I’m not a purist.
My own westerns are about miners instead of cowboys, my plots delve into the politics of the
frontier, and my protagonist is a wealthy Easterner. I also liked the Lone Ranger, even though it went
overboard on special effects and cuteness. I can go off the beaten track and
even enjoy oddities like Cormac McCarthy’s weird punctuation. But mash-ups?
Where did this fad come from? Mixing diametrically opposed genres is like fusion
cuisine where the main course and dessert are lumped together in a stir-fried. It may
be an interesting novelty, but it won’t change traditional menus.
I believe a fiction
writer’s job is storytelling. It must be done well, with good characterization,
but essentially the task at hand is telling a ripping good story. Effective
storytelling takes people to another place and time. It can be the Wild West or
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A mash-up tries to take the audience
to two different places at two different times. It’s jarring. Besides, these writers seem more concerned
with how clever they can blend the genres, rather than storytelling.
Many Western enthusiasts lament the lack of audience for
Western literature and film. Unfortunately, there will be no resurgence by
mashing up Westerns with the latest teen craze. It’s not that easy. Intriguing characters
with a well-crafted story arc will draw readers to any genre. Just ask Larry
McMurtry, Elmer Kelton, Louis L’Amour, Owen Wister, Jack
Schaeffer, John Ford, or Clint Eastwood.