O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - LSC-Kingwood

Willa Cather, 1873-1947

O Pioneers! was the second novel written by Willa Cather.  In this regional novel describing her home state, Cather relates the story of Alexandra Bergson, a young woman of Swedish heritage who is a strong, capable heroine.   In creating this character, Ms. Cather broke the normal mode of heroine.  Alexandra Bergson is her own person, strong, independent and self-reliant.  She shapes her own destiny, and does this in a world where this role is normally given to men.

This story describes the American dream, how people who were not from this place succeeded in making a home for themselves. It is a story of immigration. The book tells the reader how much work and hardship were involved in the settlement of the west as immigrants came and made a place for themselves.  And, Cather tells of the great rewards gained from the struggles of those immigrants and their families.   The story centers around the Bergson farm, a poorly producing property owned by Alexandra's father.  When he dies, instead of the eldest son inheriting the land, Bergson gives control to Alexandra, his only daughter.  Her spirit and drive combine to enable her to make a success where others fail.

Alexandra Bergson - The heroine and central figure of the novel.  Third child and only daughter of her family, she is chosen by her father as his heir.

Emil Bergson - Alexandra's youngest brother.

Lou and Oscar Bergson - Her two older brothers.

Carl Linstrum - Alexandra's friend.

Marie Shabata - formerly Tovesky, the young wife of Frank Shabata. 

Setting:  Hanover, Nebraska, a small town in the Nebraska prairie in the late 19th century

Themes:  pioneers,  Swedish immigrants,  the hardships of homestead life,   isolation,  independence,  frontiers,  women as pioneers,  resourcefulness,  individualism,   loneliness,  alienation,  autonomy,  heroism

Librarian Talk . . .  About Books! Books offer helpful information about time periods, authors and the literary works. Use them to help begin your review of literature on O Pioneers! Apply online for a library card. Use the barcode number from your Lone Star College ID or library card to 1) Place a Hold on a book and have it sent to the library closest to you  2) Access journal and reference databases from home, and 3) Access Online Book Database (eBook Collection). The catalog is online. Online books or ebooks are available in eBook Collection.  Use your library card to log in.  Create a free account to save favorite titles or your own notes on the books you read. More about...Finding Books (31 sec.)

 

Background - Search the Library Catalog for information on immigrants during this period of settling the American west.  Check for books about Willa Cather and O Pioneers! on reserve at the Circulation Desk.  They are available for use in the library.     

•  Lives and Letters of an Immigrant Family -  a first hand account of the Van Dreveldts, an immigrant family, from 1844 to 1866. Available online through the eBook Collection.
• PN56 .L55 G46 Geography and Literature - Located at LSC-Tomball library, this book connects a setting to the literature which describes it.  You can request this book through the library catalog and it will be sent to LSC Kingwood Library for your use.

Author - Use Willa Cather's name as a keyword search to find books about her life and her literary career.  There are several books in our eBook Collection on Willa Cather and her works. Find them in the library catalog or search the database directly.

• PN 41 .D5 - Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB)  v. 9, 54, 78 - v. 9, American Novelists, 1910-1945, contains analysis of Cather's work.
• The Stuff of our Forebears: Willa Cather's Southern heritage - This book offers insight into Cather's life and how her heritage influenced her writing.  Available through the eBook Collection.

The novel - Search for books about O Pioneers! by using the title as a keyword search in the catalog.  Some reference books which will help you analyze the story are listed here.

• PN 50 .L574 - Literature and Its Times - v. 3, p. 257-63 - place the novel in the time it was written.  Gives readers a context for the place and setting described in the novel.
• PN 771 .G27 - Twentieth Century Literary Criticism (TCLC) -  v. 1, 11, 31, 99 - Discussion of Willa Cather's work.  Volume 31 contains a concentration of analysis on My Antonia.
• PS 147 .O94 - The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing - will help with themes expressed in Cather's work.