|
Bibliography An Overview Movie
Adaptations
by Barry Veinotte |
The oral tradition of storytelling taught to him in his youth strongly influenced L'Amour's subject matter and narrative style. His books were written to be read aloud, hence the easy flowing style, great historical detail, and careful portrayal of time and place. The reader is given the detail required to envision the surroundings with little effort, and is given a strong and accurate sense of the environment of the time and place in which the story occurs. L'Amour's stories, like the epic plots typical of oral
literature, are filled with adventure, color, and the age old struggle between good and
evil. His heroes, who often narrate the stories in the first person, are usually strong,
brave men, who struggle with their conscience and sense of independence as they
pursue their quest to settle the West and make permanent homes for themselves. Often the
hero, early in the story, will so value their independence and freedom and roaming
lifestyle, that when they do settle down near the end of the book, the reader shares the
While many other Western writers limit their definition of
civilization to include only whites, L'Amour deals with a much broader scope. While his
Heroes are often white males, they are constantly faced with conflicting feelings about the land
of the Indians being overtaken by the white man, and they respect and
The Native Americans in L'Amours novels are endowed with
the same strong sense of family and
Once popularity demanded that he no longer be ignored, critics faulted L'Amour's work for the repetition of characters, his confusing tendency to switch between first and third person narration in the same passage, and in some cases, an overwhelming amount of historical details that detracted from the action of the plot. L'Amour claimed that he never revised his work. there was one draft - the first and final. Some critics felt that his work could have benefited from some revision. Other critics however, praised L'Amour for his storytelling abilities, memorable characters, complex family structures, and his humorous, evocative narrative technique. L'Amour never gained a solid critical standing, perhaps in part because of the narrow views that existed in some corners of the literary establishment against the "Western" novel. However his legacy is a huge and valuable chronicle of the American Past, entertaining us with tales filled with history, that will echoed his voice for many, many years to come.
|
characters emotional conflict. Tyrel Sackett, to name just
one, encounters violent weather, hostile Indians, rustlers, and his own conflicting
feelings about settling down, and meets and conquers each of these challenges with
integrity and honor. L'Amour's heroes do not die in the course of their battles, but are
always ready to die, bravely and honorably for that which they believe in. The main
characters seldom stand alone; as in the Sackett family, to which L'Amour devoted some
seventeen novels, family values run high, and members will quite literally travel across
the country to come to the aid of another. The Sackett novels provide a framework for
L'Amour's philosophy of civilization. Family loyalty and the complex extended family
structures that he created comprise the social, moral, and value systems by which his
characters live. Acting contrary to the values defined by the family is considered
unacceptable. Lawlessness is defined by the acting in contrast to family values.
honor, as they fight to keep their culture amidst the arrival of more and
more white men to their land. 
