The Social, Psychological and Cultural Significance of Westerns

Arthur Asa Berger

Eph 2023 · Cambridge Scholars Publishing

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This book is about cowboy Western books and two important Western films, Shane and High Noon. Its focus is on the psychological, social, and cultural significance of Westerns, a narrative genre of major importance in American popular culture. What you will find, as you read this book, is that while the stories may have relatively simple plot lines, compared to classic novels, and are based on certain formulas, their psychological significance and cultural importance is a very complicated matter. Fans of Westerns read them to entertain themselves but, as will be shown—in considerable detail—there’s more to reading Westerns, or any novel, than meets the eye. This text presents the idea that people read Westerns because these stories provide certain psychological and social pleasures, payoffs, and benefits.

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Arthur Asa Berger is Professor Emeritus of Broadcast and Electric Communication at San Francisco State University, where he taught from 1965 until 2003. He is the author of more than 150 articles and 90 books on media studies, communication research methods, popular culture, semiotics, humor, and tourism. His books have been translated into nine languages and he has lectured at universities in thirty countries.