Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr. studies current southern authors of western novels, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction who have been breaking the mold of southern literature by looking westward. The rich and diverse texts he examines challenge long-standing definitions of southern fiction and regional identity while reconfiguring the myths of the West that have long shaped American life. This effort points toward a new literary tradition and a new regional and national mythology that blends place and space, settlement and movement, community and individualism, security and freedom.