Lonesome Dove is widely considered one of the preeminent examples of the American Western novel. Prior to its publication, Westerns were widely enjoyed but tended to take the form of much shorter novels, which were, in turn, part of much longer series. The popular Western writer Louis L’Amour wrote over one hundred books, but most of them could be read in an afternoon, and they each unfolded along specific formulas of the genre. Zane Grey wrote nearly as many books as L’Amour and appealed to a similar audience. Depending on the edition, Lonesome Dove is at least 800 pages.

Lonesome Dove is unique among popular Westerns because it both adhered to the genre and also defied many of its conventions. McMurtry embraces many of the tropes familiar to readers of Westerns. There are tensions between cowboys and Indigenous Americans, and Blue Duck is a stereotypical villain in a genre whose antagonists were often racist caricatures of Indigenous peoples. Sudden, brutal deaths are frequent. Wily, adventurous men like Gus rescue beautiful women with tragic pasts like Lorena and Clara. The toughest people are often the most likely to thrive; gunfighters are idolized and the naïve are often punished.