We spent a lovely evening at Chris' home on the Columbia river. Western themed pot luck anchored with delicious chili was enjoyed by all. Also much conversation, including comments on the movie "The Book Club" which some of us had viewed together.
"The Virginian" is a classic, being written by Owen Wister in 1902. It was the first true fictional western novel written, which paved the way for this new genre. Being a classic, we all struggled with the written English of the day, it seeming so very formal. This slowed the reading as we had to concentrate on the author's meaning. I suppose novels written today will need to be full of footnotes describing phrases (OMG, LOL), actions (tweet, blog) and things (TSA) common today. This novel had all the elements you would include in a western: ranches, cattle, gambling, drinking, frontier justice. It establishes "the man of few words" figure which is central to most westerns. It also has romance (yes, the handsome cowboy gets the girl) as well as a portrait of what it means to be a man: living simply with nature and having a strong moral conviction. It is a study of action & violence, hate & revenge, friendship & love. It also illustrates that the conditions of society were similar over 100 years ago: social class, racism, quality vs. equality. "It's not a brave man who is dangerous, it's the coward who scares me."
We are gathering our next book picks, so be sure to contact Esther with your book title. Our July meeting will be held at Maureen's home on July 5th. Looking forward to seeing you there!
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