Western (genre)

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The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier, commonly referred to as the “Old West” or “Wild West”. Stories in the genre are most commonly set during the period of westward expansion in the 19th century, particularly from the mid-19th century (around the time of the California Gold Rush) through the closing of the American frontier in 1890, although works may be set outside this period. The American Film Institute’s definition of the Western focuses on the American West and the “spirit, struggle, and demise” of the frontier rather than imposing exact dates. The genre is commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. The frontier is depicted in Western fiction as a sparsely populated, often lawless region inhabited by cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, gunslingers, settlers, soldiers, and Native Americans. Western narratives frequently concern the settlement...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Stanley L. Wood (1866-1928), Public domain