The study follows the early evolution of the American frontier hero, from its roots in Mary Rowlandson's narration of her experiences as a prisoner during King Phillip's war through works by Unca Eliza Winkfield, Charles Brockden Brown, James Fenimore Cooper, the film-maker John Ford, and actor John Wayne.
"MacNeil s The Emergence of the American Frontier Hero 1682-1826 draws creatively on myth, imagery, and symbol in a comprehensive portrait of the frontier as a complex borderland. With innovative readings of literary, historical, and cinematic figures, MacNeil s sweeping study offers intriguing, new approaches to the field of American Studies." - Susan Imbarrato, author of Traveling Women: Narrative Visions of Early America