True Grit ( novel ) - wikipedia True Grit ( novel ) True Grit Front cover of the 1968 Simon & Schuster hardback 1st edition of True Grit by Charles Portis. Author Charles Portis Country United States Language English Genre Western Publisher Simon & Schuster Publication date 1968 Media type Print ( hardcover ) ( paperback ) Pages 215 True Grit is a 1968 novel by Charles Portis that was first published as a 1968 serial in The Saturday Evening Post. The novel is told from the perspective of a woman named Mattie Ross, who recounts the time 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 the great American novels. '' The novel was adapted for the screenplay of the 1969 film True Grit starring Kim Darby as Mattie Ross, Glen Campbell as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf and John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Reuben J. `` Rooster '' Cogburn, along with Robert Duvall and Strother Martin. Six years later, in 1975, Wayne reprised his Academy Award - winning role as the tough hard drinking one - eyed lawman in the sequel film Rooster Cogburn with co-star Katharine Hepburn, Richard Jordan, Anthony Zerbe, Strother Martin and John McIntire. In 2010, Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed another film adaption of the same name, which starred Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, Matt Damon as LaBoeuf and Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. In November 2010, The Overlook Press published a movie tie - in edition of the second film version of True Grit. Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Film and television adaptations 3 References 4 External links Plot summary The novel is narrated by Mattie Ross, churchgoing elderly spinster distinguished by intelligence, independence, and strength of mind. She recounts the story of her adventures many years earlier, at 14, when she undertook a quest to avenge her father 's death at the hands of a drifter named Tom Chaney. She is joined on her quest by Marshal Reuben J. `` Rooster '' Cogburn and a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf ( pronounced `` La - beef '' ). As Mattie 's tale begins, Chaney is employed on the Ross 's family farm in West - Central Arkansas, near the town of Dardanelle in Yell 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 only hired him out of pity. One day, Frank Ross and Chaney go to Fort Smith to buy some horses. Ross takes $250 with him to pay for the horses, along with two gold pieces that he 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 into Indian Territory ( now Oklahoma ) 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 at Fort 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 he is best suited for the job, due to his reputation for violence. 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, a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf appears. He has been tracking Chaney for four months for killing a senator and his dog in Texas, 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 spank Mattie. Mattie appeals to Cogburn and he orders LaBoeuf to stop. At this point, Mattie is allowed to join their posse. 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. Film and television adaptations In 1969, the book was adapted as a screenplay by Marguerite Roberts for the Western film True Grit directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Kim Darby as Mattie Ross, Robert Duvall as `` Lucky '' Ned Pepper, Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf, Jeff Corey as Tom Chaney, and John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn ( a role that won John Wayne Best Actor at the Academy Awards ). A film sequel, Rooster Cogburn, was produced from an original screenplay in 1975, with John Wayne reprising his role, and Katharine 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 of True Grit combined with elements of The African Queen. A made - for - television sequel aired in 1978 entitled True Grit : A Further Adventure and starring Warren Oates and Lisa Pelikan. The TV - movie featured more adventures of Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross. In 2010, Joel and Ethan Coen released another film adaptation of the novel, also entitled True Grit, with thirteen - year - old actress Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, veteran actor Jeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn, Matt Damon as LaBoeuf, Barry Pepper as Lucky Ned, and Josh 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 in Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as Granger and Austin, Texas. ) In November 2010, The Overlook Press published a movie tie - in edition of True Grit, featuring an afterword by Donna Tartt to accompany the 2010 film adaptation. It reached # 1 on The New York Times 's Bestseller List on January 30, 2011. References Jump up ^ Ed Park. `` Like Cormac McCarthy, But Funny '', The Believer, March 2003. Jump up ^ Lehmann, Chris, `` Pelecanos on the Enduring Power of ' True Grit ' '', NPR, June 2006 Jump up ^ Jones, Malcolm, `` True Lit '', Newsweek, December 9, 2010 Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. `` Rooster Cogburn ( Review ) ''. Chicago Sun - Times. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ Fleming, Michael, `` Coen brothers to adapt ' True Grit ' '', Variety, March 22, 2009 External links An interview with writer George Pelecanos about the novel, National Public Radio Ed Park, `` Like Cormac McCarthy, But Funny '', The Believer, March 2003. True Grit by Charles Portis Film versions True Grit ( 1969 ) Rooster Cogburn ( 1975 ) True Grit : A Further Adventure ( 1978 ) True Grit ( 2010 ) Soundtracks True Grit ( 1969 ) `` True Grit '' ( song ) True Grit ( 2010 ) See also Rooster Cogburn Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=True_Grit_(novel)&oldid=843282596 '' Categories : True Grit 1968 American novels Western ( genre ) novels Novels by Charles Portis Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post Novels first published in serial form Novels set in Arkansas Novels set in Oklahoma American novels adapted into films Fictional characters of the Texas Ranger Division United States Marshals Service in fiction Hidden categories : Pages to import images to Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Cymraeg Deutsch Español Bahasa Indonesia Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 03 : 21 ( UTC ). 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Question: where is true grit supposed to take place
Answer: Fort Smith