Editor’s Note

Notes EDITOR’S NOTE: Sharp-eyed readers may have noted the presence in this issue of two articles on Willa Cather—not only on Cather, but on The Professor’s House, to which WAL devoted an entire issue in February, 1984. No, we do not think Willa Cather is the only significant western writer, nor The Professor’s House the major western text. But we do feel obligated to respond to important movements in western criticism, and it is clear that the interest in Cather is not a passing flurry. From January, 1984, through September, 1985, there were twenty submissions on Cather; her nearest competitor, Mark Twain, accounted for five during this period. We will continue to publish the best criticism we can, selected from what is submitted. At the recent Western Literature Association meetings, Professor Richard Etulain gave a provocative paper, in which he called for more articles of a broad-gauge, synthetic nature. We share this predilection, editorially, because we believe the field of western literary criticism is still young and growing. There should be exploration going on. But again, if what we receive here is “close reading,” textual analysis, that will necessarily be what we publish. WAL will reflect what is happening in western literary studies; but we take this opportunity to say that there must still be room—certainly in the pages of this journal—for theories, definitions, and possibly new critical approaches to the literature of the West. -T JL * * * * CONFERENCE ON PLAINS INDIAN CULTURES “Plains Indian Cultures: Past and Present Meanings” will be the theme of the tenth annual symposium sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies of the University of Nebraska. The conference will be held in Lincoln, March 20-22, 1986, at the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education. The purpose of the conference is to examine how Native American and other indigenous peoples have interacted with both the semi-arid plains environ­ ment and the cultures introduced by technologically advanced societies. For more information, programs, and registration materials, write Center for Great Plains Studies, 1213 Oldfather Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0143 or call 402/472-3082. ...