Popular Western fiction has strong ties to the oral tradition in American culture. In his works, L'Amour clearly considers himself to be in the tradition of the oral storyteller…. (p. 206)

[In] the case of the oral storyteller, the writer is expected to be the spokesperson for the "community." This role is especially clear in the fiction of Louis L'Amour which reveals how a writer can function as a cultural filter, creating what become artifacts of immense significance for understanding the complex nature of American culture. (p. 209)

In L'Amour's fiction, the past is of major significance, for nothing is ever really new or being done for the first time. The present is closely linked to the immediate as well as to the distant past, especially in his more recent works, and the characters in his novels are quite conscious of their place in history. His readers are encouraged to...