Senior: 11 & 12: Unit 3: The Western Genre

Traditionally, Westerns are American, set west of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, primarily from the end of the Civil War (1865) to the beginning of the twentieth century. They feature the adventures of cowboys, scouts, Indians, settlers and lawmen, and the explore the clash between civilisation and anarchy in mythic stories of men and the land. While they may accurately depict time and place, the image and feel of the West, as well as the struggle to survive against myriad perils, take precedence over history. Westerns speak to deep-seated feelings about the land and the men who brought their version of justice to the wild, uninhabited country. 

Graphic courtesy of Trinity College Library, W.A.
https://library.trinity.wa.edu.au/Media/Year9/Westerns

Encyclopedia of the Great Plains: The Western

MasterClass: What Is a Western Novel? Definition of the Western Genre and Tips for Writing a Great Western Book

University of Oregon: Under Western skies

The Philosophy of the Western (Google Ebook)
Note that several of the chapters are missing, a condition of Google's permission to reproduce

The Philosophy of the Western (Project Muse)
Note that there are only useful summaries of the content

Rachelle Ramirez: How to Write a Western

StoryGrid: Secrets of the Western Genre

ArtofManliness: 21 Western Novels Every Man Should Read

Prized Writing: The Cowboy Ritual - Progressive Demystification of the Western Genre

Jadler Writing: The Post-Western Archetypes of “No Country for Old Men” (The Meat and Potatoes)

The Cowboy in Literature

Simmons College: Westerns genre guide

Washington State University: Genre and gender