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AliProf's avatar

What a great choice! I am an English professor at a small Christian college, and I have been teaching _My Antonia_ for several years in my American Lit. II class with very positive results. Many of my students are first-generation college students in a rural environment, and I think the novel’s thoughtful examination of the value of external vs. internal validation has particular resonance for these students, many of whom have grown up in extremely challenging financial circumstances.

The novel has such great contemporary relevance regarding issues of immigration, stewardship of the land, and female empowerment. My classes always have interesting discussions revolving around the work’s vision of ethical awareness in light of different life experiences and socio-cultural value structures. We see such moving visions of redemption in Antonia’s steadfast refusal to accept a victimized status through her internalization of empathy in response to wrenching challenges. Cather’s ultimate tribute to Antonia is refusing to allow anyone (including Jim) to trap her in a static posture.

There is a great online scholarly edition available through the Willa Cather Archive—Cather.unl.edu. Enjoy!

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Holly A.J.'s avatar

I read both 'My Antonia' and 'Death Comes to the Archbishop' earlier this year. Of the two, 'Death Comes to the Archbishop' was my favourite. 'My Antonia' reads more like a series of beautiful prairie paintings described by its first person narrator. In contrast, the third person narration brought the mesas and canyons of 'Death Comes to the Archbishop' vividly to the mind's eye.

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