In his new book Post-Westerns Neil Campbell explains his rationale for using the term with the hyphen, and it would seem pertinent to the thought that using the hyphen after the “post” relates to discussions of genre (Neil is addressing film westerns in the book).
And yet, with regard to Krista Comer’s recent introduction to the WAL special issue devoted to younger scholars and with regard, as Sara mentions, to Susan Kollin’s edited collection, “postwestern” appears to have become—as is the case with “postmodern”/”postmodernism”/”postmodernity”—the authoritative term. I would only add that “post-western” with the hyphen suggests a decisive break with modernity/modern, which is problematic. “Postwestern,” like “postregional (my preferred term for what it’s worth), suggests an orientation toward an emergent condition, but one where the residue of the past still obtains. If one considers as well the occasional use of a term/concept like “post-postmodernism,” then using another hyphen if one wanted to talk about “post-post-western” seems out of joint.
Best,
Stephen Tatum
Professor of English
University of Utah
255 S. Central Campus Drive, Rm. #3500
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
801-581-4035 (office)
________________________________
From: Western Literature discussion [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Spurgeon, Sara [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 8:44 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: post? west
I think the general trend in “post”-ing is sans hyphen. I hardly ever see post-modern any more. And postmodern without the hyphen gets recognized by spell check as a legitimate word. Combine that with Susan’s Postwestern and I say we have an authoritative decision.
From: Western Literature discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jennifer Tuttle
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 7:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: post? west
I would argue for postwestern, as I am thinking you refer to that amorphous thing we are still figuring out--an ethos, a moment, a phenomenon, right? A theoretical framework? Do you think Susan Kollin made a case for using a single, unhyphenated word in Postwestern Cultures? If so, there is precedent for this neologism. If not, then of course that is interesting, too.
If you are referring more specifically to something following the Western as a genre, then i would agree with Drucilla. But I understood your query differently.
Best,
Jennifer
~~~~~~~~~~~
Jennifer S. Tuttle
Dorothy M. Healy Professor of Literature and Health
Faculty Director, Maine Women Writers Collection
Editor, Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers
Department of English
University of New England
11 Hills Beach Rd.
Biddeford, Maine 04005
207 221-4433
________________________________
From: Western Literature discussion <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> on behalf of Tom Lynch <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 5:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: post? west
An editor's question:
postwestern or
post-western, or
post-Western?
And why?
-Tom
---
Tom Lynch
Professor
Chair, Undergraduate Studies
Editor, Western American Literature
Department of English
202 Andrews Hall
P.O. Box 880333
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0333
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