Abstract
[Excerpt] Return of the Western: Refracting Genre, Representing Gender in the Twenty-First Century offers a compelling exploration of the evolution of Western cinema in the contemporary era, with a sharp focus on how genre and gender intersect in modem depictions of the American frontier. The volume opens with an Introduction that situates the collection within the historical and cultural legacies of Theodore Roosevelt’s frontier mythology and Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis, noting that, for Roosevelt, history was understood as “continuous and progressive” (Matheson 1). This perspective frames the contemporary Western as a genre negotiating the aftermath of the frontier’s closure and reexamining the myths that once defined American identity. Following the Introduction, the book is organized into three sections, each probing critical transformations in the Western as it grapples with contemporary cultural, social, and political realities. Through an analysis of both film and television-from Open Range (2003) and Yah$i Batz (2010) to Yellowstone (2020-) and Westworld (2016–2022)-the essays explore how the frontier ideal has been redefined in modem contexts. They examine how American masculinity and femininity are reshaped in contemporary Westerns, reflecting broader shifts in national identity, cultural anxiety, and gender politics. The collection also highlights the resurgence of Neo-Westems and genre mash-ups, showing how these reimagined narratives confront the anxieties of modem America while casting a critical light on the myth of the frontier as a regenerative force for nation building.