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Sophus K. Winther, Barbara Howard Meldrum

The Bridge

Like Wallace Stegner, Sophus Keith Winther feels uncomfortable with the label "Western writer." For Stegner, the label too often smacks of horse-opera: outworn myths that lacked historical basis to begin with. Winther's objection has less to do with the subject matter, more to do with themes and character: regionalism-whether Western or Southers, or Wessex-too often exploits superficial traits of locality, whereas enduring literature reveals the universal drama of the human condition ("The Limits of Regionalism"). Stegner and Winther agree, however, that a writer should begin with what he or she knows best; if one's experience is Western, then Western regionalism …