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The Winning of the West: Washington Irving's A Tour on the Prairies.(Critical Essay)

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From: Yearbook of English Studies
Date: 20040101
Author:Reynolds, Guy

ABSTRACT

This article provides a historicist reading of Washington Irving's A Tour on the Prairies. It explores his representation of the American West within a context established by historical and literary figures, including Andrew Jackson and Frederick Jackson Turner. Key topics are the Frontier, the representation of the Native American, writing and the environment. The broad thesis is that this overlooked text was an early but telling contribution to the literature of American nationalism.

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Is there a politics of travel? Is there, to be more specific, ...

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