Lone Star College-Kingwood Library

Death Comes for the Archbishop


by Willa Cather, 1927


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. When she was nine, her family homesteaded in pioneer Nebraska, which provided the setting for a number of her novels. She also had a fascination with the American Southwest. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Cather spent the next few years teaching high school in Pittsburgh and doing newspaper work.

After moving to New York City, she worked for six years on the editorial staff of McClure’s Magazine. Cather won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for One of Ours. In 1930 she won the William Dean Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Books/DVD
Databases
Internet

 Main Characters

Plot

This historical novel is set in nineteenth century New Mexico and describes the experiences of two well-bred French priests sent there to establish Catholicism in Santa Fe. During their life and work in the beautiful and rough environment, they are radically transformed, especially by the experience of the westward movement of the agricultural frontier. The story is based on the life of Archbishop Lamy, the first bishop in the New Mexican territory.

Setting

Territory of New Mexico, the American Southwest

Topics

History - personal history of Archbishop Lamy and the development of his huge diocese.

Emmigrants, Pioneers, Europe.

Religion / spirituality - throughout her life and especially after 1922, Cather was concerned with the decline of spirituality in an increasingly materialistic American society.

Nature, Catholicism/Protestantism, Modernism.

Missions and Native Americans.

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 Death Comes for the Archbishop. Enter Willa Cather in the Subject Keyword search box. There may also be books on researve for your class at the Circulation Desk.
  • 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.)

 

 

Examples of books offering information about Cather's novel:

Reference books with background information on Willa Cather and her novels.

DVD: PS3505.A87 Z586  Into the Morning: Willa Cather's America

Journals

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 databases(25 sec.)

 

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.)

 UNACCEPTABLE SOURCE SAMPLE   http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/bx/bx04b.html - This appears to be part of a book (the subject is not this novel but it is a good example) however there is nothing we can see that tells you title, author, dates, publisher or any of the other needed information. 

Selected Internet sites

Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation  From Willa Cather's home town, Red Cloud, Nebraska, is this site tells all about past and present Catherland.

University of Nebraska - The Willa Cather Archive  this site offers information about the author and her work.

Art in Willa Cather's Fiction discusses the extent to which Willa Cather's writing was influenced by art .

GETTING HELP FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Citing Sources Using the Library MLA Style Guide | Kingwood College 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.

Learning  Center   |   Check our hours for in-house tutoring.

Lone Star College-Kingwood   | Lone Star College-Kingwood Library   |  Write us   |
Page written by Susan Schilling, Librarian; design  by Becky Bradley, Librarian 2-19-02. Updated 6/2007 B. Bradley.  

LSC-Kingwood Library logo