One West, one myth: transborder continuity in Western art.

In American and Canadian literature, the notion of one West, two myths seems plausible. The large "W" Western--formula fiction in which violence resolves a conflict between good and evil--expresses distinctly American cultural values, the argument goes, constituting a Puritan morality play.

And it is also possible to argue for subtle differences in the presentation of the American and Canadian Wests even in a grimly realistic, transnational literature like the prairie or farming novel in which the heavy hand of environmental determinism would seem to impose sameness. (1) ...

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