"I put a lot more value on the animal than I do my name" - The (Un)Importance of Inheritance in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove

Of all the turbulent family relationships found within Larry McMurtry's novels, Lonesome Dove (1985) contains perhaps their bleakest depiction. From dead mothers, distant fathers and misunderstood inheritences, fractured families abound throughout the Lonesome Dove tetralogy and its adaptations, bringing a level of irony to the miniseries' status as a family classic.

This proposed panel seeks 300 word abstracts for papers exploring the disrupted paternities, maternities and inheritances found throughout the Lonesome Dove series and its adaptations. We welcome papers from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage papers from postgraduate students and independent scholars. We will also accept topics beyond this scope:

• Fathers and Sons
• Mothers and Children
• Ideas of inheritance
• Found families
• Familial relationships
• Buffalo Hump and Blue Duck
• Woodrow Call and Newt
• Familial relationships depicted in the adaptations

Please email abstracts (300 words) to fenwick@uark.edu by 15th April 2025. Please include your name, email address, title of paper and a short biography (100 words).