Reading "The Virginian" in the New WestAlthough the origins of the western are as old as colonial westward expansion, it was Owen Wisters novel The Virginian, published in 1902, that established most of the now familiar conventions of the genre. On the heels of the classic westerns centennial, this collection of essays both re examines the text of The Virginian and uses Wisters novel as a lens for studying what the next century of western writing and reading will bring. The contributors