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Willa Cather Research Paper

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Willa Cather
Willa Cather, along with many other, were forced to face many struggles throughout their lifetimes. They had to live through some of the worst times, the first World War and the devastating Great Depression, and some of the best times, the passing of the 19th Amendment. These events taught victims to cherish every second of life and it showed that good always triumphs over evil.
The Great War, also known as World War I, began when a Serbian Nationalist assassinated Austria-Hungary’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. The United States did not enter until the Zimmerman Telegram was intersected. It was Germany’s attempt to ally with Mexico so they could beat the United States. Germany told Mexico that when they won the war, …show more content…

She worked for Home Monthly (“Willa Sibert Cather”). From 1897 to 1901, she worked for Pittsburgh’s Daily Leader as a drama reviewer and a newspaper editor (Bloom 185). In 1902 Willa Cather traveled throughout Europe (“Willa Sibert Cather”). She later became a teacher. She taught English and Latin at Central High School in Pittsburgh (Bloom 185). She also became the head English teacher and the Latin teacher at Allegheny High. Her first book, April Twilights, was a book of poetry, published in 1903. She moved to New York City in 1903 (“Willa Sibert Cather”). While in New York, she lived in an apartment with Edith Lewis (Bloom 185). She became the managing editor of McClure’s Magazine, a highly influential magazine of the time (Fogel 302). S.S. McClure, the publisher of McClure’s Magazine, published Cather’s book of short stories, The Troll Garden, in 1905. The Troll Garden spoke of an artist's struggles in impoverished areas. There is an underlying tone of her wishes to return to midwestern life. The influence of her perfect author, Henry James, is evident in her four collections of short stories, including, The Troll Garden. In 1905 Cather's first novel, Alexander's Bridge, was published, but it was not incredibly popular. She was pushed by Sarah Orne Jewett to write novels instead of journalism, and with this encouragement, quits her job in 1911 (“Willa Sibert Cather”). The works, O Pioneers!, The song of the Lark, and My Ántonia, displayed women who do whatever to provide for their family. Also, they feature immigrants as the hero of the stories; this was uncommon in this era. For example, O Pioneers!, is a tragedy about a woman from Norway who does whatever she can to keep the family farm at any cost, even her own happiness (Tessitore 131). In her 1920 collection, Youth and the Bright Medusa, she focused on what it means to be successful.

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