A house in the sky by amanda lindhout and sarah corbett. Ask and answer questions about the novel or view study guides, literature essays and more. Nebraskans are celebrating the book all year, a story that has held up over the last century because of its enduring themes. My antonia by willa cather summer 2010 mfah book club selection. My antonia is about pioneers and friendship and was the last book in cathers trilogy on life on the great plains. Willa cathers realist novel my antonia turns out to be rather unreal when it came. Kathleen norris writes in her foreword that in many ways the world of my antonia is still with us, a neglected but significant part of america.
My antonia by willa cather big read 2010 the middle of everywhere by mary pipher. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. One of cathers earliest novels, written in 1918, it is the story of antonia shimerda, who arrives on the nebraska frontier as part of a family of bohemian emigrants. This speaker disappears from the novel as soon as the introduction is over. My antonia gives readers the opportunity to reflect on values that cannot be easily. Click on the title of a book to see the discussion questions. Do some research on cathers own experiences in the american west. Several excellent points were raised, and the discussion was lively.
Jim has a romanticized affection for antonia but not quite a romantic affection. The novel tells the story of the years leading up to the french revolution. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in my antonia, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. This is jim burdens story, emphasized by his title my antonia. My antonia discussion questions why do you think willa cather chose to open the novel with the simultaneous arrival of jim and the shimerda family in nebraska. On the way, jake buys jim a book called the life of jesse james. The book painted social parallels between the plight of the french peasantry with the lives of dickens contemporary london readers. Antonia is the eldest daughter of the shimerdas and is a bold and carefree young woman who becomes the center of narrator jim burden. My antonia questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on my antonia. Willa cathers classic my antonia is the story of the daughter of an immigrant family that sets out to farm the untamed prairie land of nebraska in the late 19th century. The narrator tells you about a friend of hers named jim burden, a lawyer for one of the transcontinental railroads. Thatcher settles finally on seeing mary treat as a giant redwood. In 1923 she was awarded the pulitzer prize for one of ours, a novel set during world war i.
She was one of the first female authors to write in firstperson in a. Reading guide for unsheltered by barbara kingsolver. Willa sibert cather was an american writer who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the great plains, including o pioneers. Discussion questions for my antonia by willa cather. My antonia is a novel by willa cather that was first published in 1918. Instead of going to dances at the owl club, jim decides to go to dances at the firemans hall, because it is a different crowd. My antonia tells the story of several immigrant families who move to rural nebraska. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of harper perennial. On november 19 the willa cather book club will meet to discuss cathers most beloved novel my antonia. Even more troubling, explanations fail to discuss the effect of winter. Willa cathers my antonia is considered one of the most significant american novels of the twentieth century. See a complete list of the characters in my antonia and indepth analyses of jim burden, antonia shimerda, and lena lingard. This discussion sheet is property of the colorado state librarys book club. What connections do you see between her own past and the characters and events in my antonia.
Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class. Questions to facilitation discussion on my antonia. It is the final book of her great plains trilogy of novels, preceded by o pioneers. Discussion questions written and adapted from various sources 1. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions. What do the five individual book titles add to your reading of the novel. My antonia evokes the nebraska prairie life of willa cathers childhood, and commemorates the spirit and courage of immigrant pioneers in america. This reading guide also contains a synopsis of the book and information about the author to share with students. Use the discussion questions on the following pages to facilitate your book clubs. My antonia by willa cather book club discussion questions. This ebook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions.
Nebraska celebrates 100th anniversary of cathers my antonia. Book tvs peter slen interviewed antonia fraser in london about the political crisis in england in 1832 and the late playwright harold pinter. This reading guide also contains a synopsis of the book and. For discussion questions for the harry potter books, click here. My antonia study guide 2019 willa cather foundation. Why might cather have chosen to start the book in this way. Pdf downloads of all 1297 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole.
He seems to be fated to live in one place while always thinking fondly of another. Its the book club discussion on midday connection and well be delving into willa cathers my antonia. Download discussion questions from the tosa book club. Well also unveil our next book club selection when. A house in the sky by amanda lindhout and sarah corbett join us wednesday, december 11 from 10am until noon in room 1 of the bellevue library. A gracefully written book that still provides insights into cathers writings, this work is penetrating in its discussion of cathers use of feelings and nostalgic memories in my antonia. My antonia discussion questions willa cather this study guide consists of approximately 80 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of my antonia. In part an elegy for a way of life almost vanished at the time of its writing, willa cathers novel my antonia.
Hppr listeners thinking about the theme of this years book clubborders and becomingneed to keep in mind that borders change to meet. While jim could potentially return to black hawk to practice law, his highpowered new york city job is a logical extension of his highpowered education. My antonia reading guide for class discussion page 2. Dec 22, 2017 ive just finished reading my antonia by american author, willa cather, published in 1918. Enhance understanding with discussion questions for willa cathers my antonia. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Cather grew up in virginia and nebraska, and graduated from the university of nebraska lincoln.
My antonia ebook by willa cather official publisher page. Willa cathers realist novel my antonia turns out to be rather unreal when it came to. Jul 23, 2016 get a free copy of the book from project gutenberg. Need help with book 1, chapter 1 in willa cathers my antonia.
Well look at immigrant life on the american prairie in the 19th century as we discuss this classic piece of literature. The first narrator in my antonia is an unnamed speaker who grew up with jim burden and meets him years later on a train. Jim paints a very sentimental and idealized picture of nebraska, but this picture is a memory of a time that has long since passed. Mencken famously remarked, no romantic novel ever written in america, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as my antonia, and there are plenty who agree with him. My antonia 1918 is the third book in cathers prairie trilogy, which began with o pioneers. Suggested book and reading club discussion questions for unsheltered. My antonia begins with a short fictional introduction told by a nameless narrator, who may or may not be the author herself. This is classic american literature about the midwest, specifically nebraska, and an unusual. The spirited daughter of bohemian immigrants, antonia must adapt to a hard existence on the desolate prairies of the midwest. Get a free copy of the book from project gutenberg. First things first, all ten members of the physical online book club attended the meeting on november, 2018.
Book club questions book club discussion questions. My antonia reading guide for class discussion enhance understanding with discussion questions for willa cathers my antonia. Join us wednesday, december 11 from 10am until noon in room 1 of the bellevue library. In this book, jim burden reflects on his childhood on the nebraska prairie and the unforgettable girl, my antonia. My antonia by willa cather, a free text and ebook for easy online reading, study, and reference. This xist classics edition has been professionally formatted for ereaders with a linked table of contents. This is absolutely the best teacher resource i have ever purchased. Jim tells his story in response to this mysterious figure, who disappears from the novel as soon as the introduction is over. Many young readers, however, particularly those reading the book under duress as a school assignment, may not have attained the perspective to. New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars. My antonia questions and answers the question and answer sections of our study guides are a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss literature.
My antonia discussion questions chicago public library. He is unable to imagine her in the same light as lena lingard, for whom he feels a. See more ideas about spring branch, discussion group and my antonia. A tale of two cities is a famous work of victorian literature by charles dickens. Shimerda, has a profound and lasting influence upon both antonia and jim. Theyre like having inclass notes for every discussion. Willa cather wrote a groundbreaking piece in 1918her novel my antonia. Read this in high school and just re read for a book club. Set during the great migration west to settle the plains of the north american continent, the narrative follows antonia shimerda, a pioneer who comes to nebraska as a child and grows with the country, inspiring a childhood friend, jim burden, to write her life story. What relevance does the novel have today, and what does it reveal to us about our collective.
They chat with a conductor who acts like a tour guide for them as they drive through the different states. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the. Listed here are discussion questions for the books the galesburg public library adult book clubs have read recently. Ive just finished reading my antonia by american author, willa cather, published in 1918. My antonia study guide contains a biography of willa cather, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. My antonia by willa cather summer 2010 mfah book club. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Told to us from the perspective of jim burden, an orphan who comes to live at his grandparents neighboring farm, this is an enduring american classic rich with the beautiful imagery of the midwestern plains.
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