What is the Western Genre?
What is the first thing that we think about when we hear the word Western? Don't you think about guns, violence, Native Americans and outlaws? Even if we know nothing about the Western Genre if these are the first adjectives that come to your head when you hear this word then you have identified four conventional elements of the Western Genre. But what exactly does it mean for something to conventional? Well the word conventional according to Dictionary.com means, "Based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed." Basically what this means is that it is normal and regular for the Western Genre's theme to revolve around one of the four or all four together.
A novel, movie or book cannot be categorized under the Western Genre if it does not have one the four elements named above. But over all it cannot be a Western if violence is excluded.
The Western Genre during the 1950s was one of the most prosperous innovations to theatrical fictional novels (The Western Reader). However, World War 2 changed society as a whole and because of it the Western had to adapt. What this means that a whole new side of the Western had to be created for it to adapt with the new post world war society. This gave birth to the Super Western Genre or also known as the Anti Western.
The Super Western was built upon the conventions of Classical Western. However, in the Super Western many of the conventions of Classical Western were taken to completely new levels. The Super Western did not only use the conventions of violence in its stories and plots but it also used psychological and emotional violence to its benefit. The result was a total new form of manipulation of character emotions. But what was most impressive of all was the manipulation of the emotions of the audience. The author of a Super Western was able to manipulate the emotions of its reader in an unbelievable form. The perfect example would be found in Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." The exact scene occurs in page 7 (depending on the book that you have) when the "Judge" has the confrontation with the priest. The Judge was able to manipulate the crowd and psychologically force them to behave the way that he wanted them too. For those that have read Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian we can agree that no physical violence occurs in this scene, on the contrary its all-psychological violence and mind control that the judge preforms on both the reader crowd and the reader. The way authors of Super Western books or directors of Super Western movies would use the conventions of the Classical Western to their benefit and the result they would get is astonishing. For example the Super Western movie “Unforgiven” one of my favorite Western movies, shows the evolution of the Classical Western to the action packed, suspense and dramatic Super Western movie. We would assume and stereotypically categorize a “Western Movie” in our “boring movie list.” That is if it was a Classical Western, if on the other had we have a Super Western, then we would think twice before placing it on that list.
A novel, movie or book cannot be categorized under the Western Genre if it does not have one the four elements named above. But over all it cannot be a Western if violence is excluded.
The Western Genre during the 1950s was one of the most prosperous innovations to theatrical fictional novels (The Western Reader). However, World War 2 changed society as a whole and because of it the Western had to adapt. What this means that a whole new side of the Western had to be created for it to adapt with the new post world war society. This gave birth to the Super Western Genre or also known as the Anti Western.
The Super Western was built upon the conventions of Classical Western. However, in the Super Western many of the conventions of Classical Western were taken to completely new levels. The Super Western did not only use the conventions of violence in its stories and plots but it also used psychological and emotional violence to its benefit. The result was a total new form of manipulation of character emotions. But what was most impressive of all was the manipulation of the emotions of the audience. The author of a Super Western was able to manipulate the emotions of its reader in an unbelievable form. The perfect example would be found in Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." The exact scene occurs in page 7 (depending on the book that you have) when the "Judge" has the confrontation with the priest. The Judge was able to manipulate the crowd and psychologically force them to behave the way that he wanted them too. For those that have read Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian we can agree that no physical violence occurs in this scene, on the contrary its all-psychological violence and mind control that the judge preforms on both the reader crowd and the reader. The way authors of Super Western books or directors of Super Western movies would use the conventions of the Classical Western to their benefit and the result they would get is astonishing. For example the Super Western movie “Unforgiven” one of my favorite Western movies, shows the evolution of the Classical Western to the action packed, suspense and dramatic Super Western movie. We would assume and stereotypically categorize a “Western Movie” in our “boring movie list.” That is if it was a Classical Western, if on the other had we have a Super Western, then we would think twice before placing it on that list.