What is the author's style in Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey?

The writing style of this early Western is surprisingly poetic. Modern readers of the Western genre have become accustomed to hard-boiled, gritty prose as stark as the harsh landscapes of the old West. Yet the beauty in the prose of Riders of the Purple Sage takes its shape from the natural beauty of the land. Author Zane Grey demonstrates a great love for the desert landscapes of Utah. His words transform this bare, rocky ground into a gorgeous land of color and light. Grey's appreciation of the stark scenery brings its best qualities into sharp focus for the reader. Where a casual observer might see nothing but desert scrub, Grey's knowledgeable eye sees the vast magnificence of nature and the cycle of life. The barren sageland is transformed into a magnificent purple vista painted by shadows and light as Grey describes the sun setting over the sage: "Slumbering, fading purple fire burned over the undulating sage ridges. Long streaks and bars and shafts and spears fringed the far western slope. Drifting, golden veils mingled with low, purple shadows. Colors and shades changed in slow, wondrous transformation."