Hi, I'm Leonora (Leo), and I've just come away from reading TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, moderated by Ilana, who gave such invaluable insight into Woolf's work. Thank you, Ilana.
I read MY ANTONIA many years ago, and I fear, with less than a discerning eye. I am looking forward to everyone's comments on Cather's work. This time as I read I'm interested in comparing the immigrant experience of the turn-of-the-century pioneers out west with my parents and their children, post-WWII.
P.S. The threads are titled early and late chapters. Is there a definite point of demarcation in the book that separates the two? I wouldn't want to accidentally post any spoilers.
I read MY ANTONIA many years ago, and I fear, with less than a discerning eye. I am looking forward to everyone's comments on Cather's work. This time as I read I'm interested in comparing the immigrant experience of the turn-of-the-century pioneers out west with my parents and their children, post-WWII.
P.S. The threads are titled early and late chapters. Is there a definite point of demarcation in the book that separates the two? I wouldn't want to accidentally post any spoilers.
Hi Leonora,
Thanks so much for joining this discussion.
I really like that you're coming at this book with an explicit focus--to look at immigration. That helps me a lot in thinking of ways to read this book--and I think you've pinpointed such a meaningful lens.
This book is very much about the immigrant experience. Cather seems ahead of her time in the empathy she feels for those who don't know the language and come with a foreign set of habits. This book begs us to slow down in our assumptions about our neighbors who seem "out of place."
I am still trying to wrap my head around all she has to say about the Bohemians and Russians etc. who play such a central role in this book. I can't wait to hear what you have to say.
About the chapter break down: I'm not thinking of any clear split between "early" and "late" chapters. Later today, in the “early chapters” section, I'm going to post some more discussion questions with explicit chapter numbers attached to them.
I guess I'm not too worried about spoilers because this isn't a particularly plot-driven book. But thanks for the heads-up—and I’ll now remind everyone to write **Spoiler** in the subject line of a note if the note contains a spoiler.
So…tell! me how/if you think Cather builds some empathy for the immigrant in this book
Ilana
Thanks so much for joining this discussion.
I really like that you're coming at this book with an explicit focus--to look at immigration. That helps me a lot in thinking of ways to read this book--and I think you've pinpointed such a meaningful lens.
This book is very much about the immigrant experience. Cather seems ahead of her time in the empathy she feels for those who don't know the language and come with a foreign set of habits. This book begs us to slow down in our assumptions about our neighbors who seem "out of place."
I am still trying to wrap my head around all she has to say about the Bohemians and Russians etc. who play such a central role in this book. I can't wait to hear what you have to say.
About the chapter break down: I'm not thinking of any clear split between "early" and "late" chapters. Later today, in the “early chapters” section, I'm going to post some more discussion questions with explicit chapter numbers attached to them.
I guess I'm not too worried about spoilers because this isn't a particularly plot-driven book. But thanks for the heads-up—and I’ll now remind everyone to write **Spoiler** in the subject line of a note if the note contains a spoiler.
So…tell! me how/if you think Cather builds some empathy for the immigrant in this book
Ilana
CallMeLeo wrote:
Hi, I'm Leonora (Leo), and I've just come away from reading TO THE LIGHTHOUSE, moderated by Ilana, who gave such invaluable insight into Woolf's work. Thank you, Ilana.
I read MY ANTONIA many years ago, and I fear, with less than a discerning eye. I am looking forward to everyone's comments on Cather's work. This time as I read I'm interested in comparing the immigrant experience of the turn-of-the-century pioneers out west with my parents and their children, post-WWII.
P.S. The threads are titled early and late chapters. Is there a definite point of demarcation in the book that separates the two? I wouldn't want to accidentally post any spoilers.
IlanaSimons wrote:
Hi--Welcome to this May discussion of Cather's My Antonia. This is a book that some say reads like a painting--its scenic descriptions evoke intense emotion.
That I'd say was my impression when I read My Ántonia the first time. I just think Cather placed the accent over her name wrongly and actually unnecessarily. If anywhere it would be over the o, but not. So perhaps WiCa wanted to make her name to look exotic. Or she wanted to point out the emphasis on the first syllable. But correctly the name would be Antonie with emphasis on the first sylabble, yes, and a naturally long vocal o that follows. OK enough of this petty linguistic excursion.
I read the book with BNU and 'twas a great discussion. Have a nice reading trip. I'll visit.
ziki
