This paper describes an elective literature course that examines the cultural and historical context of Western United States literary works for insights into the whole of United States culture. From a definition of the "West" that has both geographical and mythical dimensions, the following major images emerge for study: Eden, El Dorado, the New Jerusalem, the Passage to India, empire, and the wilderness visions of the West. Through a close textual study of notable Western fiction, and consideration of "Eastern" fiction with the same themes, this course defines the Western experience, illuminates the tension between old and new, and explores the tragic aspect of the American dream of the West as one that destroys itself in the process of its realization. (MAI)