Dirty Words in Deadwood
Literature and the Postwestern
- 360 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Only available on web
About This Book
Dirty Words in "Deadwood" showcases literary analyses of the Deadwood television series by leading western American literary critics. Whereas previous reaction to the series has largely addressed the question of historical accuracy rather than intertextuality or literary complexity, Melody Graulich and Nicolas S. Witschi's edited volume brings a much-needed perspective to Deadwood 's representation of the frontier West.
As Graulich observes in her introduction: "With its emotional coherence, compelling characterizations, compressed structural brilliance, moral ambiguity, language experiments, interpretation of the past, relevance to the present, and engagement with its literary forebears, Deadwood is an aesthetic triumph as historical fiction and, like much great literature, makes a case for the humanistic value of storytelling." From previously unpublished interviews with series creator David Milch to explorations of sexuality, disability, cinematic technique, and western narrative, this collection focuses on Deadwood as a series ultimately about the imagination, as a verbal and visual construct, and as a literary masterpiece that richly rewards close analysis and interpretation.
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Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Deadwoodâs Barbaric Yawp: Sharing a Literary Heritage
- Deadwood Episodes
- Deadwood Cast
- 1. David Milch at Yale: An Interview
- 2. Last Words in Deadwood
- 3. The Thinking of Al Swearengenâs Body: Kidney Stones, Pigpens, and Burkean Catharsis in Deadwood
- 4. âLand of Oblivionâ: Abjection, Broken Bodies, and the Western Narrative in Deadwood
- 5. The Final Stamp: Deadwood and the Gothic American Frontier
- 6. âDown These Mean Streetsâ: Film Noir, Deadwood, Cinematic Space, and the Irruption of Genre Codes
- 7. âRight or Wrong, You Side with Your Feelingsâ
- 8. âA Brooding and Dangerous Soulâ: Deadwoodâs Imperfect Music
- 9. Calamity Jane and Female Masculinity in Deadwood
- 10. Queer Spaces and Emotional Couplings in Deadwood
- 11. Who Put the Gun into the Whoreâs Hand? Disability in Deadwood
- Bibliography
- Contributors
- Index