O Pioneers! (Willa Cather Scholarly Edition) - Softcover

Cather, Willa; Rosowski, Susan J.; Mignon, Charles W.; Danker, Kathleen A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803263716 ISBN 13: 9780803263710

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 1997

Synopsis

O Pioneers! was Willa Cather's first important novel. Published in 1913, it introduced the Bohemian and Swedish immigrants of the Nebraska Prairies to readers of serious literature. Alexandra Bergson assumes responsibility for running the family farm after her father's death. She possesses the strength of the pioneers that the author knew in her midwestern youth. Writing O Pioneers! was for Cather "like taking a ride through a familiar country on a horse that knew the way."

About this title

From the Inside Flap

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book

"This beautifully produced book is a joy to read and demonstrates the real pleasures to be derived from meticulous attention to detail and the highest standards of scholarship."—American Literary Scholarship.

"The first of the Cather Scholarly Editions sets a high standard of quality. . . . Text and context reveal the splendor of O Pioneers! and enrich both the experience and study of Cather’s extraordinary prose."—Western American Literature.

Willa Cather said that O Pioneers! was her first authentic novel, "the first time I walked off on my own feet—everything before was half real and half an imitation of writers whom I admired." Cather’s novel of life on the Nebraska frontier established her reputation as a writer of great note and marked a significant turning point in her artistic development. No longer would she let literary convention guide the form of her writing; the materials themselves would dictate the structure.

The paperback edition contains all the text and scholarly apparatus found in the original Willa Cather Scholarly Edition. Edited according to standards set by the Committee for Scholarly Editions of the Modern Language Association, this volume presents the full range of biographical, historical, and textual information on the novel.

From the Back Cover

Scholarly Edition.Published in 1913, Cather's novel of life on the Nebraska frontier received enthusiastic reviews. Besides establishing her career as a writer of great note, O Pioneers! marked a significant turning point in Cather's artistic development: no longer would she let literary convention guide the form of her writing; the materials themselves would dictate the structure. The critical and popular success of O Pioneers! encouraged Cather to follow the same road with subsequent novels.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0803263716
• ISBN 13: 9780803263710
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 295
• Editor: Rosowski Susan J., Mignon Charles W., Danker Kathleen A., Stouck David