Did the ways that the American West was depicted in The Virginian continue to be reflected in ways of depicting the West throughout the rest of the twentieth- and into the twenty-first century? How, specifically?

I. Based on your reading of Owen Wister, The Virginian (1902), write an approximately five-page paper that addresses the following sets of questions, in essay format:

1) Where does the story take place? When? Who is the Virginian and how is he an idealized figure? Who is Molly and how is she an idealized figure?

2) According to the novel, what is truly democratic about America? How does this view work to naturalize social hierarchies? How might this view be considered an answer to the problem of the closing frontier? (Hint: Chapters 12, 13, and the final chapter are especially important for answering these questions.)

Finally, in your conclusion, answer this question:

3) Did the ways that the American West was depicted in The Virginian continue to be reflected in ways of depicting the West throughout the rest of the twentieth- and into the twenty-first century? How, specifically?

II. Technical Considerations

Your paper should have an introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Body paragraphs should have strong topic sentences that state the main point of each paragraph and also work to systematically develop the thesis. Evidence from the book which is the only source should be used to support each of these points.

Check your paper carefully for grammar, spelling, and awkward sentence constructions. Titles of books should be underlined or italicized. Never use the first person. Avoid contractions and ending sentences with prepositions. Always write in the past tense.

that needs to be used is the book itself, there is no need for citation at the end of the essay, please make sure that you write 5 pages of writings.