One of the more stringent expectations in the classic Western, is that there be an absence of sexually explicit scenes. A careful reading of Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Matt Braun and any of the other classic western writers, will reveal that lady folk are appreciated for their womanly virtues, but there are no explicit sexual scenes. A woman’s shape may be appreciated and commented on, but other than a chaste kiss, physical contact is kept to a minimum.
Westerns and Sexuality
Of all the classic Western writers, Zane Grey expresses more sexual yearnings between male and female characters than most other writers, as is the case in To the Last Man. As more modern writers go, Matt Braun offers “suggestive” scenes and racey dialogue, like in the book Kinch Riley, but never are the scenes graphic beyond tantalizing innuendo. And unlike Louis L’Amour’s chaste heroes, Braun’s men do enjoy a romp with the ladies, but detail is omitted.
Nor is sexual or coarse language employed in the classic westerns. Indeed, swearing is kept to a minimum and is often entirely absent in many novels. At first this may seem startling, like watching a modern movie with the F-bomb missing. Bad language is minimized and kept to such expressions as “sumbitch,” "damn," "hell" or similar innocuous expressions.
Resources for Writing Western Genre
The Dictionary of American Slang is an excellent reference for would-be western authors. This book catalogues more than 19,000 terms “…representing the variety and vigor of American slang, from the most widely acceptable to the taboo, and covering all periods of American history.”
Another excellent resource to help pen accurate colloquialisms, is Everyday Life in the 1800s, which has a chapter dedicated to slang and everyday speech. However, just because one may find the word, does not mean it is acceptable in a classic Western.
An author wishing to write classic westerns, would do well to remember that the development of the character is of utmost importance in these novels, (unless one is reading Zane Grey, where the development of the setting is of primary importance!)
Sexuality and Excessive Violence in Westerns
Longarm Westerns, unlike the classics, do contain sexually explicit language and scenes. As Bookgasm comments, “Longarm works alone and beds pretty much every girl in the book.” The Longarm books arose as “adult westerns” in the 1970s and contain much more explicit sexuality and violence than the classic western. Those who wish to write in this manner, might consider submission to the publisher, Jove.
The Gunsmith Books are another example of “adult westerns.” The covers speak for themselves.
Despite rumors to the contrary, the western is as popular today as it’s ever been. Used bookstores cannot keep the titles in stock. Writing in this genre is not as easy as it may appear, however, and modern writers would do well to study the classics before they commit to the genre.
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