The Philosophy of the Western
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge American Popular Culture American Studies 5-28-2010 The Philosophy of the Western Jennifer L. McMahon East Central University B. Steve Csaki Centre College Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation McMahon, Jennifer L. and Csaki, B. Steve, "The Philosophy of the Western" (2010). American Popular Culture. 11. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_american_popular_culture/11 (CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP) McMAHON PHILOSOPHY/FILM AND CSAKI THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE gender, animal rights, and other topics depicted in western narratives. “The writing is accessible to nonspecialists and should be of interest to general WESTERN Drawing from philosophers as varied as Aristotle, Spinoza, William James, and Jean- readers who enjoy thinking about EDITED BY Paul Sartre, The Philosophy of the Western JENNIFER L. McMAHON AND B. STEVE CSAKI examines themes that are central to the genre: philosophy, film, or westerns.” individual freedom versus community; the —KAREN D. HOFFMAN, encroachment of industry and development on the natural world; and the epistemological Hood College here are few film and television genres and ethical implications of the classic “lone that capture the hearts of audiences rider” of the West. The philosophies of John like the western. While not always T T Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques H true to the past, westerns are tied to, and Rousseau figure prominently in discussions E P expressive of, the history of the United States. As such, they serve to both reflect and inform of human relationships and of the necessary H conditions for social and political order in I THE the American psyche. Indeed, the western is L the West. The result is a wide-reaching study O arguably the most iconic and influential genre S in American cinema. Through characters like of fundamental questions about morality, OP identity, and social organization. PHILOSOPHY Shane, William Munny, and Al Swearengen, H western films and TV shows continue to Y captivate viewers. The Philosophy of the Western offers a detailed OF analysis of the origins and continuing OF THE THE influence of a quintessentially American form The Philosophy of the Western features of art and entertainment. a variety of essays that consider the WESTERN philosophical significance of westerns. From JENNIFER L. McMAHON, associate professor classic films such as Fort Apache (1948) and and chair of the English and Languages The Wild Bunch (1969) to contemporary Department at East Central University, is WESTERN films and TV shows such as 3:10 to Yuma (2007), No Country for Old Men (2007), and a contributor to The Philosophy of TV Noir, THE PHILOSOPHY OF POPULAR CULTURE Deadwood (2004–2006), The Philosophy The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, and The SERIES EDITOR: MARK T. CONARD Philosophy of Science Fiction Film. of the Western uses ancient and modern philosophical frameworks to analyze the B. STEVE CSAKI was most recently a visiting underlying themes of the genre. Editors professor at Centre College, where he taught Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki have assembled a group of noted scholars to courses in philosophy, the humanities, and THE UNIVERSITY PREss 90 00 0 investigate questions of identity, ethics, Japanese. OF KENTUCKY 9 780813 125916 EDITED BY (CONTINUED ON BACK FLAP) KENTUCKY JENNIFER L. McMAHON AND B. STEVE CSAKI The Philosophy of the Western The Philosophy of Popular Culture Th e books published in the Philosophy of Popular Culture series will illuminate and explore philosophical themes and ideas that occur in popular culture. Th e goal of this series is to demonstrate how philosophical inquiry has been reinvigorated by increased scholarly interest in the intersection of popular culture and philosophy, as well as to explore through philosophical analysis beloved modes of entertainment, such as movies, TV shows, and music. Philosophical concepts will be made accessible to the general reader through examples in popular culture. Th is series seeks to publish both established and emerging scholars who will engage a major area of popular culture for philosophical interpretation and examine the philosophical underpinnings of its themes. Eschewing ephemeral trends of philosophical and cultural theory, authors will establish and elaborate on connections between traditional philosophical ideas from important thinkers and the ever-expanding world of popular culture. Series Editor Mark T. Conard, Marymount Manhattan College, NY Books in the Series Th e Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick, edited by Jerold J. Abrams Football and Philosophy, edited by Michael W. Austin Tennis and Philosophy, edited by David Baggett Th e Philosophy of the Coen Brothers, edited by Mark T. Conard Th e Philosophy of Film Noir, edited by Mark T. Conard Th e Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, edited by Mark T. Conard Th e Philosophy of Neo-Noir, edited by Mark T. Conard Th e Philosophy of Horror, edited by Th omas Fahy Th e Philosophy of Th e X-Files, edited by Dean A. Kowalski Steven Spielberg and Philosophy, edited by Dean A. Kowalski Th e Philosophy of Science Fiction Film, edited by Steven M. Sanders Th e Philosophy of TV Noir, edited by Steven M. Sanders and Aeon J. Skoble Basketball and Philosophy, edited by Jerry L. Walls and Gregory Bassham THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE WESTERN Edited by Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Copyright © 2010 by Th e University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, Th e Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offi ces: Th e University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com 14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Th e philosophy of the western / edited by Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki. p. cm. — (Th e philosophy of popular culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8131-2591-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Western fi lms—History and criticism. I. McMahon, Jennifer L. II. Csaki, B. Steve. PN1995.9.W4P485 2010 791.43’6278—dc22 2010007780 Th is book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials. Manufactured in the United States of America. Member of the Association of American University Presses CONTENTS Introduction: Philosophy and the Western 1 Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki Part 1. Th e Cowboy Way: Th e Essence of the Western Hero “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh, My Darling”: Loneliness and Solitude in Westerns 13 Shai Biderman Civilization and Its Discontents: Th e Self-Suffi cient Western Hero 31 Douglas J. Den Uyl Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pragmatists 55 B. Steve Csaki Two Ways to Yuma: Locke, Liberalism, and Western Masculinity in 3:10 to Yuma 69 Stephen J. Mexal Landscapes of Gendered Violence: Male Love and Anxiety on the Railroad 89 Lindsey Collins Part 2. Th e Code of the West: Th e Cowboy and Society “Order Out of the Mud”: Deadwood and the State of Nature 113 Paul A. Cantor Order without Law: Th e Magnifi cent Seven, East and West 139 Aeon J. Skoble From Dollars to Iron: Th e Currency of Clint Eastwood’s Westerns 149 David L. McNaron Th e Duty of Reason: Kantian Ethics in High Noon 171 Daw-Nay Evans Part 3. Outlaws: Challenging Conventions of the Western Th e Cost of the Code: Ethical Consequences in High Noon and Th e Ox-Bow Incident 187 Ken Hada “Back Off to What?” Th e Search for Meaning in Th e Wild Bunch 203 Richard Gaughran No Country for Old Men: Th e Decline of Ethics and the West(ern) 221 William J. Devlin Th e Northwestern: McCabe and Mrs. Miller 241 Deborah Knight and George McKnight Part 4. On the Fringe: Th e Encounter with the Other Savage Nations: Native Americans and the Western 261 Michael Valdez Moses Regeneration through Stories and Song: Th e View from the Other Side of the West in Smoke Signals 291 Richard Gilmore Go West, Young Woman! Hegel’s Dialectic and Women’s Identities in Western Films 309 Gary Heba and Robin Murphy Beating a Live Horse: Th e Elevation and Degradation of Horses in Westerns 329 Jennifer L. McMahon Selected Bibliography 351 List of Contributors 355 Index 359 INTRODUCTION Philosophy and the Western Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki What is it that compels people’s fascination with the American West? What motivated (and still motivates) individuals to pull up stakes and head west? Why do the travails of the cowboy remain so captivating when cowboy cul- ture is virtually extinct? Arguably, the perennial appeal of the American West is anchored in myth, a myth whose power persists in large part because it fi nds expression, among other places, in the literary and cinematic genre known as the western. Th e myth that westerns convey is both anchored in the history of the West and itself helped shape the historical settlement of the American fron- tier.1 It emerged from the stories of westward expansion: stories of those who moved west made their way back east as quickly as their subjects moved in the opposite direction.