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My Antonia | Introduction

Willa Cather's My Antonia (1918) is the story of both Antonia Shimerda, a Bohemian immigrant to the state of Nebraska in the 1880s, and the novel's American-born narrator, Jim Burden. The story is told as Jim relates his own image of Antonia in a nostalgic recreation of his childhood and youth. Their wildly differing places in the social hierarchy account for their respective fortunes. Antonia survives her father's suicide, hires herself out as household help, is abandoned at the altar, gives birth out of wedlock, but achieves fulfillment in her marriage to a Czech farmer, her loving children, and their flourishing farm. Jim, a successful well-traveled and cultured East-coast lawyer, remains romantic, nostalgic, and unfulfilled in life.

This portrait of Antonia is widely acknowledged as one of the most memorable characters in twentieth-century literature. Through her, Cather celebrates the vitality and fruitfulness of the pioneering era as a type of lost paradise. My Antonia is widely considered the best of the author's "Nebraska" novels which reflect her childhood experiences growing up on the plains. Since its appearance, Cather's carefully crafted fiction has gathered a steady following. Her reputation has continued to grow since her death in 1947. Although contemporary reviewers sometimes faulted the author's work as overly nostalgic and obsessed with the past, today critics see Cather's Nebraska novels, and My Antonia in particular, as well-crafted, sympathetic portrayals of the uniquely American experience of immigrant pioneers.

My Antonia Summary

Summary of the Novel
My Antonia takes the form of a memoir by the narrator, Jim Burden. In his memoir, Jim recounts the life of his childhood friend Antonia Shimerda, the eldest daughter of an immigrant family of Bohemian farmers living in Black Hawk, Nebraska. Antonia’s father commits suicide and she is forced to farm the fields throughout her early teens. Later in her life she goes to work for the Harling family. She remains with the family until Mr. Harling interferes with her social life. Antonia then goes to work for the Cutters until Wick’s amorous intentions cause her to leave.

Jim Burden enters a college in Lincoln, Nebraska, and leaves Antonia’s side for two years. When he... » Complete My Antonia Summary

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1. My Antonia: Introduction
2. My Antonia: Summary
3. My Antonia: Overview
4. My Antonia: Willa Cather Biography
5. My Antonia: Summary and Analysis
   1. Book I, Introduction and Chapters 1-10 Summary and Analysis
   2. Chapters 11-19 Summary and Analysis
   3. Book II, Chapters 1-8 Summary and Analysis
   4. Chapters 9-15 Summary and Analysis
   5. Book III, Chapters 1-4 Summary and Analysis
   6. Book IV, Chapters 1-5 Summary and Analysis
   7. Book V, Chapters 1-3 Summary and Analysis
6. My Antonia: Quizzes
   1. Book I, Introduction and Chapters 1-10 Questions and Answers
   2. Chapters 11-19 Questions and Answers
   3. Book II, Chapters 1-8 Questions and Answers
   4. Chapters 9-15 Questions and Answers
   5. Book III, Chapters 1-4 Questions and Answers
   6. Book IV, Chapters 1-5 Questions and Answers
   7. Book V, Chapters 1-3 Questions and Answers
7. My Antonia: Themes
8. My Antonia: Style
9. My Antonia: Historical Context
10. My Antonia: Critical Overview
11. My Antonia: Character Analysis
    1. Jim Burden
    2. Ántonia Shimerda
    3. Mrs. Emmaline Burden
    4. Other Characters
12. My Antonia: Essays and Criticism
    1. Childhood and Friendship in My Ántonia
    2. My Ántonia and the Failure of Materialism
    3. A Comparison of Jim Burden and Ántonia Shimerda
13. My Antonia: Suggested Essay Topics
14. My Antonia: Sample Essay Outlines
15. My Antonia: Compare and Contrast
16. My Antonia: Topics for Further Study
17. My Antonia: Media Adaptations
18. My Antonia: What Do I Read Next?
19. My Antonia: Bibliography and Further Reading
20. My Antonia: Pictures
21. Copyright

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