Texas literature
Encyclopedia
Texas literature is literature
about the history
and culture
of Texas
. It includes every literary genre
and dates from the time of the first European contact.
The earliest works relating to Texas were written in Spanish
and were primarily historical in nature. Authors and works include:
The first English
book which was solely about Texas was Texas (1833) by Mary Austin Holley
, cousin of Stephen F. Austin
. It was expanded in 1836 and retitled History of Texas.
A later author in this period, John Crittenden Duval
, was dubbed the "Father of Texas Literature" by J. Frank Dobie
. Duval wrote Early Times in Texas (serial form, 1868–71; book, 1892) and Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace (1872).
novels. The Alamo
figured prominently in many of these works by authors such as Augusta Evans Wilson, Amelia Edith Barr, and Jeremiah Clemens
.
and Walter Prescott Webb
. Other non-fiction writers about Texas include Edward C. Abbott, Tom (Thomas Calloway) Lea
, Paul Horgan
, J. Evetts Haley
and Sally Reynolds Matthews.
, The Virginian
, which had been published a year earlier.
Noteworthy authors of the 1930s include Edward Anderson
, whose novel Thieves Like Us
(1937) has been filmed twice: first in 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures as They Live by Night
, later in 1974 MGM/UA studios released Thieves Like Us
, directed by Robert Altman
.
Post-World War II
authors of fictional accounts of Texas include Benjamin Capps, Elmer Kelton
and Larry McMurtry
.
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
about the history
History of Texas
European conquistadors first arrived in the region now known as Texas in 1519, finding the region populated by various Native American tribes...
and culture
Culture of Texas
The culture of Texas has been a melting pot of the "Southern" and Southwestern culture, with pockets of colonies of ethnic groups in Texas also has an influx of people fromNorth America moving in to find oil...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It includes every literary genre
Literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
and dates from the time of the first European contact.
Non-fiction
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and were primarily historical in nature. Authors and works include:
- Álvar Núñez Cabeza de VacaÁlvar Núñez Cabeza de VacaÁlvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the New World, one of four survivors of the Narváez expedition...
— Relación (1542) - Alonso de BenavidesAlonso de BenavidesAlonso de Benavides was a Portuguese Franciscan missionary active in New Mexico, in the early part of the seventeenth century.His use of the term Navaho is said to be the first printed reference.-Life:...
— Memorials (1630–34)
The first English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
book which was solely about Texas was Texas (1833) by Mary Austin Holley
Mary Austin Holley
Mary Austin Holley was an American historical writer best known as the author of the first known English-language history of Texas, Texas , expanded in 1836 into History of Texas. She was a cousin of Stephen F. Austin, who arranged for Holley to receive a land grant on Galveston Bay...
, cousin of Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
. It was expanded in 1836 and retitled History of Texas.
A later author in this period, John Crittenden Duval
John Crittenden Duval
John Crittenden Duval was an American writer of Texas literature. He has been noted as being the first Texas man of letters and was dubbed the "Father of Texas Literature" by J. Frank Dobie. His Early Times in Texas was initially published serially in 1867 in Burke's Weekly and was finally...
, was dubbed the "Father of Texas Literature" by J. Frank Dobie
J. Frank Dobie
James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
. Duval wrote Early Times in Texas (serial form, 1868–71; book, 1892) and Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace (1872).
Fiction
Fiction about Texas was written starting in the early 19th century and consisted primarily of romantic historicalHistorical romance
Historical romance is a subgenre of two literary genres, the romance novel and the historical novel.-Definition:Historical romance is set before World War II...
novels. The Alamo
Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
figured prominently in many of these works by authors such as Augusta Evans Wilson, Amelia Edith Barr, and Jeremiah Clemens
Jeremiah Clemens
Jeremiah Clemens was a U.S. senator and novelist from the state of Alabama. He was elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Dixon Hall Lewis, and served from November 30, 1849 to March 3, 1853...
.
Non-fiction
Two seminal writers who wrote about Texas in the Western tradition are J. Frank DobieJ. Frank Dobie
James Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
and Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb was a 20th century U.S. historian and author noted for his groundbreaking historical work on the American West. As president of the Texas State Historical Association, he launched the project that produced the Handbook of Texas...
. Other non-fiction writers about Texas include Edward C. Abbott, Tom (Thomas Calloway) Lea
Thomas C. Lea, III
Thomas Calloway "Tom" Lea, III was a noted American muralist, illustrator, artist, war correspondent, novelist, and historian....
, Paul Horgan
Paul Horgan
Paul Horgan was an American author of fiction and non-fiction, most of which was set in the Southwestern United States. He was the recipient of two Pulitzer prizes in History...
, J. Evetts Haley
J. Evetts Haley
James Evetts Haley, Sr., usually known as J. Evetts Haley , was a Texas-born political activist and historian who wrote multiple works on the American West, including an enduring biography of legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight...
and Sally Reynolds Matthews.
Fiction
One of the most notable early 20th century works of Texas fiction was The Log of a Cowboy (1903) by Andy Adams. It was written in response to the immensely popular novel by Owen WisterOwen Wister
Owen Wister was an American writer and "father" of western fiction.-Early life:Owen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a well-known neighborhood in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of...
, The Virginian
The Virginian (novel)
This page is about the novel, for other uses see The Virginian .The Virginian is a pioneering 1902 novel set in the Wild West by the American author Owen Wister...
, which had been published a year earlier.
Noteworthy authors of the 1930s include Edward Anderson
Edward Anderson
Edward Anderson may refer to:*Ed O.G. , American hip-hop musician, born Edward Anderson*Eddie Anderson , Hall of Fame college football coach...
, whose novel Thieves Like Us
Thieves Like Us (novel)
Thieves Like Us was the second and last published novel written by Edward Anderson . It was published in 1937 by Frederick A. Stokes. See: Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s by Robert Polito , The Library of America [1997].Anderson later sold the movie rights for $500...
(1937) has been filmed twice: first in 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures as They Live by Night
They Live by Night
They Live by Night is a film noir, based on Edward Anderson's Depression era novel Thieves Like Us. The film was directed by Nicholas Ray and starred Farley Granger as "Bowie" Bowers and Cathy O'Donnell as "Keechie" Mobley...
, later in 1974 MGM/UA studios released Thieves Like Us
Thieves Like Us (film)
Thieves Like Us is a 1974 film directed by Robert Altman, starring Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall. The film was based on the novel Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson...
, directed by Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
.
Post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
authors of fictional accounts of Texas include Benjamin Capps, Elmer Kelton
Elmer Kelton
Elmer Stephen Kelton was an American journalist and writer, known particularly for his Western novels.-Biography:...
and Larry McMurtry
Larry McMurtry
Larry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas...
.
Further reading
- Almon, Bert. This Stubborn Self: Texas Autobiographies. Texas Christian University Press, 2002.
- Clifford, Craig, and Tom Pilkington, eds. Range Wars: Heated Debates, Sober Reflections, and Other Assessments of Texas Writing. Southern Methodist University Press, 1989.
- Dobie, J. FrankJ. Frank DobieJames Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
(1952). Life and Literature in the Southwest — Online version of the guide to books about Texas - Graham, Don, James W. Lee, and William T. Pilkington, eds. The Texas Literary Tradition: Fiction, Folklore, History. University of Texas at Austin, 1983.
- Graham, Don (ed.). Lone Star Literature: From the Red River to the Rio Grande. W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. ISBN 0393050432. Paperback, 2006. ISBN 0393328287
- Grider, Sylvia Ann, and Lou Halsell Rodenberger, eds. Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own. Texas A&M University Press, 1997.
- Pilkington, Tom. State of Mind: Texas Literature and Culture. Texas A&M University Press, 1998.