Are there any great western novels/short stories where the hero is also the narrator (first-person point of view)?
I can think of examples of first-person westerns, but the narrator is usually an observer/companion of the hero.
I wonder if a major element of westerns is preserving the character's mystique. If we knew what they were thinking or what their past was, maybe they would cease to be a great hero in the stranger-rides-in-to-save-the-day tradition.
True Grit comes to mind as being a first-person narrator who is the hero, but Mattie is a companion/observer of the characters with Western mystique about them.
It's not a Western, but KD Julicher's story that won the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award is an example of how a first-person narrator can withhold information from the reader and be the mysterious stranger.
Vol36 - HM
Vol 37 - Finalist (upcoming on Podcastle), HM (published by Mysterion)
Vol38 - Q1 SHM, Q2 HM, Q4 pending...
I just read the Golden Knight. Excellent story, and good example of the narrator withholding info. Thanks for sharing!
