Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove

The Western is the story of the American Founding once removed: how a collection of newly independent states on the East Coast sent its people into the wilderness and built a country. Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove (1985), winner of the Pulitzer Prize, may be the closest thing the United States has to a national epic, an “American Arthuriad,” in McMurtry’s own phrase. Though he hoped the novel would “demythologize” the West, he later concluded that it instead reaffirmed the enduring core of the Western myth: “that cowboys are brave and cowboys are free.”

Its unforgettable heroes, former Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae, set out on a cattle drive from South Texas to the Montana Territory in search of one last adventure. Along the trail, the novel confronts enduring questions of friendship and loyalty, courage and imagination, violence and death, law and order, civilization and wilderness.

“The winning of the West was in large measure an imaginative act,” McMurtry wrote. Taking that insight as our guide, this course will examine how the American West was both settled and imagined, how history became legend, and how the legend continues to shape our understanding of America.

Image: Frederic Remington, A Cold Morning on the Range, 1904

Cheryl Miller explains why Lonesome Dove is the American epic

This course is offered by Humanities at Hertog. It takes place weekly on Wednesday, via Zoom, from 6 PM to 8 PM ET. Fellows who complete the seminar in good standing, including full participation, timely completion of the response paper, and submission of the course evaluation, will receive a $150 Amazon gift card. Required course materials will be provided.

Faculty

Cheryl Miller

Cheryl Miller is executive director at the Hertog Foundation. Previously, she served as deputy director of research in the Office of Presidential Speechwriting and as research assistant to David Brooks at The New York Times. Her reviews and commentary have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, and The Weekly Standard. She graduated from the University of Dallas with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Politics.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

January 6 — Session I: Lonesome Dove

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Part I, Chs. 1–17 (pp. 13–183)
Genesis 8:6–12

Topics:

Lonesome Dove
Lorena
Jake Spoon
Life & Dreams

Discussion Questions:

How does McMurtry portray the town of Lonesome Dove and its inhabitants? Why do you think the novel is named for this place when so little of the story remains there?
How does Jake Spoon’s unexpected arrival disrupt the settled routines of Lonesome Dove?
Why do Gus and Call steal horses in Mexico? Is it merely sport, or something more? Why is horse theft treated differently across the border?
Gus, Jake Spoon, and Dish all emerge as rivals for Lorena’s affections. Why are they all drawn to her? Is it just because she’s the only sporting woman in town? Who does she choose—and who should she?
Why does Call want to go to Montana? Why does Gus agree to join him?
The slogan Gus chooses for the Hat Creek Cattle Co. is “uva uvam viviendo varia fit” (“A grape is changed by living with other grapes.”) Why this slogan?
McMurtry lingers over Deets’ reflections on the moon (Ch. 15). Why include this passage? What does it reveal about Deets, and about the inner lives of cowboys more generally?
Consider the epigraph from T.K. Whipple. What do Gus and Call “live”? What do they “dream”?

January 13 — Session II: On the Trail

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Part I & II, Chs. 18–34 (pp. 184–277)

Topics:

The Trail
Leadership
Friendship
July Johnson

Discussion Questions:

How do the various characters prepare for the journey to Montana? What are their hopes, fears, and expectations on the eve of departure?
Why are people willing to follow Call into hardship? What qualities make him a leader?
Gus and Call have lived side by side for decades yet remain profoundly different men. What holds their friendship together?
How does the reality of the cattle drive differ from what the characters imagined it would be?
Why does McMurtry introduce the subplot of July Johnson and Elmira? What purpose does his story serve in the larger novel?

January 20 — Session III: Blue Duck

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Part II, Chs. 35–51 (pp. 277–402)

Topics:

Death
Life & Legends
Men & Women
Blue Duck

Discussion Questions:

How do the cowboys respond to the first major tragedy of the trail drive?
Why does Bolivar decide to leave the drive? Is he right to do so? Should others have followed him?
In Chapter 42, Gus and Call revisit old haunts and reflect on their place in history. Why does Gus say that everything they did was a “mistake”?
Compare the experiences of Lorena, Elmira, Louisa, and Janey. What does the novel suggest about the lives of women on the frontier?
Who bears the greatest responsibility for the terrible situation that befalls Lorena—Jake, Newt, Gus, Call, or Lorena herself?
Blue Duck is monstrous and brutal. Is he simply evil incarnate, or does the novel ask us to see causes behind his violence?

January 27 — Session IV: Rescue

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Parts II & III, Chs. 52–68 (pp. 402–532)

Topics:

Manliness
Heroism
Duty

Discussion Questions:

What kind of man does Call want to believe himself to be? Why does his relation to Maggie and Newt threaten that self-image?
Why doesn’t Janey remain safely in town? What drives her onward?
Compare July and Roscoe to Gus and Call. How are these pairs alike and unlike one another?
Why does Gus ride after Lorena? Should he have, given the consequences of the rescue for Janey, Joe, and Roscoe?
Why does July persist in his pursuit of Elmira? Call in his pursuit of Montana?

February 3 — Session V: Justice

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Parts III & IV, Chs. 69–85 (pp. 532–675)

Topics:

Outlaws
Clara
Elmira
Justice

Discussion Questions:

“Ride with an outlaw, die with him.” Does Jake deserve his fate? Does his final action redeem him any in your eyes?
What do we learn about Call from his response to the soldier who attempts to steal Dish’s horse?
What kind of woman is Clara?
Elmira finally reunites with Dee Boot but is immediately disappointed. Why did she persist so long in her pursuit of him? Does she deserve her fate?

February 10 — Session VI: The West

Readings:

Lonesome Dove, Part IV, Chs. 86–102 (pp. 675–858)

Topics:

Deets
Montana
The Western

Discussion Questions:

Why does Gus leave Lorena with Clara? What future does he imagine for her there?
Compare the various fates of Deets, Gus, Elmira, Janey, Joe, Roscoe, Jake Spoon, and Sean. Which matters more in this world: competence, charm, courage, or luck?
Why won’t Gus allow the doctor to amputate his gangrenous leg?
Clara calls Call a “vain coward.” Is she right?
Is Call’s return journey noble, stubborn, absurd, or all three?
What do you make of Blue Duck’s end? Does he evade punishment?
Why does the novel conclude with the story of Xavier, who burns himself alive inside his saloon in despair over losing Lorena?
Dreams set the plot in motion: Call dreams of Montana, Lorena dreams of San Francisco, Gus dreams of Clara, Elmira dreams of life with Dee Boots. At the end of the novel, a reporter tells Call he is a “man of vision,” and Call replies: “Yes, a hell of a vision.” What does he mean?
Does the novel celebrate the West, mourn it, or expose it as a myth?
Why has Lonesome Dove endured as one of the great American novels?

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Undergradute and graduate students, recent graduates, and young professionals (age 35 and under) are all eligible to apply. Up to 15 fellows will be selected for this course. Admissions are made on a rolling basis.

Application Requirements

CV OR RÉSUMÉ
ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT

Unofficial; required only for currently enrolled students & recent graduates.
PERSONAL STATEMENT

Please provide a brief account (approximately 300-500 words) of your interest in your selected seminars.
WRITING SAMPLE

12 pages maximum; double-spaced. Please send academic writing that best showcases your ability to invent and sustain a persuasive argument, no matter the subject-matter.
ACADEMIC OR PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Provide the name and contact information of two references: a professor, mentor, or supervisor.

Apply Now

Alumni Spotlight

Jennifer Marsico Tiedemann

Jennifer Tiedemann spent six years at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, working with scholars Norm Ornstein and Karlyn Bowman. While at AEI, she studied with Bill Kristol as part of his Advanced Institute on American exceptionalism. Jennifer is commissioning editor at National Review.

“Hertog’s aim is to equip students and young professionals with the historical and educational tools they need to approach politics, political philosophy, and political analysis. Hertog works with the knowledge that a political mind needs to be grounded in history—it’s not useful to look at things in a vacuum. Hertog asks participants to step back and really examine the principles that inform what we’re all trying to accomplish, which is vital.”

Jennifer Marsico Tiedemann

Current Position:

Deputy Director of Communications, Goldwater Institute
Past:

American Enterprise Institute, Burson-Marsteller
Education:

Drew University

HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT THE HERTOG FOUNDATION? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO APPLY?: I heard about the Foundation through AEI while I was working in their Political Corner doing political and public opinion research. In spring 2013, Bill Kristol was teaching a class on American exceptionalism, which is something that’s very interesting to me. The topic was also relevant to my work, and became even more so throughout my time at AEI.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH. HOW DOES HERTOG FIT IN TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS?: American exceptionalism is something we think about a lot when focusing on public opinion research. One of the major topics we grapple with is the American dream. Part of getting a better sense of what the American dream is about is knowing what makes America special. It’s important to understand what’s currently in Americans’ heads and what’s included in public opinion, but then you’ve also got to recognize the history that informs those views. Having a background in historical writings and research in order to frame current American ideals is essential, and the course certainly helped add to my understanding of that background.
WHAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY ABOUT YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HERTOG PROGRAMS?: One of our readings in “Is America Exceptional?” looked at American ideals in film. I remember reading about the concept of the Westerner and how it’s a very quintessentially American ideal. When studying America, we’re all used to reading Tocqueville and writers from that era, but to read something that was a modern take on what exactly makes an American idea is an approach I’d never taken before in an academic setting. Those readings certainly stayed in my memory.
OVERALL, WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF HERTOG PROGRAMS?: Hertog’s aim is to equip students and young professionals with the historical and educational tools they need to approach politics, political philosophy, and political analysis. Hertog works with the knowledge that a political mind needs to be grounded in history—it’s not useful to look at things in a vacuum. It’s easy to forget about that in Washington, because so much of our work focuses on the day-to-day. Hertog asks participants to step back and really examine the principles that inform what we’re all trying to accomplish, which is vital.
DO YOU THINK HERTOG PROGRAMS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN PUBLIC RELATIONS OR PUBLIC POLICY?: Absolutely. Hertog Programs can be beneficial for both. Public relations and public policy are different fields, but there are a lot of similarities between the two worlds. One of the largest similarities has to do with appreciating what makes people tick—why they think what they think, and why they do what they do. Having a better understanding of something like American exceptionalism is important to that process, because it definitely informs how we communicate with people. A background in those historical ideals is key to knowing what sorts of arguments are going to be most coherent, most cogent, and most influential in your work. All Hertog Programs seem to be designed to give participants a way to better communicate with different types of people.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? IN A SIMILAR JOB, OR EMBARKING ON SOMETHING DIFFERENT?: What I’m primarily interested in is writing. I write a lot for the Independent Women’s Forum, which gives me an opportunity to reflect not just on politics but also on cultural topics. In 10 years, I definitely still want to be writing. I’ll certainly be thinking about these same ideas and trying to bring those thoughts to the people who read my work. My experience with Hertog was very helpful in informing the way I think, and it gave me a clearer picture of how others think as well.