UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2007 Violating the feminine land, body, and spirit in Western American literature Gregory Alan Wright University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Wright, Gregory Alan, "Violating the feminine land, body, and spirit in Western American literature" (2007). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 2734. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/qxlp-x41f This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. VIOLATING THE FEMININE LAND, BODY, AND SPIRIT IN WESTERN AMERICAN LITERATURE by Gregory Alan Wright Associate of Arts Snow College, Utah 1996 Bachelor of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1996 Master of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1999 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in English Department of English College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3261090 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3261090 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Gregory Wright 2007 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dissertation Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas A p r il 11 ■ 20 07 The Dissertation prepared by Gregory Alan Wright Entitled Violating the Feminine Land, Body, and Spirit in Western American L it e r a t u r e is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English_________________________ Examitiatim Conmntiee Chair Dean of the Graduate College Exa mination Committee Member -examination Committee Member Graduate College FacMty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Violating the Feminine Land, Body, and Spirit in Western American Literature by Gregory Alan Wright Dr. P. Jane Hafen, Examination Committee Chair Professor of English University of Nevada, Las Vegas The literature of the American West, much like the history of this region, is replete with images and stories of violence. Although pop culture (i.e. popular Westerns, film, television, etc.) has inculcated the idea that the West is synonymous with violence, the origins of this supposition begins with the arrival of Europeans to the New World, which, at the point of discovery, signified the West. European conquerors and colonists brought with them, along with their hopes and dreams for a fresh start on the new continent, the Judeo-Christian cultural values and traditions of the old continent. This ideological position condoned violent interaction with and subjugation of the wilderness that lay before them, which Europeans invariably gendered female. As commercial, political, and religious interests moved the frontier westward across the continent, from the Atlantic seaboard, beyond the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, and to the Pacific Coast, a wake of broken, tamed, and violated feminine bodies followed. The works of Frank Norris, Sarah Winnemucca (Northern Paiute), and Terry Tempest Williams detail and examine the means, motivations, and implications of violence on the feminine-gendered 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. land and in the lives of women. As Norris, Winnemucca, and Williams demonstrate, violence committed against the feminine does not have simply regional ramifications but cultural and global consequences as well. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: MASCULINE "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT": THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE FEME^INE IN WESTERN AMERICAN LITERATURE..................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 "SO VIOLENT AS TO BE VERITABLY BRUTAL": RAPE FANTASIES IN FRANK NORRIS'S MCTEAGUE AND THE OCTOPUS......................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 3 "WE ARE TREATED BY WHITE SAVAGES AS IF WE ARE SAVAGES": TEXTUAL AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN SARAH WINNEMUCCA HOPKINS'S LIFE AMONG THE PIUTES..................79 CHAPTER 4 "WE ARE NO MORE AND NO LESS THAN THE LIFE THAT SURROUNDS US": CHALLENGING PATRIARCHAL VIOLENCE IN THE WORKS OF TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS...........................126 CHAPTER 5 "DEEP IN HIS VIOLENT AND IRRITABLE AND RESTLESS BLOOD": DEFILING THE FEMININE AND THE FALLACY OF "REGENERATION THROUGH VIOLENCE".........................................168 NOTES.........................................................................................................................................175 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................197 VITA......................................................... 221 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to all of the people who have guided, encouraged, and supported me in this project. I am indebted to my chair. Dr. P. Jane Hafen, who has provided constant direction and has spurred me on by roaring softly when I needed inspiration and reassurance. I would also like to thank the members of my committee—Dr. Joseph B. McCullough, Dr. John H. Irsfeld, and Dr. Willard H. Rollings—who have imparted their wisdom and knowledge and have modeled for me the true nature of scholar and professional. I want to acknowledge the important roles that my colleagues, friends, and family have played throughout this process. Dr. Ann Craun has always listened and helped me to keep my sanity. Dr. Patrice Hollrah has prompted me to be a better reader, writer, and thinker. My parents have always encouraged me to get an education and to take advantages of the opportunities that were never theirs. They have provided me the time and support needed to accomplish this project. I must especially thank my wife Tiffany and my son Evan, whose love and motivation could only allow me to succeed. They have stood by me and have sacrificed much towards the completion of this dissertation. Finally, I want to acknowledge the women in my life who have survived sexual violence and to dedicate this work to the courage and strength they have shown in their resilience. VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: MASCULINE "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT": THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE FEMININE IN WESTERN AMERICAN LITERATURE The literature of the American West, much like the history of this region, is replete with images and stories of violence. While the dime novels of the 1800s, the contemporary pop Westerns of Louis L'Amour and Max Brand, the television serials of the 1950s and 1960s like Gunsmoke and The Lone Ranger, and the Westerns of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood further inculcated the idea that the West was synonymous with violence, the origins of this concept began with the arrival of Euro- Americans to the New World, which, at the point of discovery, signified the West. The European conquerors and colonists brought with them, along with their hopes and dreams for a fresh start on the new continent, the Judeo-Christian cultural values and traditions of the old continent. This ideology condoned violent interaction with and subjugation of the wilderness before them, which