Literature about the history and culture of Texas
Texas literature
is
literature
about the
history
and
culture
of
Texas
. It ranges broadly in
literary genres
and dates from the time of the
first European contact
. Representative authors include
Mary Austin Holley
and
Katherine Anne Porter
.
Literature through the nineteenth century
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Non-fiction
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The earliest works relating to Texas were written in
Spanish
and were primarily historical in nature. Authors and works include:
[1]
The first
English
book which was solely about Texas was
Texas
(1833) by
Mary Austin Holley
, cousin of
Stephen F. Austin
. It was expanded in 1836 and retitled
History of Texas
.
[1]
A later author in this period,
John Crittenden Duval
, was dubbed the "Father of Texas Literature" by
J. Frank Dobie
. Duval wrote
Early Times in Texas
(serial form, 1868–71; book, 1892) and
Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace
(1872).
[1]
Fiction
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Fiction about Texas was written starting in the early 19th century and consisted primarily of
romantic historical
novels. The
Alamo
figured prominently in many of these works by authors such as
Augusta Evans Wilson
and
Jeremiah Clemens
.
[1]
1900 to the present
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]
Non-fiction
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]
Two seminal writers who wrote about Texas in the Western tradition are
J. Frank Dobie
and
Walter Prescott Webb
. Other non-fiction writers about Texas include
Tom (Thomas Calloway) Lea
,
Paul Horgan
, and
J. Evetts Haley
.
[1]
Fiction
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One of the most notable early 20th century works of Texas fiction was
The Log of a Cowboy
(1903) by
Andy Adams
. It was written in response to the immensely popular novel by
Owen Wister
,
The Virginian
, which had been published a year earlier.
[1]
Joseph A. Altsheler
wrote a trilogy of Texas fiction in his series
The Texan Star
(1912),
The Texan Scouts
(1913), and
The Texan Triumph
(1913).
Noteworthy authors of the 1930s include Edward Anderson, whose novel
Thieves Like Us
(1937) has been filmed twice:
[1]
first in 1949 by
RKO Radio Pictures
as
They Live by Night
, later in 1974
MGM/UA
studios released
Thieves Like Us
, directed by
Robert Altman
. This period also included the work of
pulp magazine
authors, such as
Robert E. Howard
[2]
and
Jim Thompson
.
[3]
Born in Indian Creek,
Katherine Anne Porter
is arguably the finest 20th century short-story writer from the state.
[4]
Her childhood home in Kyle was dedicated as a National Literary Landmark in 2002.
[5]
Post-
World War II
authors of fictional accounts of Texas include
Elmer Kelton
and
Larry McMurtry
.
[1]
Cormac McCarthy
[6]
and
Gloria Anzaldua
[7]
are contemporary writers whose work is set in the state.
See also
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References
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Further reading
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]
- Almon, Bert.
This Stubborn Self: Texas Autobiographies
. Texas Christian University Press, 2002.
- Clifford, Craig, and Tom Pilkington, eds.
Range Wars: Heated Debates, Sober Reflections, and Other Assessments of Texas Writing
. Southern Methodist University Press, 1989.
- Dobie, J. Frank
(1952).
Life and Literature in the Southwest
— Online version of the guide to books about Texas
- Graham, Don, James W. Lee, and William T. Pilkington, eds.
The Texas Literary Tradition: Fiction, Folklore, History
. University of Texas at Austin, 1983.
- Graham, Don (ed.).
Lone Star Literature: From the Red River to the Rio Grande
. W. W. Norton & Company, 2003.
ISBN
0-393-05043-2
. Paperback, 2006.
ISBN
0-393-32828-7
- Grider, Sylvia Ann, and Lou Halsell Rodenberger, eds.
Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own
. Texas A&M University Press, 1997.
- Knight, Lucian Lamar, ed. (1913).
"Fifty Reading Courses: Texas"
.
Library of Southern Literature
. Vol. 16. Atlanta: Martin and Hoyt Company. p. 214+.
hdl
:
2027/uc1.31175034925258
– via HathiTrust.
- Pilkington, Tom.
State of Mind: Texas Literature and Culture
. Texas A&M University Press, 1998.
- Wiesepape, Betty Holland (2004).
Lone Star Chapters: The Story of Texas Literary Clubs
. Texas A&M University Press.
ISBN
978-1-58544-324-6
.
External links
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