willa-cather

WillaCather(1873–1947)WillaSibertCatherachievedrecognitionforhernovelsoffrontierlifeontheGreatPlains,inworkssuchasOPioneers!,MyÁntonia,andTheSongoftheLark.In1923shewasawardedthePulitzerPrizeforOneofOurs(1922),anovelsetduringWorldWarI.CathergrewupinNebraskaandgraduatedfromtheUniversityofNebraska.ShelivedandworkedinPittsburghfortenyears,thenattheageof33shemovedtoNewYork,whereshelivedfortherestofherlife.lifeWillaCatherhouse,RedCloud,NebraskaCatherwasbornin1873onhermaternalgrandmother'sfarmintheBackCreekValleynearWinchester,Virginia.HerfatherwasCharlesFectigueCatherwhosefamilyhadlivedonlandinthevalleyforsixgenerations.HermotherwasMaryVirginiaBoakaformerschoolteacher.WithinayearofCather'sbirth,thefamilymovedtoWillowShade,aGreekRevival-stylehomeon130acresgiventothembyherpaternalgrandparents.TheCathersmovedtoNebraskain1883,joiningCharles'parents,whenWillawasnineyearsold.Herfathertriedhishandatfarmingforeighteenmonths;thenhemovedthefamilyintothetownofRedCloud,whereheopenedarealestateandinsurancebusiness,andthechildrenattendedschoolforthefirsttime.Cather'stimeinthewesternstate,stillonthefrontier,wasadeeplyformativeexperienceforher.lifeShewasintenselymovedbythedramaticenvironmentandweather,andthevariousculturesoftheEuropean-American,immigrantandNativeAmericanfamiliesinthearea.MaryCatherhadsixmorechildrenafterWilla:Roscoe,Douglass,Jessica,James,John,andElsie.Catherwasclosesttoherbrothers,lessclosetohersisterswhom,accordingtoherbiographerHermioneLee,Cather“seemsnottohavelikedverymuch.”CatherhadplannedtomajorinscienceattheUniversityofNebraska–shehopedtobecomeamedicaldoctor.AfterheressayonThomasCarlylewaspublishedintheNebraskaStateJournalduringherfreshmanyear,shebecamearegularcontributortotheJournal,changedhermajor,andgraduatedin1894withaB.A.inEnglish.careerIn1896,CathermovedtoPittsburghafterbeinghiredtowritefortheHomeMonthly,awomen'smagazinepatternedafterthesuccessfulLadiesHomeJournal.Ayearlater,shebecameatelegrapheditoranddramacriticforthePittsburghLeaderandfrequentlycontributedpoetryandshortfictiontoTheLibrary,anotherlocalpublication.InPittsburgh,shetaughtLatin,algebra,andEnglishcompositionatCentralHighSchoolforoneyear.ShenexttaughtEnglishandLatinatAlleghenyHighSchool,whereshebecametheheadoftheEnglishdepartment.In1906CathermovedtoNewYorkCityuponreceivingajobofferontheeditorialstafffromMcClure'sMagazine.DuringherfirstyearatMcClure's,shewroteacriticalbiographyofChristianSciencefounder,MaryBakerEddy.careerWhileGeorginaMilmine'snameappearsasco-authorbothinserialandbookform–sheprovidedcopiousamountsofresearchbutwasincapableofproducingapublishablemanuscript–Catherwastheprincipalwriterofthebiography.MaryBakerEddy:TheStoryofHerLifeandtheHistoryofChristianSciencewaspublishedinMcClure'sinfourteeninstallmentsoverthenexteighteenmonthsandlaterinbookform.In1907shewroteashortstory,TheNamesake,whichcontainsautobiographicalsignificance.McClure'sserializedCather'sfirstnovel,Alexander'sBridge(1912).Mostreviewswerefavorable.TheNewYorkTimespraisedthedramaticsituationsandthecleverconversations,andtheAtlanticcalledthewritingdeftandskillful.“CatherfollowedAlexander'sBridgewithherPrairieTrilogy—OPioneers!(1913),TheSongoftheLark(1915),andMyÁntonia(1918).careerThesedeeplyfeltworksbecamebothpopularandcriticalsuccesses.CatherwascelebratedbynationalcriticssuchasH.L.Menckenforwritinginplainspokenlanguageaboutordinarypeople.SinclairLewispraisedherworkformakingtheoutsideworldknowNebraskaasnooneelsehasdone.careerThroughthe1910sand1920s,CatherwasfirmlyestablishedasamajorAmericanwriter,receivingthePulitzerPrizein1922forhernovelOneofOurs.Bythe1930s,criticsbegantodismissherasaromantic,nostalgicwriterwhocouldnotcopewiththepresent.CriticssuchasGranvilleHickschargedCatherwithfailingtoconfrontcontemporarylifeasitisandescapingintoanidealizedpast.DuringthesufferingoftheDustBowlandtheGreatDepression,herworkwasseentolacksocialrelevance.Cather'sownconservativepoliticsandthesamesubjectmatterthatappealedtoH.L.Mencken,RandolphBourne,andCarlVanDorensouredCather'sreputationwithyounger,oftenleft-leaning,criticssuchasGranvilleHicksandEdmundWilson.Discouragedbythenegativecriticismofherwork,Catherbecamereclusive.Sheburnedlettersandforbadeanyonetopublishherletters.PersonallifeAsastudentattheUniversityofNebraskaintheearly1890s,CathersometimesusedthemasculinenicknameWilliamandworemasculineclothing.AphotographintheUniversityofNebraskaarchivesdepictsCatherdressedlikeayoungmanandwithherhairshingled,atatimewhenfemalesworetheirhairfashionablylong.“ThroughoutCather'sadultlife,hermostsignificantfriendshipswerewithwomen.TheseincludedhercollegefriendLouisePound;thePittsburghsocialiteIsabelleMcClung,withwhomCathertraveledtoEurope;operasingerOliveFremstad;pianistYaltahMenuhin;andmostnotably,theeditorEdithLewis,withwhomCatherlivedthelast39yearsofherlife.Cather'ssexualidentityremainsapointofcontentionamongscholars.WhilemanyargueforCatherasalesbianandinterpretherworkthroughalensofqueertheory,ahighlyvocalcontingentofCatherscholarsadamantlyopposesuchconsiderations.PersonallifeT