The Wind (novel)

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The Wind
Author Dorothy Scarborough
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Texas literature, Western novel
Publisher Harper & Brothers
Publication date 1925
Media type Print (Hardback, Paperback & Serialization)
Pages 337 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN NA

The Wind, (1925) a novel by Dorothy Scarborough depicts the loneliness of life in a small Texas town during the 1920's. It was later made into a film called The Wind (1928) starring Lilian Gish. She originally published this novel anonymously anticipating a rough reception in Texas.

According to Texas folklorist J. Frank Dobie, this novel "excited the wrath of chambers of commerce and other boosters in West Texas--a tribute to its realism."

The Handbook of Texas online says of the work:

This last, controversial, novel, in which a gentle heroine is driven insane by the incessant wind and drought-plagued frontier environment, has assured her reputation as an American regional novelist. The book created a furor in Texas when it was published because of its negative portrayal of frontier living conditions on the cattle ranges around Sweetwater in the 1880s. The book was also published anonymously as a publicity ploy. Today, however, many critics regard this novel as a Texas classic, notable for its characterization of a tragic heroine driven to murder and insanity.

[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The Wind , film directed by Victor Sjöström

[edit] Critical Essays/Reviews

Handbook of Texas Online, biographical page of Dorothy Scarborough, (accessed December 31, 2006).

[edit] Publication details

  • 1925, USA, Harper & Brothers (ISBN NA), pub date ? ? 1925, hardback (first edition)
  • 1925, UK, Harper & Brothers (ISBN NA), pub date ? ? 1925, hardback
  • 1986, USA, University of Texas (ISBN 978-0292790360), pub date ? October 1986, paperback (reprint ed)