Student Companion to Willa Cather (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780313328428)

Willa Cather's elegiac tales of the pioneer experience on the American frontier continue to captivate new generations of readers. Written especially for students, this critical introduction offers insightful yet accessible criticism of Cather's most widely read novels. A full chapter examines each work, with full discussions of character development, thematic concerns, plot, critical reception, and historical contexts. Students will find this book a valuable guide to this great American author.

The volume covers such enduring works as Alexander's Bridge, O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, My D'Antonia, The Professor's House, Death Comes for the Archbishop, and Shadows on the Rock.

Each chapter is devoted to an individual novel and provides a full discussion of character development, thematic concerns, and plot structure. The introduction to each novel traces its genesis and its critical reception at the time of publication. The historical context sections place Cather's vision of the pioneer spirit and achievement within the context of a rapidly changing America that was in the process of abandoning its traditional values and thus risking its source of greatness. Students will find this book a valuable guide to Cather's works.

Author: Linda de Roche
ISBN-10: 0313328420
ISBN-13: 9780313328428
Publisher: Greenwood
Language: English
Published: 06/01/2006
Pages: 232
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.09lbs
Size: 9.56h x 6.22w x 0.89d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2006 pg. 306