to the big bullets.”
“In gatherings of more than six there will generally be at least one fool, and this company must have numbered twenty men.”
And, for western writing, it doesn’t get much better than this:
“Out of the lower country and its air he would urge his horse upward, talking to him aloud, and promising fine pasture in a little while. Then, when at length he had ridden abreast of the island pines, he would ford to the sheltered circle of his campground, throw off the saddle and blanket from the horse’s hot, wet back, throw his own clothes off, and shouting, spring upon the horse bare, and with a rope for bridle, cross with him to the promised pasture. Here there was a pause in the mountain steepness, a level space of open, green with thick grass. Riding his horse to this, he would leap off him, and with the flat of his hand give him a blow that cracked sharp in the stillness and sent the horse galloping and gamboling to his night’s freedom. And while the animal rolled in the grass, often his master would roll also, and stretch, and take the grass in his two hands, and so draw his body along, limbering his muscles after a long ride. Then he would slide into the stream below his fishing place, where it was deep enough for swimming, and cross back to his island, and dressing again, fit his rod together and begin his casting. After the darkness had set in, there would follow the lying drowsily with his head upon his saddle, the campfire sinking as he watched it, and sleep approaching to the murmur of the water on either side of him.”
Another feature of this edition that I really appreciated was the fantastic western art by Charles M. Russell at the head of each chapter.
If you love westerns as I do, you’ll love this beginning of the genre. A beautiful work of art.
April 23, 2012
This surprised me with how awesome it was, and the whole reason I picked it up in the first place is because Nancy had to explain to me a weird Owen Wister reference in The Art of Fielding.
The first piece of news is that this does not take place in Virginia. (I NEVER SAW THE MOVIES!) It takes place in Wyoming. Considered by some to be the first Western (or so the internet tells me), this is a series of related stories about the Virginian of the title, who is apparently so impressively manly that the narrator never mentions his name, he is always "the Virginian" doing this or that, or saying whatever. The manly stuff he does involves being a cowboy, catching cattle thieves, and courting the local school marm in a very romantic fashion (and sweet, making allowances for the culture of whenever this takes place, which I think is about 1880).
Obviously some of it is a little dated, but it doesn't take away from the story. A little more challenging is that it jumps right in with a lot of dialogue written out in, I guess, "cowpoke dialect" and it is a little grating to keep having to parse that out, but it's used to set the scene initially and then in following episodes, isn't so front and center.
The first piece of news is that this does not take place in Virginia. (I NEVER SAW THE MOVIES!) It takes place in Wyoming. Considered by some to be the first Western (or so the internet tells me), this is a series of related stories about the Virginian of the title, who is apparently so impressively manly that the narrator never mentions his name, he is always "the Virginian" doing this or that, or saying whatever. The manly stuff he does involves being a cowboy, catching cattle thieves, and courting the local school marm in a very romantic fashion (and sweet, making allowances for the culture of whenever this takes place, which I think is about 1880).
Obviously some of it is a little dated, but it doesn't take away from the story. A little more challenging is that it jumps right in with a lot of dialogue written out in, I guess, "cowpoke dialect" and it is a little grating to keep having to parse that out, but it's used to set the scene initially and then in following episodes, isn't so front and center.
October 21, 2020
"When you call me that, Smile."
I know The Virginian from the old TV show, even if I can’t remember much about the series. Owen Wister was a complete unknown until this book crossed my path. I noticed that he and Zane Gray lived during the same time, Wister was twelve years older. Zane was a much more prolific a writer. Both must have influenced the writing of Louis L’Amour.
As for the book itself, it is a true Western. It has all the elements of what I have come to expect from a good western. Good guy, bad guy, life and death struggle with both the rugged elements of nature and other men. This is also a romance.
“I don't think I like you," said she."That's all square enough. You're goin' to love me before we get through”
The Virginian comes from southern peasantry and Molly, from New England aristocracy, both fiercely independent. The book is as much about their finding common ground to love and be together as it was about herding cattle, rustling, fighting and dying.
One of the best parts of the book is the gunfight. Wister isn’t content to have two men step out in the street face each other, draw their weapons, fire and one walk away. Wister visits the mind of each man and vividly paints for the reader each man’s thoughts and fears. Both men desperately want a way out, but know there isn’t one. One or both will shortly be dead.
This is an easy recommendation and I enjoyed it!
I know The Virginian from the old TV show, even if I can’t remember much about the series. Owen Wister was a complete unknown until this book crossed my path. I noticed that he and Zane Gray lived during the same time, Wister was twelve years older. Zane was a much more prolific a writer. Both must have influenced the writing of Louis L’Amour.
As for the book itself, it is a true Western. It has all the elements of what I have come to expect from a good western. Good guy, bad guy, life and death struggle with both the rugged elements of nature and other men. This is also a romance.
“I don't think I like you," said she."That's all square enough. You're goin' to love me before we get through”
The Virginian comes from southern peasantry and Molly, from New England aristocracy, both fiercely independent. The book is as much about their finding common ground to love and be together as it was about herding cattle, rustling, fighting and dying.
One of the best parts of the book is the gunfight. Wister isn’t content to have two men step out in the street face each other, draw their weapons, fire and one walk away. Wister visits the mind of each man and vividly paints for the reader each man’s thoughts and fears. Both men desperately want a way out, but know there isn’t one. One or both will shortly be dead.
This is an easy recommendation and I enjoyed it!
July 8, 2022
This book wasn’t at all what I expected. I dreaded reading it because I thought it would be dry, hard to read western, but it wasn’t at all dry. I do not think it is a “western” at all. It is the story of the untamed wilderness when men were men and justice was immediate and harsh. It had a rawness and adventure feel to it that I was delighted to see. The modern westerns owe their beginnings to books such as “The Virginian”.
I could not stand to put this book down. Its gentle humor, the influences, the rawness of life drew me in and worked together to make it a memorable book. This story took me off to the late 19th century to a small area in Wyoming and the stories of the people that lived and worked in that era. It was their story and stayed true to life. You meet the unnamed Tenderfoot and the Virginian (with a drawl that makes you swoon) and other cowboys and ranchers. You also meet the schoolmarm Molly Wood. Wister presents us with romance and the western tone and flavor.
The stories that make up the Virginian’s life are classic western life. the stories included poker, roping, gunfights, lynching of rustlers, even murder but there are light hearted stories about a crazy chicken name of Em’ly and a tall-tell of frog legs being just the thing in other states.
I could not stand to put this book down. Its gentle humor, the influences, the rawness of life drew me in and worked together to make it a memorable book. This story took me off to the late 19th century to a small area in Wyoming and the stories of the people that lived and worked in that era. It was their story and stayed true to life. You meet the unnamed Tenderfoot and the Virginian (with a drawl that makes you swoon) and other cowboys and ranchers. You also meet the schoolmarm Molly Wood. Wister presents us with romance and the western tone and flavor.
The stories that make up the Virginian’s life are classic western life. the stories included poker, roping, gunfights, lynching of rustlers, even murder but there are light hearted stories about a crazy chicken name of Em’ly and a tall-tell of frog legs being just the thing in other states.
January 21, 2008
The Virginian was the inspiration for The Shopkeeper. The inspiration didn't come from the main character of the novel, but from the life of Owen Wister, the author of this classic. Originally published in 1902, Wister visited the Old West in the late nineteenth century and wrote from personal experience.
Although the Virginian can be a somewhat difficult read today, I liked it because Wister wrote from the personal experiences he recorded in his journal. I've never seen the journal, but I've read editor's excerpts that refer to incidents in the book, like the baby-swapping episode. I also read that his editors made him revise the final gunfight because it might offend the squeamish. Too bad. For someone reared on Louis L'Amour, the ending comes across as anticlimactic.
Most people are unaware that The Virginian was a runaway bestseller in its day. The book not only set the parameters for the Western genre, it's still considered a literary work that shows that tales of the Old West can be art.
If you'd like a great companion book, try mark Twain's Roughing It. If you want to get a feel for the comraderiship and ethos of the Old West, these books will not disappoint you.
Although the Virginian can be a somewhat difficult read today, I liked it because Wister wrote from the personal experiences he recorded in his journal. I've never seen the journal, but I've read editor's excerpts that refer to incidents in the book, like the baby-swapping episode. I also read that his editors made him revise the final gunfight because it might offend the squeamish. Too bad. For someone reared on Louis L'Amour, the ending comes across as anticlimactic.
Most people are unaware that The Virginian was a runaway bestseller in its day. The book not only set the parameters for the Western genre, it's still considered a literary work that shows that tales of the Old West can be art.
If you'd like a great companion book, try mark Twain's Roughing It. If you want to get a feel for the comraderiship and ethos of the Old West, these books will not disappoint you.
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