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Literary Landscapes of the American West, 1872-1968

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Literary Landscapes of the American West, 1872-1968 PIONEERING THE SOCIAL IMAGINATION: LITERARY LANDSCAPES OF THE AMERICAN WEST, 1872-1968 ________________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board ________________________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ________________________________________________________________________ by Caitlin Hudgins December 2016 Examining Committee Members: Miles Orvell, Advisory Chair, English and American Studies James Salazar, English Sue-Im Lee, English Andrew Isenberg, External Member, History, Temple University © Copyright 2016 by Caitlin Hudgins All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates why literary dreams of the West have been categorically dismissed as mythical. Western critics and authors, ranging from Thomas Jefferson to Owen Wister to Patricia Nelson Limerick, have sought to override dreams of the West by representing the western genre as, in Jane Tompkins’ words, a “craving for material reality.” This focus on authenticity betrays an antipathy to the imagination, which is often assumed to be fantastical, escapist, or utopian – groundless, and therefore useless. Such a prejudice, however, has blinded scholars to the value of the dreams of western literary characters. My project argues that the western imagination, far from constituting a withdrawal from reality, is worthy of critical attention because it is grounded in the land itself: the state of the land is directly correlated to a character’s ability to formulate a reliable vision of his setting, and this image can enable or disable agency in that space. By investigating changes in western land practices such as gold- mining, homesteading, and transportation, I show that the ways characters imagine western landscapes not only model historical interpretations of the West but also allow for literary explorations of potential responses to the land’s real social, political, and economic conditions. This act of imagining, premised on Louis Althusser’s explanation of ideology, follows Arjun Appadurai’s conception of the imagination as “social practice.” Ultimately, my dissertation explores geographical visions in western novels across the 20th century in order to demonstrate the imagination’s vital historical function in the creation of the West. iii For Panda iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a dissertation is no feat for a Lone Ranger. In completing this project, I have depended on the enthusiastic cheerleading and patient support of more friends, family members, advisors, mentors, and programs than I could have imagined. First and foremost, I could not have gotten to this point without my dissertation advisory committee’s guidance. James Salazar helped me to flesh out my options for the project in its beginning stages and offered insightful, challenging comments on chapter drafts. Sue- Im Lee gave me excellent ideas for tightening my key concepts and overall framework, and reminded me to celebrate my progress along the way. And Miles Orvell, my chair, provided much-needed advice on organizing individual chapters, inspiration for tracing the project’s larger trajectory, and West-themed encouragement to pioneer onward without letting my writing trail off into the dust. In addition to my committee, I am grateful to Peter Logan, Petra Goode, and all the student and faculty fellows at the Center for Humanities at Temple for providing me with a teaching-free semester, an office with a window, and an intellectual community in which to hone my fourth chapter and begin my fifth. I am also thankful to Temple’s College of Liberal Arts for the Dissertation Completion Grant that allowed me to focus on wrapping up my project during this final spring semester. Finally, I am indebted to my students, who were not shy about telling me how bored they were by Frederick Jackson Turner, who challenged me to step up my teaching game, and who turned me on to new ways of thinking about the West. Unofficial, semi-institutional thanks are also in order. The weekly e-mail shout- outs and check-ins from Jackie Partyka, Beth Seltzer, Sara Curnow Wilson, Leslie Allison, Nicole Priest-Cesare, Tiffany Derewal, and Ted Howell were amazingly v motivating and comforting. Writing a dissertation is hard, and these fascinating, funny, lively scholar-friends gave me the assurance that I was not alone in my struggles, the practical tips for navigating the bureaucracy surrounding the process, and the encouragement to keep pushing through every word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter. This group was especially important during my potentially isolating fellowship and grant semesters, and I am particularly thankful for all the South Philly Work Crew days at various coffee shops and rowhomes that provided both the happiness of human contact and the satisfaction of completing many more pomodoros than I possibly would have on my own. And without Colbert Root – who read every draft as if it were the most important thing on his plate, who was perpetually available to Gchat about ideology, who taught me to argue, who made profound statements about democracy over PBR, and who probably knows my project better than I do – I would without a doubt have lost the West. Finally, I want to thank those beyond Temple for helping me gain perspective on the otherwise all-encompassing bubble of my dissertation. Brittany Root and Juliana Rausch were invaluable in giving me space to let off steam about work and life, usually over margaritas. These ladies have been my rocks. Meanwhile, my undergrad friends Ali Migdal, Megan Pallay, and Tejal Patel have all been amazing at cheering on my progress from afar, long after they all became “real” doctors. From Austin, Stephanie Malak showed me how to be a tough cookie on the path to the PhD. And from Las Vegas, Rita Smith has been the most steadfast BFF I could ask for, and deserves a prize for buying an airplane ticket to Philly immediately after I announced my defense date. To my parents, I owe a lot to your literary blood. I’m grateful to my dad, Chris Hudgins, for taking a job at UNLV in 1976, and for providing the foundation for this dissertation vi by falling in love with the West and raising me to do the same. I can’t imagine getting through grad school without my mom, Marsha Tarte, who has always provided a shoulder to cry on, whose snail mail brings me joy, and who believes in me across the sky. To my step-parents: Bob Tarte, I didn’t accept it as a kid, but you were right: 6am really is the best time to get work done. Pam Egan, Montana is very much on our short list, should we have a choice. And last but not least, I am beyond grateful to my husband, Dave Errigo, who took me on just as I had begun studying for my comprehensive exams. He has borne the brunt of my PhD journey, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to ride off into the sunset with him by my side. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………...…iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………...v CHAPTER INTRODUCTION: ENVISIONING SPACE AND MOVEMENT IN THE WEST…….ix 1. THE VAGABOND IMAGINATION IN MARK TWAIN’S ROUGHING IT: “QUEER VICISSITUDES” OF ROMANCE AND REALISM IN THE NEVADA TERRITORY…………………………………………………………………………...1 2. THE SETTLER’S IMAGINATION IN WILLA CATHER’S O PIONEERS!: INVESTIGATION AND SYMPATHY IN AN UNFURNISHED WEST………….55 3. THE OUTSIDER’S IMAGINATION IN AMÉRICO PAREDES’ GEORGE WASHINGTON GÓMEZ: STAGING VICTORY AND FLEEING THE SCENE IN THE BORDERLANDS....………………………………………………………...89 4. THE CIRCULAR IMAGINATION IN NATHANAEL WEST’S THE DAY OF THE LOCUST: SEARCHING FOR ORDER IN HOLLYWOODLAND…..……...134 5. THE DELIBERATIVE IMAGINATION IN JOHN STEINBECK’S EAST OF EDEN: THE MENTALITY OF FREE WILL IN THE SALINAS VALLEY……...181 6. THE POSTURING IMAGINATION IN N. SCOTT MOMADAY’S HOUSE MADE OF DAWN: VISIONS OF U.S. INDIAN POLICY………………………....218 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………271 REFERENCES CITED…………………………………………………………………278 viii INTRODUCTION ENVISIONING SPACE AND MOVEMENT IN THE WEST On January 10, 2016, Disneyland’s American West-themed Frontierland began to be dismantled. Set for the chopping block were Big Thunder Ranch and its outposts, including its “authentic” log cabin,1 its petting zoo, and its barbecue joint (Ybarra). The closure of Frontierland makes way for an expansion of Tomorrowland, namely a 14-acre Star Wars-themed park inspired by the 2015 film The Force Awakens (H. Martin). By replacing the mock-up of the historical West with representations of a galaxy far, far away, the most magical place on earth is abandoning a rehashed past in favor of an exciting future. Stories of the West, after all, are attached (however loosely) to actual historical events, putting restrictions on the imaginative leeway available to both the park and its visitors. Indeed, Americans are so schooled in the myths of sand and sagebrush, cowboys and Indians, and saloons and gun duels that these once thrilling western adventures have become so familiar as to be dull. By replacing these worn-out symbols with those of a new “frontier” – fantasies of untold technology, mysterious black holes, and extraterrestrial life – Disney positions its “imagineers” and their audience in a realm in which not even the sky is the limit. In many ways, however, Disneyland is late to the party in shutting down its ode to the American West as a space that inspires imagination. In fact, explorers, politicians, and academics have been aiming to “conquer” the western imagination for centuries, beginning with Thomas Jefferson’s impetus to “demystify” the 1 According to Bob Ybarra, a building designer who helped to plan the cabin, it was important to Disney’s “imagineers” that any modern elements – bolts and other “structural hardware” – be concealed to maintain a historically accurate aesthetic. The cabin’s logs were real, provided by the Montana-based company Rocky Mountain Log Homes. ix western territory of the Louisiana Purchase through scientific exploration (Goetzmann and Goetzmann 434).
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