Hollywood Westerns and American Myth

By Robert B. Pippin,

Book cover of Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political Philosophy

Book description

In this pathbreaking book one of America's most distinguished philosophers brilliantly explores the status and authority of law and the nature of political allegiance through close readings of three classic Hollywood Westerns: Howard Hawks' Red River and John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Searchers.

Robert Pippin…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Hollywood Westerns and American Myth as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Robert Pippin is a well-respected philosopher who has written on Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. Here, he writes about westerns: Hawks’ Red River, and Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and The Searchers.

Pippin is interested in both political psychology and political philosophy within an American context, but there is nothing starchy or narrowly academic about this thoughtful reflection on these films.

Neither Hawks nor Ford was a philosopher, but Pippin shows that their movies are charged with philosophical meaning. 

If you love Hollywood Westerns and American Myth...

Ad

Book cover of Why We Hate: Understanding the Roots of Human Conflict

Why We Hate By Michael Ruse,

Why We Hate asks why a social animal like Homo sapiens shows such hostility to fellow species members. The invasion of the Ukraine by Russia? The antisemitism found on US campuses in the last year? The answer and solution lies in the Darwinian theory of evolution through natural selection.

Being…

Want books like Hollywood Westerns and American Myth?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Hollywood Westerns and American Myth.

Browse books like Hollywood Westerns and American Myth

Book cover of We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Legend and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Film
Book cover of From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film
Book cover of Afterimage: The Indelible Catholic Imagination of Six American Filmmakers

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in philosophy, presidential biography, and ethics?

Philosophy 1,790 books
Ethics 143 books