My Antonia

by Willa Cather

Born - Back Creek Valley, Virginia on December 7, 1873

Died - New York, New York on April 24, 1947

Willa Cather is known for her literary portraits of frontier life. She was raised in the Nebraska farming community of Red Cloud where her extended family included grandparents, and an aunt and uncle. This area provided settings for most of her best-known works. My Antonia, written in 1918 and recognized as one of her major works, describes an immigrant girl's life on the Nebraska plains and draws inspiration from her own youth. Her characters reflect the strong personalities and enduring qualities of the people she encountered on the American frontier. Cather's talent as a writer is well illustrated in her ability to translate these characteristics into universal terms. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923.

BASICS

       Main Characters - Jim Burden, narrator and Antonia's friend; Antonia Shirmerda, a Bohemian peasant girl

       Plot -  Told as a narrative, this is the story of Jim Burden's recollections of Antonia, and her life on the Nebraska prairie. Jim and Antonia lived on adjoining farms and were friends growing up. Although her life is filled with hard work and difficulties, Antonia's strong spirit never breaks.

       Setting - Nebraska prairie during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Red Cloud, Nebraska, is the town where Jim and Antonia later move.

       Theme - The setting and characters are most important in the novel. It can be called a regional chronicle, or pastoral. The theme is the struggle of the early farming immigrants and their perseverance and strong spirits.

BOOKS

Librarian Talk . . . About Books!

Books offer helpful information about time periods, authors and the literary works. Use them to help begin your review of literature on My Antonia.
Apply online for a library card. Use your card to 1) Place a Hold on a book and have it sent to the library closest to you 2) Access journal and reference databases from home, and 3) Access Online Book Database (NetLibrary).

The catalog is online.
Online books (database paid for by our libraries) are available at NetLibrary. Use your library card to log in. Create a free account to save favorite titles or your own notes on the books you read.
More about...Finding Books (31 sec.)

Background - Search the Lone Star College-Kingwood Library Catalog for information on immigrants during this period of settling the American west. Check for books about Willa Cather and My Antonia on reserve at the Circulation Desk. They are available for use in the library. Full text online books are also available in our database, NetLibrary. To use NetLibrary from off campus you will need your library card barcode number.
Learn to search NetLibrary e-books for literary criticism!

Lives and Letters of an Immigrant Family - F472.M7 K76 - a first hand account of the Van Dreveldts', an immigrant family, from 1844 to 1866. Available online through NetLibrary.

The Immigrant in American History - JV6451 .H33 - A particularly good source for descriptions of German immigrant farmers and the problems they faced.

Geography and Literature- PN56 .L55 G46 - Located at LSC-Tomball library, this book connects a setting to the literature which decribes it. You can request this book electronically and it will be brought to LSC-Kingwood Library for your use.

Author - Use Willa Cather's name as a keyword search to find books about her life and her literary career. There are several books in NetLibrary on Willa Cather and her works.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) - PN 41 .D5, v. 9, 54, 78 - V. 9, American Novelists, 1910-1945, contains analysis of Cather's work as a novelist.

The Stuff of our Forebears: Willa Cather's Southern heritage - PS3505 .A87 Z737 - This book offers insight into her life and how her heritage influenced her writing. Available full text through NetLibrary.

The novel - Search for books about My Antonia by using the title as a keyword search in the catalog. Some reference books which will help you analyze the story are listed here.

Twentieth Century Literary Criticism (TCLC) - PN 771 .G27, v. 1, 11, 31, 99 - Discussion of Willa Cather's work. Volume 31 contains a concentration of analysis on My Antonia.

Identities and Issues in Literature - PS 153 .M56 I34 - These books discuss particular themes in literature. My Antonia is mentioned in "the American identity," "the west and the frontier," "fertility and identity," and "internal immigration."

Magill's Survey of American Literature - PS21.M34, v.1 - This book contains a brief biography of Willa Cather and a short analysis of My Antonia. It can be helpful for developing a research topic.

DATABASES

Librarian Talk about Finding Journal and Newspaper Articles!
Electronic databases are purchased by the libraries for your research use. Use them to find articles in newspapers and journals, letters, reference books, illustrations, photographs and more. Home access to article databases is available with your updated library card barcode. If you need assistance finding an article contact the Reference Librarians and they will see that you get the article. They will need full bibliographic information - and your name and address. Send your phone number as well, so they can contact you if necessary.

Use your library card to login to these online journal databases.
More about searching databases (25 sec.)

Most scholarly research will be found by using databases to locate articles in scholarly literary journals. The following links will take you to databases containing information about My Antonia and Willa Cather's literary career.

Academic Search Complete - Scholarly, multi-discipline database, with many full text articles. Choose the Advanced Search feature and limit your search to Scholarly (Peer reviewed) journals to get good results.

JSTOR Arts & Sciences - Search or browse the complete back issues for over 117 journals in literature, economics, history, social sciences, science and mathematics. The most current issue available is determined by publisher agreements and varies.

Literature Resource Center - Full text articles from reference books and Twayne's Masterworks books as well as Journal articles, some full text and some excerpted. Search for information by author, title or use custom search to combine the two.

MLA - One of the most comprehensive and authoritative sources for citations to literary criticism, this index from the Modern Language Association will help you locate articles from scholarly literary journals. Check our A-Z list of Lone Star College System Electronic Journals or use the Check LinkSource option to find the article text in other databases, if it's not available here. Search the library catalog to find out if the library owns the journal in print or in microfiche. The library also offers an interlibrary loan service that will request copies of articles and books from libraries worldwide. Ask a reference librarian if you need help accessing these articles or locating articles from sources not available within our system.

Project MUSE - Search and browse the full text of nearly 250 journals from 40 scholarly publishers in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

ProQuest Research Library - Over 1900 journals in all subjects, mostly full text. Limit your search to scholarly journals including peer reviewed, to find appropriate journal articles.

INTERNET

Librarian Talk about the Internet!
The internet can be a wonderful source of original documents. Browse the sites we have suggested below. Remember, you DO want to find reputable sites. Evaluate for:

Accuracy - The information should be researched and show proof of that research.

Source - Look at the domain: .edu .gov .org .net are valid research sources. Your company's website is also a valuable resource.

Authority - What are the author's credentials? (Don't quote from another college freshman's paper.)

Coverage - Does the page have the information you need for your research?

Objectivity - If a work is biased, use it - just make sure your professor knows YOU know. Offer both sides of issues, where applicable.
More about finding internet sources (25 sec.)

Although most of your resources will be found in books and databases, the Internet can be a useful source of information about Willa Cather and My Antonia. Evaluate Internet sites for quality, scholarly level, author and validity before using them as resources for your paper. If you are in doubt about the quality of an internet site, ask your instructor.

Selected Internet sites

Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation - This site from Willa Cather's childhood home, Red Cloud, Nebraska, tells all about past and present Catherland.

Glencoe Public Library - the public library examines My Antonia. See the Study Guide (PDF) for more information.

My Antonia - A full text, hyperlinked edition. Leads to linked notes throughout the novel. Helpful explanations of people places and events in Willa Cather's life, and that she experienced. Presented by University of Nebraska.

SUPPORT: Getting help for your assignment

Citing Sources Using the Library MLA Style Guide | Lone Star College-Kingwood Library guide. Examples of both paper and electronic citations.

Avoiding Plagiarism | Excellent information and guide on how to avoid plagiarism from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

University of Texas Copyright Crash Course | This helpful guide on copyright is suggested by Lone Star College-Kingwood Teaching and Learning Center.

The Learning Center | Check the TLC hours for in-house tutoring.

Lone Star College-Kingwood | Lone Star College-Kingwood Library | Write us | Page by Becky Bradley, Librarian, 2001 | Updated 5/2008 B. Bradley