Owen Wister
by George Alex Windish

All genres of writing have their own life, from the beginning struggles of birth and childhood, through a turbulent adolescence, to an acceptance as an adult form of literature. Perhaps this can be seen most clearly in the development of the Western. In the middle 1800s, while England and Europe were producing first class mysteries and tales of Gothic suspense, America's Westerns were cheaply printed pamphlets filled with larger than life caricatures of legendary gamblers and gunmen.

Owen Wister helped to change that, and brought the Western saga legitimacy.

Owen Wister was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860, and was educated at Harvard University. He became a lawyer in 1889, and remained one until 1891. He also traveled extensively in Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona, and, using these territories as background, he began a highly regarded literary career.

In 1902, Wister wrote THE VIRGINIAN. In it, he moved the Western from "the fastest gun in the territory" saga to a real novel with real, flesh and blood characters.

They were given entire personalities and motives for doing the things that they did.

It doesn't sound like such a big deal now, but it turned the Western genre on its ear and forever changed it.
Wister lived until 1938, producing other books, notably a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. He left behind a novel that changed a style of writing forever, paving the way for such writers as Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, as well as the Western writers of today like Matt Braun.

George Alex Windish has been writing for many years, and has become a better typist, if nothing else. He has placed nearly a dozen short stories of horror and science fiction, has had a weekly column in a local Baltimore newspaper, and has written for and edited COUNTRY LINE, a small Pennsylvania magazine. He has also done ad copy and correspondence for businesses.  He has long been a fan of genre literature and truly tacky movies, as well as being a collector of vintage records.  Contact him at GeorgeWindish@aol.com. 

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