Unsettling the Literary West

"[A] spirited study. . . . Lewis's deliberations are broad and profound."—Choice

“A timely, important intervention in the field of western American literary and cultural studies, unique in its ambitious scope and claims. Lewis’s claim that western literature more or less since its inception has been our first postmodern literature is both outrageous and dead on.”—Stephen Tatum, coeditor of Reading "The Virginian" in the New West

“An extraordinary book by one of the most exciting and gifted scholars of contemporary western American literature and cultural studies. The playful title forecasts his highly ambitious goal of reconceptualizing how writers, scholars, and the wider public approach western literature.”—Susan Bernardin, State University of New York at Oneonta

"Lewis's readings are persuasive and his insights are astute. . . . [he] is adept at establishing new ways of reading that break free from the need for authentic western space as a site of representation."—Christopher Gair, American Studies

“In one swift stroke, Nathaniel Lewis attempts to turn Western American literature and its critical traditions on their heads.”—Studies in American Indian Literatures

“In Lewis’s analysis of the cultural demands and strategies of western authors he succeeds brilliantly.”—Western American Literature

“Unsettling the Literary West sets a stepping stone for a new appreciation of western writing. . . . A precious guide to students and scholars fascinated by the West and the thorny question of authenticity.”—Catherine Chauche, Cercles