Cather's 20th Century Masterpiece

"No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Antonia."

H. L. Mencken

Now, that is some high praise indeed. I had been wondering, prior to reading this novel, whether or not it could possibly be true. Having read Death Comes for the Archbishop, also by Cather, I knew the writing would be masterful, but I couldn't conceive of a romantic novel by Cather. I knew she had never married and that her closest friendships were with women. I also knew that the novel's narrator was a man. I wasn't certain Cather could pull it off, and so I reserved judgment until I had read the book. After all, Cather believed this to be her best work. If she thought so, then perhaps this novel would live up to the praise.

Mencken was right. It is simply beautiful, and it is romantic.

The story follows Jim Burden, a young boy who comes to Nebraska following the death of his parents. He is to live with his grandparents on their farm. On the train trip to Nebraska, Jim meets Antonia and the Schimerda family. They are from Bohemia. The rest of the book is about Jim, his growing up, the life on this frontier, and the challenges of immigrants coming to pursue a dream. Antonia figures prominently. She is both the land and Jim's love; she is that which is innately good, bursting with life and love. Although Jim and Antonia never become more than friends in a physical sense, they are inextricably bound together:

For Antonia and for me, this had been the road of Destiny; had taken
us to those early accidents of fortune which predetermined for us all that
we can ever be. Now I understood that the same road was to bring us
together again. Whatever we had missed, we possessed together the
precious, the incommunicable past.

While Jim leaves the farm to pursue a career back East, he can never really leave behind the frontier land. He loves it. It is a part of him.

Cather has a huge gift for descriptive writing. One can feel the landscape she so vividly describes. Her writing style is not excessively verbose, nor is it as spartan as Hemingway. Her character development is not overly introspective. There is a certain restraint which gives a wonderful tension to the story.

Reading this book brought back memories of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain. This is another book which I would describe as sublimely written. It is a delicious and captivating tale which lingers long after the cover is closed. I would admit that this book, while not as thrilling in its action, nevertheless is equally lovely in its style and romanticism.

I can wholeheartedly encourage you to read this book. You will be edified through it.

Until next time, may your reading be pleasurable and profitable!