English 8:114
The Literature
of the American West

Syllabus • Course Requirements • Texts • Schedule • Resources

Resources

Be aware when using these sites that they are not necessarily authoritative or even correct. Those with the note that they are for the University of Iowa only can be depended on. For accurate and effective research you must come to the Library. If you are unsure of how to begin your research, I will be glad to help. Contact me at:kathy-magarrell@uiowa.edu or phone 335-5093.

Mark Twain

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Roughing It. Full text of the 1871 edition from the Library of Congress.
• Mark Twain In His Times. This interpretive archive, drawn largely from the resources of the Barrett Collection, focuses on how "Mark Twain" and his works were created and defined, marketed and performed, reviewed and appreciated. The goal is to allow readers, scholars, students and teachers to see what Mark Twain and His Times said about each other, in a way that can speak to us today. From the University of Virginia.
• Mark Twain in Cyberspace. Lots of links to academic sites and oddities.
• Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calverness County. 1867 edition

Helen Hunt Jackson

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Perspectives in American Literature, Jackson site with an academic bent.
• Romona Hall, by the Romona Chamber of Congress. A town near San Diego named after the novel.
• Ramona. Electronic text.

Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin)

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Contemporary Authors(University of Iowa only).
• Zitkala-Sa site with connections to full texts of some of her works (but not of American Indian Stories.
• Lakota Dakota Information Homepage. Numerous links for finding out more about Zitkala Sa's tribe.
• Zitkala Sa and the Boarding School Experience. Some additional links.

John Muir

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• John Muir Bibliography. Numerous links to works by and about Muir.
• John Muir Exhibit. The Mountains of California with his descriptive texts and photos. Very Nice.
• Total Yellowstone Page. Numerous links
• John Muir National Historic Site Homepage. From the National Park Service.
• Take a Walk Along John Muir Trail. One hundred photos.
• John Muir Exhibit. From the Sierra Club.

Mary Austin

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Land of Little Rain. Full text from the University of Virginia.
• Mary Austin's Home
• Mary Austin: Literature at SunSite (Berkeley Digital Library)

Willa Cather

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Willa Cather Homepage. Extensive. From Harvard

Sui Sin Far (Edith Maude Eaton)

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Contemporary Authors (University of Iowa only).
• Photograph portrait
• Somewhat of a homepage

John Steinbeck

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• John Steinbeck Page. Extensive links. University of Southern Mississippi

Raymond Chandler

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Contemporary Authors (University of Iowa only).
• Raymond Chandler Website

Wakako Yamauchi

• Voices from the Gaps: Yamauchi Homepage with links

James Welch

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• James Welch links

Zane Grey

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Zane Grey's West Society. Very throrough.

Bret Harte

• Biographical and bibliographic information from Dictionary of Literary Biography (University of Iowa only).
• Art of the Luck of Roaring Camp

Miscellaneous

Native Americans

• Links to North American Indian Sites

Asian Americans

• Asian American Literature : A BRIEF INTRODUCTION AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY by Amy Ling. A good introduction from an important scholar
• Teaching Asian American Literature by Amy Ling
• Chinese Historical Society of America Homepage. Links to scholarly works
• Japanese American Website. Extensive. The History section is particularly relevant with a link to a Japanese internment site.

The West

• American Memory Project Homepage An excellent resource created by the Library of Congress in conjunction with the major research institutions in the US. This is a national effort to record the visual history of our country and is of considerable value to research and scholarship. You will need to work your way around it through the chronological aids and it is well worth your efforts.

• The West. A hodgepodge of everything: Native American Tribes; American western expansion; gunslingers and outlaws; European immigration; pioneer towns; women of the west; cowboys and cowgirls; buffalos and much more. A good site for when you have nothing else to do.

• No Place but Texas. Once again, most everything. For your leisure time.

• California State Homepage. Click on "History and Culture of California."

• Cowboys & Cowgirls.

• Pioneer Trails from U.S. Land Surveys

• Links to Personalities of the West "Cowboys and Gunslingers, Good Guys and Bad And Cowboy Related Pages!"