The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy
This essay traces the vestiges of Western literary and cinematic tropes in Cities of the Red Night, and discusses the development of the Master Film and the dominance of the Western genre in The Place of Dead Roads and some faint echoes of the mythology of the American West in the last book, The Wes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2011-11-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9412 |
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| author | Michael J. Prince |
| author_facet | Michael J. Prince |
| author_sort | Michael J. Prince |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This essay traces the vestiges of Western literary and cinematic tropes in Cities of the Red Night, and discusses the development of the Master Film and the dominance of the Western genre in The Place of Dead Roads and some faint echoes of the mythology of the American West in the last book, The Western Lands. The dubious enchantment of cultural myth dominates the Cities of the Red Night trilogy, but particularly the second novel, The Place of Dead Roads, demonstrates that the myth of the American West serves both the powers of hegemony and resistance. In The Place of Dead Roads, the Master Film is unequivocally the Western, centered as it is on the shootist Kim Carsons as the “hero.” His tactic in his liberatory struggle is the warping, splicing and destruction of the narrative myth fabric, developed metaphorically as the “Master Film,” providing as it does a critique of the Western as reigning American cultural myth, as well as questioning the psychic or cognitive hegemony of any cultural myth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1030ae3e7ec433c9e64a8d6ffae67bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-11-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-b1030ae3e7ec433c9e64a8d6ffae67bb2025-01-06T09:10:23ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362011-11-016310.4000/ejas.9412The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night TrilogyMichael J. PrinceThis essay traces the vestiges of Western literary and cinematic tropes in Cities of the Red Night, and discusses the development of the Master Film and the dominance of the Western genre in The Place of Dead Roads and some faint echoes of the mythology of the American West in the last book, The Western Lands. The dubious enchantment of cultural myth dominates the Cities of the Red Night trilogy, but particularly the second novel, The Place of Dead Roads, demonstrates that the myth of the American West serves both the powers of hegemony and resistance. In The Place of Dead Roads, the Master Film is unequivocally the Western, centered as it is on the shootist Kim Carsons as the “hero.” His tactic in his liberatory struggle is the warping, splicing and destruction of the narrative myth fabric, developed metaphorically as the “Master Film,” providing as it does a critique of the Western as reigning American cultural myth, as well as questioning the psychic or cognitive hegemony of any cultural myth.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9412Cities of the Red Night trilogyCities of the Red NightThe Place of Dead RoadsThe Western LandsMaster FilmWestern genre |
| spellingShingle | Michael J. Prince The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy European Journal of American Studies Cities of the Red Night trilogy Cities of the Red Night The Place of Dead Roads The Western Lands Master Film Western genre |
| title | The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy |
| title_full | The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy |
| title_fullStr | The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy |
| title_short | The Master Film is a Western : The Mythology of the American West in the Cities of the Red Night Trilogy |
| title_sort | master film is a western the mythology of the american west in the cities of the red night trilogy |
| topic | Cities of the Red Night trilogy Cities of the Red Night The Place of Dead Roads The Western Lands Master Film Western genre |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/9412 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaeljprince themasterfilmisawesternthemythologyoftheamericanwestinthecitiesoftherednighttrilogy AT michaeljprince masterfilmisawesternthemythologyoftheamericanwestinthecitiesoftherednighttrilogy |