Willa Cather and the Dance


Book Description

Anna Pavlova's revolutionary debut in 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera House captivated the nation and introduced Americans to the charms of modern ballet. Willa Cather was among the first intellectuals to recognize that dance had suddenly been elevated into a new art form, and she quickly trained herself to become one of the leading balletomanes of her era. Willa Cather and the Dance: "A Most Satisfying Elegance" traces the writer's dance education, starting with the ten-page explication she wrote in 1913 for McClure's magazine called "Training for the Ballet." Cather's interest was sustained through her entire canon as she utilized characters, scenes, and images from almost all of the important dance productions that played in New York.




Willa Cather and the Politics of Criticism


Book Description

Defending Willa Cather against historical and critical distortions, the author argues that Cather's central vision was a tragic vision of the human condition rather than a firm political agenda.




Violence, the Arts, and Willa Cather


Book Description

Willa Cather was devoted to making art in the face of violence. Here, she emerges as a resource for survival in an age of terror, an artist who encourages her readers to feel at home in the nexus of creativity and terror, and to seek creative responses to the horror of human life.




My Antonia


Book Description

A haunting tribute to the heroic pioneers who shaped the American Midwest This powerful novel by Willa Cather is considered to be one of her finest works and placed Cather in the forefront of women novelists. It tells the stories of several immigrant families who start new lives in America in rural Nebraska. This powerful tribute to the quiet heroism of those whose struggles and triumphs shaped the American Midwest highlights the role of women pioneers, in particular. Written in the style of a memoir penned by Antonia’s tutor and friend, the book depicts one of the most memorable heroines in American literature, the spirited eldest daughter of a Czech immigrant family, whose calm, quite strength and robust spirit helped her survive the hardships and loneliness of life on the Nebraska prairie. The two form an enduring bond and through his chronicle, we watch Antonia shape the land while dealing with poverty, treachery, and tragedy. “No romantic novel ever written in America...is one half so beautiful as My Ántonia.” -H. L. Mencken Willa Cather (1873–1947) was an American writer best known for her novels of the Plains and for One of Ours, a novel set in World War I, for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1923. She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943 and received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1944, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments. By the time of her death she had written twelve novels, five books of short stories, and a collection of poetry.




Willa Cather


Book Description

This book presents interprative approaches to Willa Cather based on materials available in the Drew University Cather Collection. The scholars suggest the work left to do on Willa Cather, and the diverse directions in which scholars now must travel.




The Selected Letters of Willa Cather


Book Description

Time Magazine's 10 Top Nonfiction Books of the Year • Willa Cather’s letters—withheld from publication for more than six decades—are finally available to the public in this fascinating selection. The hundreds collected here range from witty reports of life as a teenager in Red Cloud in the 1880s through her college years at the University of Nebraska, her time as a journalist in Pittsburgh and New York, and her growing eminence as a novelist. They describe her many travels and record her last years, when the loss of loved ones and the disasters of World War II brought her near to despair. Above all, they reveal her passionate interest in people, literature, and the arts. The voice is one we recognize from her fiction: confident, elegant, detailed, openhearted, concerned with profound ideas, but also at times sentimental, sarcastic, and funny. A deep pleasure to read, this volume reveals the intimate joys and sorrows of one of America’s most admired writers.




My Antonia


Book Description

My Antonia is a novel by an American writer Willa Cather. It is the final book of the "prairie trilogy" of novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark. The novel tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and Antonia Shimerda, the daughter of Bohemian immigrants. They are both became pioneers and settled in Nebraska in the end of the 19th century. The first year in the very new place leaves strong impressions in both children, affecting them lifelong. The narrator and the main character of the novel My Antonia, Jim grows up in Black Hawk, Nebraska from age 10 Eventually, he becomes a successful lawyer and moves to New York City.




Delphi Collected Works of Willa Cather (Illustrated)


Book Description

An American author of the Interwar period, Willa Cather achieved recognition for her nostalgic novels of frontier life on the Great Plains. Her novels are noted for their atmospheric and vivid portrayals of the landscape and the lives of settlers, immortalising Nebraska’s pioneer life. In 1923 Cather achieved international acclaim and financial security when she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for ‘One of Ours’ (1922), a novel set during World War I. This comprehensive eBook presents Cather’s collected works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Cather’s life and works* Concise introductions to the novels and other texts* 6 novels, with individual contents tables* Includes the Complete Prairie Trilogy* Features rare short stories appearing for the first time in digital publishing* Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories* Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts* Excellent formatting of the texts* Includes Cather’s rare poetry collection – available in no other collection* The rare non-fiction work: ‘The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science’* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and genres Please note: due to US copyright restrictions, post-1923 works cannot appear in this edition. When new texts become available, they will be added to the eBook as a free update. CONTENTS: The Prairie Trilogy The NovelsAlexander’s BridgeO Pioneers!The Song of the LarkMy ÁntoniaOne of OursA Lost Lady The Short Story CollectionsThe Troll GardenYouth and the Bright MedusaUncollected Short Stories The Short StoriesList of Short Stories in Chronological OrderList of Short Stories in Alphabetical Order The PoetryApril Twilights and Other Poems The Non-FictionThe Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks




A Lost Lady


Book Description

A Lost Lady is a novel by American author Willa Cather, first published in 1923. It centers on Marian Forrester, her husband Captain Daniel Forrester, and their lives in the small western town of Sweet Water, along the Transcontinental Railroad. However, it is mostly told from the perspective of a young man named Niel Herbert, as he observes the decline of both Marian and the West itself, as it shifts from a place of pioneering spirit to one of corporate exploitation. Exploring themes of social class, money, and the march of progress, A Lost Lady was praised for its vivid use of symbolism and setting, and is considered to be a major influence on the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been adapted to film twice, with a film adaptation being released in 1924, followed by a looser adaptation in 1934, starring Barbara Stanwyck. A Lost Lady begins in the small railroad town of Sweet Water, on the undeveloped Western plains. The most prominent family in the town is the Forresters, and Marian Forrester is known for her hospitality and kindness. The railroad executives frequently stop by her house and enjoy the food and comfort she offers while there on business. A young boy, Niel Herbert, frequently plays on the Forrester estate with his friend. One day, an older boy named Ivy Peters arrives, and shoots a woodpecker out of a tree. He then blinds the bird and laughs as it flies around helplessly. Niel pities the bird and tries to climb the tree to put it out of its misery, but while climbing he slips, and breaks his arm in the fall, as well as knocking himself unconscious. Ivy takes him to the Forrester house where Marian looks after him. When Niel wakes up, he's amazed by the nice house and how sweet Marian smells. He doesn't't see her much after that, but several years later he and his uncle, Judge Pommeroy, are invited to the Forrester house for dinner. There he meets Ellinger, who he will later learn is Mrs. Forrester's lover, and Constance, a young girl his age.




Best Work of Willa Cather: O Pioneers and My Ántonia


Book Description

Discover the Spirit of the American Frontier with Willa Cather's Iconic Novels Embark on a journey through the untamed landscapes of the American Midwest with this captivating 2 Ebook combo, featuring the timeless works of Willa Cather, one of America's greatest novelists. Book 1: O Pioneers Immerse yourself in the pioneering spirit of the American frontier with "O Pioneers" by Willa Cather, a poignant tale of love, loss, and resilience set against the vast plains of Nebraska. Follow the Bergson family as they struggle to carve out a life for themselves in the harsh and unforgiving landscape, facing challenges both natural and human-made. With its evocative prose and vivid portrayal of the American West, "O Pioneers" captures the essence of the pioneer experience and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Book 2: My Ántonia Step into the heart of rural America with "My Ántonia" by Willa Cather, a lyrical and deeply moving novel that celebrates the bonds of friendship, the beauty of the land, and the immigrant experience. Through the eyes of Jim Burden, a young orphan from Virginia, and Ántonia Shimerda, a spirited immigrant girl from Bohemia, Cather paints a rich and nuanced portrait of life on the prairie at the turn of the 20th century. With its vivid characters and evocative descriptions, "My Ántonia" stands as a testament to the enduring power of the American Dream. Experience the Beauty and Resilience of the American Heartland: Can the Land Shape the Soul? Join the Literary Odyssey! As you explore the pages of Willa Cather's iconic novels, ponder the timeless themes of identity, belonging, and the transformative power of the land. Can the vastness of the American landscape shape the lives and destinies of those who inhabit it? The answers lie within these enduring works, inviting you to embark on a journey of discovery and contemplation. Unlock the Gates of Literary Splendor - Begin Your Journey Today!