.jpg) Front cover of the 1968 Simon & Schuster hardback 1st edition ofTrue Grit byCharles Portis. | |
| Author | Charles Portis |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Western |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 1968 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 215 |
True Grit is a 1968 novel byCharles Portis that was first published as a1968serial withinThe Saturday Evening Post.[1] The novel is told from the perspective of an elderly spinster named Mattie Ross, who recounts the time a half century earlier when she was 14 and sought retribution for the murder of her father by a scoundrel, Tom Chaney. It is considered by some critics to be "one of thegreat American novels."[2][3]True Grit is included in theLibrary of America of Portis'Collected Works.[4]
The novel was adapted for the screenplay of the 1969 filmTrue Grit starringJohn Wayne,Kim Darby andGlen Campbell. Six years later, in 1975, Wayne reprised hisAcademy Award-winning role as the tough hard drinking one-eyed lawman in the sequel filmRooster Cogburn. In 2010,Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directedanother film adaptation ofTrue Grit. In November 2010,The Overlook Press published amovie tie-in edition of the second film version ofTrue Grit.
The novel is narrated by Mattie Ross, churchgoing elderlyspinster distinguished by intelligence, independence, and strength of mind. She recounts the story of her adventures fifty years earlier, in 1878, when she undertook aquest to avenge her father's murder by a drifter named Tom Chaney. She is joined on her quest byMarshalReuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn and aTexas Ranger named LaBoeuf (pronounced "La-beef").
As Mattie's tale begins, Chaney is employed on the Ross's family farm in West-CentralArkansas, near the town ofDardanelle inYell County. Chaney is not adept as a farmhand, and Mattie has only scorn for him, referring to him as "trash" and noting that her kind-hearted father, Frank, hired him only out of pity. One day, Frank Ross and Chaney go toFort Smith to buy some horses. Ross takes $250 with him to pay for the horses, along with two gold pieces that he has always carried, but he ends up spending only $100 on the horses. Later, Ross tries to intervene in a barroom confrontation involving Chaney. Chaney kills him, robs the body of the remaining $150 and two gold pieces, and flees intoIndian Territory (nowOklahoma) on his horse.
Mattie hears that Chaney has joined an outlaw gang led by the infamous "Lucky" Ned Pepper and wishes to track down the killer. Upon arriving atFort Smith, she looks for the toughest deputy US Marshal in the district. That man turns out to be Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, an aging, one-eyed, overweight, trigger-happy, hard-drinking man. Mattie is convinced that he has "grit" and that his reputation for violence makes him best suited for the job.
Playing on Cogburn's need for money, Mattie persuades him to take on the job, insisting that she accompany him as part of the bargain. During their preparation, aTexas Ranger named LaBoeuf appears. He has been tracking Chaney for four months for killing a senator and his dog inTexas, and he hopes to bring him back to Texas dead or alive for a cash reward. Cogburn and LaBoeuf take a dislike to each other, but after some haggling, they agree to join forces in the hunt, realizing that they can both benefit from each other's respective talents and knowledge. Once they reach a deal, the two men attempt to leave Mattie behind, but she proves more tenacious than they had expected. They repeatedly try to lose her, but she persists in following them and seeing her transaction with Marshal Cogburn through to the end. Eventually, she is jumped by Cogburn and LaBoeuf, who had hidden themselves from view, and LaBoeuf begins to whip Mattie with a switch. Mattie appeals to Cogburn, and he orders LaBoeuf to stop. At this point, Mattie is allowed to join theirposse.
Together, but with very different motivations, the three ride into the wilderness to confront Ned Pepper's gang. Along the way, they develop an appreciation for one another.
In 1969, the book was adapted as a screenplay byMarguerite Roberts for theWestern filmTrue Grit directed byHenry Hathaway and starringKim Darby as Mattie Ross,Robert Duvall as "Lucky" Ned Pepper,Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf,Jeff Corey as Tom Chaney, andJohn Wayne as Rooster Cogburn (a role that won John WayneBest Actor at theAcademy Awards).
A film sequel,Rooster Cogburn, was produced from an original screenplay in 1975, withJohn Wayne reprising his role, andKatharine Hepburn as an elderly spinster, Eula Goodnight, who teams with him. The sequel was not well received, and the plot was considered a needless reworking of the plot ofTrue Grit combined with elements ofThe African Queen.[5]
A made-for-television sequel aired in 1978 entitledTrue Grit: A Further Adventure and starringWarren Oates andLisa Pelikan. TheTV-movie featured more adventures of Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross.
In 2010,Joel and Ethan Coen released another film adaptation of the novel, also entitledTrue Grit, with thirteen-year-old actressHailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, veteran actorJeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn,Matt Damon as LaBoeuf,Barry Pepper as Lucky Ned, andJosh Brolin as Tom Chaney. Their version, focusing on Mattie's point of view, follows the novel more closely than the 1969 film. The Coen movie is shot in settings more typical of the novel. (The 1969 film was shot in the Colorado Rockies and the Sierra Nevada, while the 2010 film was shot inSanta Fe, New Mexico, as well asGranger andAustin, Texas.)[6]
In November 2010,The Overlook Press published amovie tie-in edition ofTrue Grit, featuring an afterword byDonna Tartt to accompany the 2010 film adaptation. It reached #1 onThe New York Times Bestseller List on January 30, 2011.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
