Willa Cathers My Antonia (Blooms Modern Critical Interpretations)
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They both passed and he ends up being shipped to Nebraska by train to live with his grandparents.
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Jim adjusts quickly to his new life. He meets a neighbor girl who originates from Bohemia, Antonia. They end up becoming fast friends. Jim has what I call his initiation into man hood by killing an enormous rattle snake instead of running. Antonia had great pride in him for protecting her. Life is hard a This book is about a young boy the age of 10 Jim Burden.
Life is hard and Antonia's family did not know how to prepare for the winter and without Jim's grandparents help none would have survived the hard cold winter. They did not realize that the area of the house they were using to sleep is where they were supposed to store their food, so they had none. Antonia's father committed suicide in the middle of the harsh winter.
There was a long discussion on where he could be buried, no one would take him since he was a suicide. I was not sure how the family would survive without the male figure, but the next season they built a new house and used their old place for food storage.
The family seemed to recover from the tragedy. I really enjoyed the Russians, they told the story of the bride being tossed from the carriage to save them from being eaten by the wolves. The fact that the story followed the two young Russians all the way to America was unbelievable. This story has Austrians, Russians and Bohemians trying to start a new life in a harsh unrelenting life in Nebraska.
Was it worth all the hell they go through to chase a dream, I do not know? I could not imagine leaving everything I know to start a new life in the middle of nowhere. To just be sent off like that would have scarred me to death. The story takes a turn when they hit their teenage years. The farm work gets too hard for Jims grandparents so they move into town and rent their farm. The young folks start to develop into young men and women and start to notice each other. Jim starts to notice that all the girls are changing.
He begins to show his feelings towards Antonia. Antonia is developing into a fine young women and she loves to dance. When the tent comes to town she is there every night. She cannot stop herself.
From the minute she gets there until she leaves she never leaves the floor. All the young men line up to dance with her. One night Jim walks her home and kisses her. This is as far as I have gotten, I will come back after I finish it to tell you how it ends. Sep 24, Riley Gardner rated it really liked it. I'm not completely sure why I enjoyed this book so much - it's less of a classic sort of novel and more of a description of the natural world. More specifically, Nebraska, which to many would be like describing pancake with no syrup. Flat, dull, and forgettable.
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Come on, it's Nebraska. So why did this book manage to take one of the most mundane places on earth and somehow describe it with such beauty and artful words that it made me miss it like it was home? I can't describ I'm not completely sure why I enjoyed this book so much - it's less of a classic sort of novel and more of a description of the natural world. I can't describe it. That's the strength of this novel.
It's less about the plot which seemingly doesn't exist - it's more like a realistic description of human life and more about how the world around them shapes them into who they are. It's a very American novel, with the ideals of frontier life, immigration, the American Dream, etc. By the end of the novel, you may be like me, who was so taken aback by the beauty of these words on a page that you have to ask yourself: Being a currently college student and away from home, in a far opposite landscape really helped me understand one of the cores of the novel, I believe.
Never have a read a story where homesickness is so understood, where I can feel the thoughts and tears of the author as they write about the place they shaped themselves in. For those who were privileged enough to have a memorable childhood, there's a certain kind of nostalgia in the thoughts of those days.
"My Antonia" - Willa Cather : Prof. Harold Bloom :
Every memory seems filtered by a lens where beautiful rays of sunlight fall upon the slated roofs of nearby homes, where the grass is as refreshing as a newly washed bed sheet. You'd give anything to fall back into those days, into what may be better times when the world was so less complex and more of a luxury you were too young to understand or appreciate.
I thank the author for being able to capture such a feeling when very few others are able to do such a thing. Not enough plot for my liking, but enough to keep me interested and appreciative. Jun 06, Julia Schreder rated it it was ok. I honestly don't understand how anyone could like this book. Granted, when I read it, we had to take about five annotations per page, but yet I think I would have found it innumerably dull either way. The simple lack of plot is what makes it largely unappealing to me, and most everyone I've talked too about the book.
Except for my English teacher. For some reason, he insists that this is a great book, but has yet to read Harry Potter. I don't know, perhaps I was not in the right frame of mind to I honestly don't understand how anyone could like this book. I don't know, perhaps I was not in the right frame of mind to appreciate the supposed "beauty of the language" or whatever else people are saying; after all it was a required summer read, which always seem to be somewhat tainted in my mind by the sheer principal of it being work for school over the summer.
Now that I think about it, maybe I really am holding out an unjust grudge against it. Perhaps this is a book I should revisit sometime on my own inclination. Oct 15, Breanna rated it liked it. We spent a long time discussing our favorite books and personal interests, and he really seemed to "get" me so I was pretty disappointed that this fell flat. I wanted to love it, and have been savoring the recommendation for like 2 years haha. But if you're looking for a sweeping yet simple salt-of-the-earth story of generations then pick up John Steinbeck's East of Eden.
And if you want edible literature written by a woman with a hell of a tongue, then pick up Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence. This didn't hit on either of my go-to literary interests What am I missing here?
- Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability: A Practical Manual?
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- I Dont Mind the Thorns (If Youre the Rose);
Anyway, three stars for historical value, general readability I mean she did win a Pulitzer at one point and her being an awesomely independent ladywriter. Aug 30, Damian rated it it was amazing. I loved this, and I'm still trying to put my finger on exactly why. I don't think I've ever read a novel that seems at least superficially to lack a central conflict; you get glimpses of one here, but that's all.
And yet, this book so successfully takes you to this specific geographical place--and so deeply into the thoughts, emotions, and memories of its protagonist, Jim--that it proved difficult to put down. It's been a long time since I've read such achingly beautiful descriptions of the na I loved this, and I'm still trying to put my finger on exactly why.
It's been a long time since I've read such achingly beautiful descriptions of the natural world, too. I'm going to be thinking about this novel for some time. Much of it was incredibly moving. I can't wait to read more of Cather's work, and I'm only sorry I've waited this long. I very much enjoyed this book. Willa Cather has the gift of weaving all of sensations into finely crafted words. It was a beautiful book about simpler times and human connections. Her descriptive passages are ones that make me stop to simply savor her use of words.
This is what I look for in a good book. I'm sorry I've had this book on my shelves for so long and have waited until now to read.
Willa Cather's My Antonia
Dec 03, Elizabeth rated it really liked it. So evocative of a different time. I felt as though I was peering into a past that we don't have access to anymore.
Title: Modern critical interpretations: Willa Cather's My Ántonia. — (Modern critical interpretations) Includes bibliographical references and index. For more. www.farmersmarketmusic.com: Willa Cather's My Antonia (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations ( Hardcover)) (): Sterling Professor of the Humanities Harold.
The sense of place was so strong I have never been to the Great Plains but I saw it as our earlier settlers saw it- vast, unbroken, wild and gentle at the same time. The language was very modern and modern concepts about love, family,modes tiny etc, but written in the early s so you were definitely hearing from a different time. Dec 22, Karen rated it really liked it.
When I first started this book, I wasn't sure of it. It seemed as if it would be a little boring and drawn-out, but I soon found myself mesmerized by Cather's storytelling. I wanted Jim and Antonia to fall in love but at the same time, I felt it just couldn't be. I truly enjoyed this and hope to read other works by Cather. Nov 02, Anntonette rated it really liked it.
Jim is definitely the perfect man -- whose character could only be written by a woman! God does not make men like Jim in nature, I don't think. So Slavic and bittersweet. I really loved this book and I am glad that I finally read it. Feb 21, Elisabeth Kinsey rated it really liked it. For landscape descriptions that add to theme and character, this is a wonderful study. I watched the movie, with Doogie Howser in it It's satisfying to read after living in Iowa and driving through Nebraska - seeing the landscape change.
Cather's characters reflect and act with the land. Cather's descriptions are subtly negative. Very hard to accomplish. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies. Sterling Professor of the Humanities Harold Bloom. Home Contact Us Help Free delivery worldwide. Description Presents criticism on My Antonia, a nostalgic novel about an earlier America, which portrays the harmonies and disharmonies of the human world and the world of nature. The Best Books of Check out the top books of the year on our page Best Books of Product details For ages Format Hardback pages Dimensions x x Looking for beautiful books?
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