Publisher's Synopsis
In ""Understanding James Welch"", Ron McFarland offers analysis and critical commentary on the works of the renowned Blackfoot-Gros Ventre writer whose first novel, ""Winter in the Blood"" has become a classic in Native American fiction and who book of poems, ""Riding the Earthboy 40"", has remained in print since its initial publication in 1971. McFarland offers close readings of Welch's poems, four novels and recent book, ""Killing Custer"", which tells the story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from a Native American perspective. McFarland demonstrates how Welch wote each of the novels from a different angle, and finds that the writer's focus varies from the picaresque in ""Winter in the Blood"", to tragic inevitability in ""The Death of Jim Loney"", to epic qualities in ""Fools Crow"", and to the element of intrigue in ""The Indian Lawyer"". McFarland draws upon interviews with Welch, book reviews and a growing body of secondary scholarly commentary to reflect on Welch's evolution as a writer, his interest in the landscape and the psychological life of his characters, his use of Native American lore and regionalist elements, and his thematic concerns, particularly the identity motif.
