Sagebrush School
| Sagebrush School | |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | American Old West |
| Features | Hoaxes, wit, audacity, irreverent attitude |
| Subgenres | |
| Drama, essays, fiction, history, humor, journalism, memoirs, and poetry | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Nevada Territory, California | |
The Sagebrush School refers to the literary movement written by the men of Nevada. The sagebrush shrub is prevalent in the state. It was a broad-based movement as it included various literary genres such as drama, essays, fiction, history, humor, journalism, memoirs, and poetry.[1]
The roots of the movement were in the American Old West. The Sagebrush School was the main contributor to American literature from Nevada's mining frontier during the period of 1859 to 1914.[2] There were several characteristics of this movement that distinguished it from others, such as literary talent;[3] these authors were known to be intelligent and accomplished writers. The style included hoaxes, wit, audacity, or an irreverent attitude.[2] The inspiration for the movement began with Joseph T. Goodman of the Virginia City, Nevada Territory's Territorial Enterprise. The most notable of the Sagebrush School writers,[4] and a Territorial Enterprise journalist, was Mark Twain.[5] [1] In 2009, the Sagebrush School was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.[4]
Writers
- Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
- Rollin M. Daggett
- Samuel Post Davis
- Dan DeQuille
- Alfred R. Doten
- James W. Gally
- Charles Carroll Goodwin
- Fred H. Hart
- Arthur McEwen
- Henry Rust Mighels
- John Franklin Swift
- James William Emery Townsend
- Joseph Wasson
Anthologies
- Basso, Dave, Sagebrush Chronicles (1971)
- --, The Sagebrush Anthology: Literature from the Silver Age of the Old West (2006)
References
- 1 2 Crow, Charles L. (16 July 2003). A companion to the regional literatures of America. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 334–. ISBN 978-0-631-22631-4. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- 1 2 Berkove, Lawrence (May 20, 2011). "Sagebrush School". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ Western Literature Association (U.S.) (1997). Updating the literary West. TCU Press. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-0-87565-175-0. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- 1 2 "The Sagebrush School Nevada Writers Hall of Fame 2009". University of Nevada, Reno. October 28, 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ Mighels, Ella Sterling (1893). The story of the files: a review of California writers and literature (Public domain ed.). Cooperative printing co. pp. 102–. Retrieved 26 February 2012.