'My Ántonia' - Founding Mother of the American West

Women immigrants and Myths of the Frontier

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book 'My Ántonia' - Founding Mother of the American West by Carmen Fuchs, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Carmen Fuchs ISBN: 9783640960385
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: July 18, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Carmen Fuchs
ISBN: 9783640960385
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: July 18, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Freiburg (Seminar of North American Studies), course: Female Appropriations in the Girl Western, language: English, abstract: The identity of America as a nation is an issue not only amply discussed by politicians and sociologists past and present, it has been a topic of America's writers and artists long since the country's foundation. In quest of an American identity which was emancipated from its European models 19th century writers were among the first to explore the myth of the American West. Especially in the early nineteenth century, writers were strongly orientated towards Europe and European writing styles as many young American authors seemingly did not believe their country capable yet of constructing an autonomous literary canon that would reflect a credible literary voice of the young nation. The problem of having no literary home and roots can be copiously observed in the works of Herman Melville, many of his novels and pieces of short fiction featuring the individual's homelessness and the experience of being lost in space and time. Melville wrote about themes which would eventually resurface in the writings of Modernist poets and writers of the 1920s. Willa Cather, however was accused of being a reactionary because she placed setting her masterpiece My Ántonia in the rural American Midwest. My Ántonia however shows that what many Modernist writers seemed unable to see: the Frontier was not simply a cheesy myth of dime novels but the perfect symbol of America as a nation comprised of the rootless who had no sense of home and for whom moving on was the only solution to this dilemma. If there ever was an idea of creating an American nation, the Frontier certainly is and was the strongest image of it. It is mostly perceived as a white male myth, and thus Will Cathers offers a different perspective of the Frontier: the role of immigrants and women on the Frontier. To understand the Modernist writers' general opposition to the Frontier theme and in order to fully comprehend Cather's contribution to American Modernism, one needs to gain insight into various aspects of Frontier literature, namely the Western and the Pioneer Novel. The works chosen for this portrayal are Owen Wister's The Virginian and Hank's Woman and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie because of their contrast to My Ántonia regarding the portrayal of women, immigrants and the Frontier Myth.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Freiburg (Seminar of North American Studies), course: Female Appropriations in the Girl Western, language: English, abstract: The identity of America as a nation is an issue not only amply discussed by politicians and sociologists past and present, it has been a topic of America's writers and artists long since the country's foundation. In quest of an American identity which was emancipated from its European models 19th century writers were among the first to explore the myth of the American West. Especially in the early nineteenth century, writers were strongly orientated towards Europe and European writing styles as many young American authors seemingly did not believe their country capable yet of constructing an autonomous literary canon that would reflect a credible literary voice of the young nation. The problem of having no literary home and roots can be copiously observed in the works of Herman Melville, many of his novels and pieces of short fiction featuring the individual's homelessness and the experience of being lost in space and time. Melville wrote about themes which would eventually resurface in the writings of Modernist poets and writers of the 1920s. Willa Cather, however was accused of being a reactionary because she placed setting her masterpiece My Ántonia in the rural American Midwest. My Ántonia however shows that what many Modernist writers seemed unable to see: the Frontier was not simply a cheesy myth of dime novels but the perfect symbol of America as a nation comprised of the rootless who had no sense of home and for whom moving on was the only solution to this dilemma. If there ever was an idea of creating an American nation, the Frontier certainly is and was the strongest image of it. It is mostly perceived as a white male myth, and thus Will Cathers offers a different perspective of the Frontier: the role of immigrants and women on the Frontier. To understand the Modernist writers' general opposition to the Frontier theme and in order to fully comprehend Cather's contribution to American Modernism, one needs to gain insight into various aspects of Frontier literature, namely the Western and the Pioneer Novel. The works chosen for this portrayal are Owen Wister's The Virginian and Hank's Woman and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie because of their contrast to My Ántonia regarding the portrayal of women, immigrants and the Frontier Myth.

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Die Heraklidensage - eine kollektive griechische Erinnerung an die Dorische Wanderung? by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Bedeutung und Entwicklungspotenzial des User-Interfaces als Teil der unternehmensinternen Corporate Identity by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Ein Unterrichtsentwurf zum Thema: Einführung von Mindestlöhnen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Ja oder Nein? by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Private Lebensformen im deutsch-italienischen Vergleich - Eine Analyse auf der Basis von Kontaktanzeigen by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Serviceorientierte Plattformen in mittelständischen Unternehmen by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Soziale Ungleichheit und Geschlecht by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Durch welche Faktoren wird die Akzeptanz von E-Learning in Unternehmen beeinflusst? by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Sprache als Mittel der Satire in George Orwells '1984' und Vladimir Vojnovichs 'Moskva 2042' by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Zur Rolle des kindgerichteten Sprechens beim Erstspracherwerb by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Trennung und Scheidung der Eltern im Erleben des Kindes by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Konsequenzen und Implikationen der Wahl Ma Yingjius auf die Beziehungen zwischen beiden Seiten der Taiwanstraße by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Friedrich Nietzsche: 'Fröhliche Wissenschaft' - Eine Interpretation by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Dickens Treatment of Funerals in 'Dombey and Son' and 'David Copperfield' by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Der feministische Diskurs - Eine postmoderne Thematik? by Carmen Fuchs
Cover of the book Unterrichtsstunde: Erkunden der Wirksamkeit der Vorbeschleunigungserweiterung auf die Wurfweite - Eine Hinführung zur Zieltechnik im Diskuswurf by Carmen Fuchs
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy