Home > Art & Photography > Art forms > Non-graphic art forms > Electronic, holographic & video art > Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .
22%
Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .

Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .

          
5
4
3
2
1

Out of Stock


Premium quality
Premium quality
Bookswagon upholds the quality by delivering untarnished books. Quality, services and satisfaction are everything for us!
Easy Return
Easy return
Not satisfied with this product! Keep it in original condition and packaging to avail easy return policy.
Certified product
Certified product
First impression is the last impression! Address the book’s certification page, ISBN, publisher’s name, copyright page and print quality.
Secure Checkout
Secure checkout
Security at its finest! Login, browse, purchase and pay, every step is safe and secured.
Money back guarantee
Money-back guarantee:
It’s all about customers! For any kind of bad experience with the product, get your actual amount back after returning the product.
On time delivery
On-time delivery
At your doorstep on time! Get this book delivered without any delay.
Notify me when this book is in stock
Add to Wishlist

About the Book

This book considers the presence of the supernatural and Gothic elements of the Western on screen. These dark and sinister undertones often exist in Western narratives to draw attention to the ever-present issue of death and its haunting resonance and at times as terrifying entities which characters encounter. This book examines this through key historic moments in Western film and its contemporary incarnations. The book detects imposing correlations in themes and currents between the Gothic and the Western tradition as much as Greek tragedy. These themes are the tensions between the old and the new, the deranged insistence on civility and order in a chaotic landscape, disillusionment and the shattering of faith in the natural order, and even order itself. The Western, just like the Gothic tale, reminds us that new frontiers are mired in the past; optimism and survival are hunted down by the guilt-ridden anxieties of that past.

This book demonstrates and illuminates the uncanny coalition that can be seen between these two traditions epitomised in the tales of the spectral West. Take, for instance, the seminal psychological Western of the 1950s, The Searchers (1956), where the unspoken horrors of the past haunts the behaviour of the anti-hero, Ethan Edwards (played by John Wayne) and is an omnipresent as well as a daunting presence which looms all through the narrative of the film; or Sicario (2016) where a naive FBI agent (played by Emily Blunt) is horrified by the malevolence of inhumanity which haunts borders in conflict and makes a mockery of morality. But most important to both films, as well as to countless others, is the brooding presence of the landscape itself, which intrudes like a haunted entity.

This tension has often presented a dilemma in such a recognisable genre. As Steve Neale has suggested, there is a problem with the 'central role of iconography in the Western'. It is as if, according to Neil Campbell, 'by the very nature of its mythic representations' there exists 'a type of hyper-reality, a simulation reproducing images conforming to some already defined, but possibly non-existent, sense of West-ness'. And yet, as the book demonstrates, rather than being hyper-real, and by definition not 'real', these mythic 'representations' are ghostly or spectral revenants. Through that process, we may then be able to distinguish, not indeed a problem or a dilemma, but a more deeply felt connection between the past and the present, and any hope of a worthwhile future.


Best Sellers



Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781839987922
  • Publisher: Anthem Press
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .
  • Width: 152 mm
  • ISBN-10: 1839987928
  • Publisher Date: 03 Jun 2025
  • Height: 229 mm
  • No of Pages: 250
  • Spine Width: 25 mm
  • Weight: 454 gr


Similar Products

How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Bookswagon?

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS           
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .
Anthem Press -
Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Spectral West: Super-Nature and the Gothic in the Western Film .

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book
    Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept

    New Arrivals



    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!