My Antonia - The Big Read Program of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties

SUNYLA 2010...

2010-06-17T05:49:00.015-04:00

Planning and Implementing Community Reading Initiatives: SUNY Fredonia's Experience

Presentation at SUNYLA 2010: An Information Odyssey
Presented By Randy Gadikian, Dawn Eckenrode and Scott Richmond

June 18, 2010

More images from Dunkirk Lib. program!

2010-04-08T14:35:00.004-04:00

Here are some images of the actors pre-performance (bottom), during the skit (middle), and in the climactic moment where Ambrosch is punched by Jim (top)!

The skit was narrated by Susan Kornacki and directed by Kyle Georger. Actors are wearing costumes styled by Susan, purchased at Salvation Army and reconstituted from Susan's wardrobe.

Photos from Dunkirk Free Library Big Read event!

2010-04-08T14:29:00.004-04:00

Here are some images from our event at the Dunkirk Free Library. On Saturday, March 27 we installed a quilt display and served free pizza to audience members who viewed the display and a skit acted out by SUNY Fredonia students.

This event was hosted by Susan Kornacki and Kyle Georger.

Big Read Success at Dunkirk Free Library

2010-04-06T22:50:00.002-04:00

A total success best describes our programming last Saturday at the Dunkirk Free Library. My partner Susan and I decided to take a specific scene in the book and add a little spice, as well as some "slap-stick" comedy.

Taking the scene with the horse collar, we made friends into actors. I asked my 5 housemates if they were willing to participate and right before I finished I saw the grins and smiles on all of their faces! They were in and did a fantastic job. I never thought they cold put it together as great as they did and trust me, if you knew them, you wouldn't have either!

Our programing started around 1:15 in the afternoon as we waited for some of the children downstairs to finish their crafts and come up and join the festivities. We provided pizza for all the guests, giving them something to munch on during the skit.

Following the successful skit, we opened the floor to the audience. Many complemented our decision-making, as we used a male to play the role of the "Antonia" character, adding comedy and many laughs throughout.

We also had to make a quick audible during the performance as we found out our quilting demo had to be canceled due to a family emergency, yet we carried on and allowed our guests to walk around the library and notice the quilts we hung the previous day.

Overall, the presentation was great and the programing and preparation in the end blew me away. I couldn't believe with our busy and somewhat conflicting schedules how successful we actually made it! We had fun and met new friends, what more could you ask for!

Campus Community Comes Out for Reading at Reed Library

2010-04-05T12:11:00.012-04:00

This was certainly my first exposure to Willa Cather, as was the case for fellow group members Jillian Ziemianski and Paul Beverly. We were assigned to our very own Reed Library, at first a cause for celebration because it meant that we would be on familiar territory and within walking distance of any event that we planned to promote the book. However, the more we discussed our possibilites, the more we realized what working on a project of this stature, well within the realm of the professional and academic environment really meant. Soon, the pleasant dream of a nice and quiet round table discussion with wine and cheese faded away for us just as it began to take shape and come alive for many of our classmates. This was going to have to be on a bigger scale of events, with a more intensive amount of research and networking than we had anticipated. Putting on an event for the campus community definitely required a critical lens that would motivate people to want to attend the event, or perhaps even want to participate.

Reading of My Antonia: a dramatic adaptation Performed by Prof. Ted Sharon as "Jim" and student, Kathleen Grace Fiori, as "Antonia."

It was through Cather’s own sexuality that we developed an introspective lens, thus deciding that gender roles and homosexuality would play a key part in the theme of the event. Another thing that we realized was that because of the size of the event, direct discussion of the novel would be more difficult than it would have been in a smaller library setting. This prompted us to rethink our own personal goals of the event. We were not going to be directly engaging people in a campus wide discourse but instead encouraged them to do it on their own through a selection of works that we would have campus members read aloud and explain how it pertained to the novel. With the a great amount of help from our Reed Librarians, Dawn Eckenrode and Scott Richmond, we were able to do some real public relations work not often seen in your typical undergraduate English class in order to enlist the help of other campus faculty members.

Highlights of the event included a reading of a section of the novel relating to young women growing up on the prairie by Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil, a reading of Walt Whitman’s Pioneers, O Pioneers! By Professor Dustin Parsons, (a short film about Cather's sexual identity donated by Dr. Adrienne McCormick,) an essay by Truman Capote about his experiences meeting Cather as a young writer read by Dawn Eckenrode, a portion of the Eclogues by Virgil was read by Dr. John Arnold and A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf was read by Dr. Jeanette McVicker. Student readers included Allison Murray and Brian Fanelli as well as a theatrical rendition of the end of novel’s ending by Ted Sharon and his students Jessica St. George and Kathleen Grace Fiori. On behalf of my group, we would like to thank Reed Library Director, Randy Gadikian and everyone who helped with the event or took the time to attend.

View photos of this and other Big Read events on Flickr.

Posted by: Cais Jurgens

The Big Read Program at the Chautauqua County Home

2010-03-25T14:33:00.002-04:00

Greetings everyone!

I just wanted to add my two cents about how my experience presenting at the Chautauqua County Home was. I do have some experience volunteering with my family at the Erie County Home. At times, it can be painfully depressing and quite honestly, heartbreaking. Seeing elderly men and women without families, sitting outside of their rooms just waiting for visitors is almost too much to take. Any empathetic heart could hardly handle it. I have to say, this "Big Read" experience was absolutely, incredibly positive. It went way beyond any expectations that I had.

I never expected to be so affected by the men and women that took time out of their days to come and spend time with us. I presented on the roles of women during the time of the novel and brought in a large display of how this was exemplified in the advertisements and magazines of the time. The response from each person who attended was simply phenomenal. Alongside my presentation partner, Lauren Kerzee, we were blessed to have the residents open up and tell personal stories that I never anticipated. Hearing each person's thoughts on the novel (so many of them READ!) was mind-blowingly rewarding. Lauren and I both smile that in our limited contact we really did make great connections with them.

In particular, hearing one resident speak of his years as an author, poet, and minister was so enlightening. Honestly, that was the best part of this entire experience. Simply talking to each of these men and women was just awesome. They were so excited to have us there visiting with them, and it really left like they got so much out of us visiting. This experience was incredibly enlightening to the fact that at any age, no one stops having that thirst to learn something new.

Chautauqua County Home

2010-03-23T09:20:00.002-04:00

The Big Read Event at the Chautauqua County Home was simply amazing. The residents were eager to discuss their ideas, which led to interesting discussions. Our class learned as much from them as they did from us. One resident, Joe, was reading My Antonia for the second time and had a notebook in which he kept ideas to bring up once we got there.
I discussed gender, marriage, and the problems of Jim Burden as a narrator, which generated lively discussions with those that had completed the book and others who shared stories from their lives. It was awesome to see them get so involved in the text, and I hope that the residents who hadn't finished the book have been inspired to do so since we left.
All of the residents expressed a desire to learn and become involved in the text. I enjoyed sharing my research with them, but it was their ideas and comments that were really the highlight of the event. Each of their ideas has inspired me and furthered my understanding of My Antonia.
I plan on going back to the home and visiting, especially my new Facebook friend Frances.

Lauren Kerzee, English 600

Reading Event at Reed Libary: March 23rd at 7 p.m.

2010-03-21T18:46:00.008-04:00

The Big Read continues at SUNY Fredonia this month with a selected reading of “My Antonia” by Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil of the department of English. The reading will take place this Tuesday, March 23rd, at 7 p.m. in the Japanese Garden area of Reed Library. Faculty and student readers from the English, History, Women's Studies, and Theatre departments will also be sharing passages from a variety of authors who have been influenced by their gender or sexuality either on or off the page. In conjunction with the reading, the Willa Cather Gender and Sexuality Exhibit will be on display, offering an exposition on the gender and sexuality of Cather and the novel. Display materials were created by event organizers: Paul Beverly, Cais Jurgens and Jillian Ziemianski, students in Dr. Emily VanDette's English Senior Seminar course, in partnership with librarians, Dawn Eckenrode and Scott Richmond.

Posted by: Dawn Eckenrode

Reflection on County Home Experience

2010-03-14T12:18:00.003-04:00

The experience I had at the County Home was unlike anything I've ever done. The ability to work with older citizens was in complete contrast to working with children. I feel that discussing the book with them was not only fulfilling for them, but I was also moved by the experience. In particular, discussing the music in the novel was very interesting to all of us. I chose a youtube clip to give an example of the music that Jim and Antonia might have danced to, and many of the residents knew the song I chose! I was surprised how many residents were interested in me playing the viola. I thought it would nice to play a Bohemian song to show the contrast between the dance music and the music that Mr. Shimerda played. They loved the song, and I've never felt so flattered after playing! One of the residents even gave me a copy of some of his poetry set to music! Overall, I feel that this assignment became less of simply a class assignment and more of a way to connect reading and interaction between generations.

Jessica Kalny
Dr. McVicker's ENGL600

Reed Library- Cather's Sexuality and My Antonia

2010-03-12T13:08:00.002-05:00

Exploring the Gender and Sexuality of Willa Cather and the effect it has on My Antonia.

Exhibit materials currently on display at Reed Library highlight the subject of Willa Cather's lesbianism and the direct effect this had on her literature. I wanted to take a moment to post and share with you an interesting fact that may enhance your interpretation of the novel.

Willa Cather's greatest love affair occurred with Isabel McClung, whom she met in Pittsburgh in 1898 when Cather lived in her families attic. During her time with McClung, Cather wrote four large pieces of creative exposition, including major parts of her well-known novel O, Pioneers!. The great affair continued until 1916, when McClung suddenly announced that she was to marry the violinist Jan Hambourgh. At this point in time, Cather had just finished the first two chapters of My Antonia and was about to write the "Hired Girls" chapter. If we take a closer look at the novel, we can see that Antonia is taken off her pedestal at this point and is led to an advantageous marriage that brings her shame and downfall in the eyes of society. Many scholars would suggest that the character of Jim was formed after Cather herself, but perhaps Antonia is formed after Cather's love for women, instead of one woman in general. Perhaps Antonia simply inhabits all the attributes of the passion and then the heartbreak that Cather and McCung shared.

After learning this fact about Cather's love life, what can we infer about Cather's own emotional state and it's influence on the novel?

Do you believe this further characterization of Antonia could have been a result of Cather's own heartbreak and loss?

Posted By: Jillian Ziemianski

Reflections on the Big Read at Chautauqua Home

2010-03-11T10:15:00.001-05:00

Rachel Hoff
SUNY Fredonia Graduate Student
English

I participated in the Big Read program with Dr. Jeanette McVicker’s Graduate Seminar Class in Professional Development. For most of us in the class, this is our last semester at Fredonia. On average, we have all spent six years or more analyzing and studying literature. The amount that we read and write is unparalleled by any other department. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in our own coursework and other responsibilities for our education, we forget about Fredonia as a community outside the university. But it’s the community which makes Fredonia unique.

Being a part of the Big Read program forced us as students to put the community in the foreground of our daily lives. We were asked to prepare presentations on My Antonia for the Chautauqua community home. Now, I have prepared many presentations in my career as a student, but I have never had to prepare any literary presentation for a non-academic audience. It was definitely a refreshing change. I could just relax and have fun discussing literature with others who were not as concerning with literary theory and analysis. My presentation focused on historical perceptions of women and the traditional households around the time My Antonia was set.

The residents in the Chautauqua County Home were very welcoming to all of us. There was never any issue of having to break the ice in a group of strangers. Almost immediately, there were people sharing stories from their youth and talking about their families and many impressive accomplishments. Even those who did not talk about the literary aspects of the book still had a lot to offer. My presentation on the history of the book sparked interest from those who remembered being in a more traditional household. The residents were very encouraging and added to my presentation with their quips from the past.

Our class had the privilege of presenting to the residents at the Chautauqua County Home, but in reality it was us who learned from them. We met a man who was a published poet and had some wonderful reflections on writing. I spoke with a woman who spent part of her life completely devoted to her mother and helping her in old age. Everyone in that room had lived a life that could easily be a best-seller. They were all a blessing for our class.

ENGL 600's Big Read Events

2010-03-10T20:31:00.015-05:00

Michael Wayman and Natalie Hewitt discuss the novel, My Antonia, at the Chautauqua County Home, Dunkirk, NY.

Community members enjoy a morning filled with conversation and literature.

Jessica Kalny plays viola for the residents of the County Home in Dunkirk, NY, as part of her discussion about the music from Bohemia.

Thanks to Dr. Jan McVicker for sending these photos!

Posted by: Dawn Eckenrode

Randolph site- Part 2

2010-03-10T07:53:00.004-05:00

Last night was the final event at the Randolph site and it went off with a bang. Due to the sweep of the flu across town, a lot of people were unable to make it but I was fortunate enough to have seven brave souls come out and discuss My Antonia. The atmosphere was tense at first, due to many of them feeling as though I would wow them with some sort of hoity-toity English jargon. After I told them to relax and just discuss what they wanted to discuss, they became a wealth of knowledge. One lady, who had been to the previous book discussion and had apologized for taking over the conversation, actually asked me at the beginning of the discussion to explain a comment that I had given in the book discussion the previous week. I had happened to mention that Willa Cather might be termed a transvestite during her specific time period. This lady told me she had gone home and had tried to look up the meaning of the word transvestite and had gotten lost. She could not find the meaning of that word anywhere and asked me to explain myself. This mood started out the night.
For an hour and a half we discussed everything about the novel including the historical background that contextualized the plot to the different critical lenses that the book could be read through. The ladies that attended had many personal insights into the different parts of the novel that most of the time was spent in the sharing of their stories. A teacher of senior year high school english was more than happy to relate what all of us were talking about to what her classes were discussing in school. This made the event more light-hearted and with the mini refreshments (after learning the donuts were entirely too big for people to eat last time) and excellent coffee, the night went off smooth as silk and was enjoyed by all that attended.

Thanks to ENGL 314, Women Writers, students

2010-03-09T15:56:00.002-05:00

I neglected to mention in my post last night how grateful my ENGL 600 students and I were to the students in Adrienne McCormick's ENGL 314 class on Women Writers for letting us borrow some of the posters they'd made in connection to the novel. We took four of them with us yesterday to the county home, to supplement our class's visual materials in the presentations on gender, beauty standards and narrative structure. The residents found the visual representations appealing and creative and were able to get a better sense of Cather's ambiguous gender identifications. This became yet another way to foster collaboration among the different classes working with the novel. If you haven't yet seen them, take a walk past the display case in Fenton Hall, across from the president's office.

posted by: Jan McVicker

Encouraged by the "senior" readers

2010-03-08T21:14:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to update everyone on what the grad students in ENGL 600 (graduate capstone) are doing and to say thanks to Natalie Hewitt for her thoughtful post the other day following our first visit to the Chautauqua County Home. The whole group initiated our discussion of Cather's novel with residents on Tuesday, 3.2 and we're continuing in smaller groups today (3.8) and Wednesday (3.10). The students who presented today (on gender crossing and standards of beauty in popular advertising during the time in which the novel is set) got a lively conversation going with the residents. It was truly rewarding to observe the interaction.

I was also happy to read what Ned Campbell and Bridget Fuller were doing at the Randolph library with their "senior readers". I think this means there is a great group of readers we may not automatically think about, older readers who are hungry to talk about books, who are glad to be connected to this project. I am really delighted to be participating in the program with the English graduate students. They'll be posting more of their own observations as well as photos soon and they have been developing a great wiki on ANGEL of research materials, which we'll be linking up to this blog soon.

Posted by: Jan McVicker

March Events at Reed Library

2010-03-05T15:21:00.010-05:00

As you may know, the Daniel A. Reed Library in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts is co-sponsoring the third Big Read Program across both Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties this March. To celebrate this year's selected novel, My Antonia by Willa Cather, we have scheduled several exciting events:

Event: Willa Cather Gender and Sexuality Exhibit (Opening March 8th)
Event Location: 280 Central Avenue-Reed Library Exhibit area, Fredonia, New York 14063
Date: Mon, March 8, 2010 – Wed, Mar 24, 2010
Time: 7:30am – 1:00am

This exhibit offers an in-depth exposition on the gender and sexuality of Cather and the novel, My Antonia. Sketches from Professor Dixon Reynolds' Costume Design I class are also on display in the Reed Library Exhibit area.

Event: Selected Reading of My Antonia by Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil; Readings on Gender and Sexuality
Event Location: 280 Central Avenue-Japanese Garden Area, Reed Library, Fredonia, New York 14063
Date: Tue, March 23, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm

We hope to capture the attention of community members with a selected reading of My Antonia in the Japanese Garden area of Reed Library by Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil,
author of At the Drive-In Volcano and Miracle Fruit.

Additional guests readers are invited to share short passages from an author who has been influenced by their gender or sexuality either on or off the page. If you are interested in participating as a reader, please email: dawn.eckenrode@fredonia.edu. Refreshments will be provided.

Thanks so much to event organizers, Paul Beverly, Cais Jurgens and Jillian Ziemianski, students in Dr. Emily Vandette's Senior Seminar English Capstone course.

Posted by: Dawn Eckenrode

Reflection on Reading Event Held at the Chautauqua County Home

2010-03-04T14:35:00.001-05:00

Initially I did not know what the “Big Read” project was even about, but after my experience at the County Home in Dunkirk, I am proud to say that this year I took part in it. As an English graduate student I have always had a passion for literature and writing. Sometimes I forget this passion when I am overwhelmed by a heavy course load, but I can honestly say that on March 2nd 2010, the residents reminded me of the pleasure, connection, and intellectual conversation that a shared reading of a novel can bring. Willa Cather’s My Antonia, sparked an interest in the residents, and many were eager to comment on issues such as a woman’s role in the household during the time period of the novel, as well as what their nationality meant to them. They knew that women were an essential part in taking care of the household, taking on a role that was just as significant as the role of men. National identities were also considered as they thought about their heritage and what it now means to be an American, or a “mongrel” as one woman put it. They were a welcoming group, full of interesting stories and even a few humorous jokes. Sharing time with them was a joy and I feel that our class was able to not only engage them with the novel, but also bring literature to their lives that they could enjoy, relate to, and converse about even after our visits.

Posted by: Natalie Hewitt

Randolph Library - Discussion Part 1

2010-03-03T00:02:00.009-05:00

Today I (Ned Campbell) traveled to Randolph, NY to help my SUNY Fredonia classmate Bridget Fuller host a "Discussion on Crime in My Antonia" at 1 p.m. Bridget lives in Randolph and coordinated the event with Randolph Free Library's director, Ellen Beck. The deal was that Ellen would provide donuts and coffee if we would host two discussions on the book (By the way, the donuts were incredible). I made the flyers and Bridget posted them around town.

Well we tried the Crime thing, partly because Ellen had advised us that Crime novels were the most popular books at the library. But when Bridget asked, "So did anyone notice the crime in the novel?" one responded, "Well sure, but I didn't think it was a big part of the book." This seemed to be the consensus, so we moved on to talk about Cather's great description of the land, the intereresting characters, and, because our guests were interested to know, our plans for after we graduate.

The discussion was lively and fun, and far more laid back than the classroom setting we've grown so accustomed to. Right away, one woman admitted to being impressed by Cather's ability to write from the perspective of a man. In general, our guests loved the writing of My Antonia.

We talked a lot about the characters. Everyone loved Antonia for continually reaching out to people, even after learning that many were not to be trusted. One woman was impressed with the skillfull way Cather lets us get to know the characters through the events of the story. Then again, we all loved Cather's way of introducing the characters with quick, vivid descriptons as well. I went ahead and opened up My Antonia to read this description of Wick Cutter to the group: "I detested his pink, bald head, and his yellow whiskers, soft and glistening." A lot was said of Antonia and Jim's lasting friendship, and we spoke on the theme of the importance of the past.

With all the topics discussed, there was one recurring theme to the afternoon: humor. When Bridget suggested that Mr. Shimerda's suicide was a bit shocking and unexpected, considering his succesfull life in Bohemia, one woman chimed in, "Well who could blame him? He was living with Mrs. Shimerda!" Laughs were in no short supply; these women knew how to talk about a novel and have a good time doing it.

We talked about the prairie life, and how annoying those constant winds must've been. One woman suggested that they must've gotten used to it over time, and reminded me where I was, saying, "When I first moved to Randolph, all I heard was the trains. I don't hear them anymore."

The discussion went better than expected, and I'm glad The Big Read brought me Randolph where I met these six kind, intelligent, and downright hilarious older women. On my way out the door, Ellen left me with this memorable goodbye:

"Thank you for bringing My Antonia to us!"

Our next discussion is Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. It's a good 45 minute drive from Fredonia to Randolph, so if you cannot make it, check for another blog post next week. I would offer a ride to anyone interested in going, but I will not be making the trip due to my Tuesday night class. Talk to me or Bridget if you need trustworthy directions.

Ahira Memorial Library- Big Read Events

2010-02-26T11:11:00.002-05:00

This year’s NEA Big Read program is focusing on the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather. The novel focuses on a boy and a girl coming of age in the simplistic prairie life of Nebraska. The NEA Big Read program’s main goal is to get local communities involved in reading and interacting with their local libraries. This year, Big Read coordinators, Ashley Zengerski and Elizabeth Christopher, are working together with the Ahira Memorial Library in Brocton, New York to bring the local community in to the library to learn more about prairie life and discuss Cather’s wonderful novel. In order to incorporate younger ages and promote family friendly events at the library, Ashley and Elizabeth are also working with the book Sarah, Plain and Tall.
There will be six events held at the Ahira Memorial Library on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout February and March. All of the events will have some sort of food and drink that were likely to be found on the prairie at the time and are simple enough to make at home. This aspect will allow the participants of the events to experience prairie life in a delicious way. The events on Tuesday evenings will focus on reading sections of the novel followed by an in depth discussion of the readings. The events on Saturday are more family oriented and will allow participants to engage with crafts and other activities that were common in prairie life.

Events:
Feb 23: Big Read Kick-off Event with Judy Gilbert as Guest Reader. Refreshments provided. 6:15-7:45pm

Feb 27: Family Craft Day: Quilts Come make a community quilt and learn about the quilt-making process. Suitable for all ages. Bring fabric scraps to make your own square. 11am-12:30pm

March 2: My Ántonia Reading and Discussion with Jean Haynes as Guest Reader. Refreshments Provided. 6:15-7:45pm

March 6: Family Activity Day Learn firsthand about life in the Mid-west during the 1800s. Refreshments provided. 11am-12:30pm

March 9: Final Reading and Discussion Featuring Steve Keefe as Guest Reader. Refreshments provided. 6:15-7:45pm

March 23: Wrap up discussion. Explore and discuss different ways of approaching the novel. Refreshments provided. 6:15-7:45pm

All of the events are going to be held at the Ahira Memorial Library in Brocton. All of the events are open to the public and free of charge. If interested in participating, please call the library at (716) 792-9418 or stop by the library to sign up.

Dunkirk Free Library

2010-02-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

Local College Students Launch Big Read at Dunkirk Free Library

March 27, 2010

Kick-off event for Dunkirk Free Library Big Read program: Saturday March 27th, hosted by SUNY Fredonia students Susan Kornacki and Kyle Georger. The kick-off event will feature a fun and interactive play on the front lawn of the library. SUNY Fredonia students will perform in the skit, performing scenes from the Big Read novel, My Antonia, by Willa Cather.

Following the performance, audience members will have an opportunity to interact with the performers over drinks and appetizers, which will be donated by surrounding businesses. The event will also feature locally made quilts on display in the library’s main vestibule, with a first-hand glimpse into the quilting process from members of the Westfield Quilting Guild.

The events of the day will conclude with a presentation by Kornacki and Georger, who will offer some critical insights about the novel as well as their work on the Big Read programming.

The Big Read is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, and local programming is sponsored by the Carnahan-Jackson Fund for the Humanities. The Dunkirk Free Library Big Read programming is a result of a project that brings together SUNY Fredonia English majors and local libraries around the county, all with the overall goal of reaching out to local communities to promote literary dialogue about the Big Read novel by running fun, engaging programs in the public sphere.

Big Read-ing in Brocton

2010-02-25T10:15:00.004-05:00

The kick-off event in Brocton's Ahira Hall Public Library on Tuesday, Feb 23 was a terrific success, thanks to the organizing efforts of Senior Seminar students Ashley and Elizabeth. The public reading, which featured Judy Gilbert, board president and former town mayor, brought together elders and teenagers from the local community on a drizzly, cold February evening for an hour or so of reading together passages from My Antonia. I'm delighted to have had the chance to witness the gathering -- a true sign of the transformative and community-building power of literature. The vision of some of the town's most youthful and most senior citizens coming together to take in Cather's novel was especially meaningful in light of the novel's emphasis on the dynamics and connections between the generations.
Thanks, Ashley and Elizabeth, for making this special event happen!

Lakewood Library - Discussion: On A Certain Type of Character...

2010-02-24T09:05:00.017-05:00

Robert H. Footman writes in “The Genius of Willa Cather” that Willa Cather admires individuality, a headstrong spirit, dedication to a singular purpose and openness, and that these characteristics are found in the characters that she creates. He writes:

Since Miss Cather admires only a certain kind of character, it follows that many of her protagonists will be similar. This is especially true of her heroines. The following quotation is a composite one drawn from five of her books:
Compared with her, other women were heavy and dull; even the pretty ones seemed lifeless—they had not that something in their glance that made one's blood tingle. Any stupidity made her laugh—and it was always mirth, not hysteria; there was a spark of zest and wild humor in it. She simply did not know how to give a half-hearted response. When she was delighted, she was as likely as not to stand on her tip-toes and clap her hands. There was something in her nature that was like her movements, something direct and unhesitating and joyous. Life seemed to lie very near the surface in her. Her eyes, when they laughed for a moment into one's own, seemed to promise a wild delight. She had that something which fires the imagination, could stop one's break for a moment by a look or gesture that somehow revealed meaning in common things (131).

Now, as a reader, see if you can remember which of those sentences was pulled from My Ántonia. Each sentence (with the exception of a few, which were pulled together) was taken from one of Cather's works. The final sentence, “She had something...” is taken from My Ántonia.

Do you think that this whole paragraph describes Ántonia Shimerda? If you've read any other books by Cather, did you find a common “Ántonia-like” character within them? Do you think that this character type and its prevalence in Cather's work diminishes her literary talent? Does it increase it? Do you find the character of Ántonia Shimerda as memorable and admirable as Cather did?

Resource: Footman, Robert H. "The Genius of Willa Cather." American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 10.2 (1938): 123-141. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=0000100513&site=ehost-live

Lakewood Library - Discussion: On Individuality...

2010-02-24T08:55:00.012-05:00

In an effort to expand the boundaries of critical dialogue during Chautauqua County's Big Read event, the Lakewood Library will be posting a series of blog entries integrating literary criticism of Willa Cather and My Ántonia with relevant literary analysis to spur on more discussion of the text and the author. Feel free to post your own responses to the questions as comments, or print out any number of entries to take to your local book discussion or to enjoy while reading or re-reading. If any entry deals with a spoiler for the novel, the reader will be advised of it (and can return to the discussion after they've finished reading the book). Your feedback is always appreciated. Let's discuss!

In his critical piece entitled “The Genius of Willa Cather,” Robert H. Footman begins to elaborate on some of the strengths and weaknesses of Cather as a writer. One of her chief characteristics as an author is, for better or worse, her esteem of the individual as opposed to the larger community and communal values. Cather is an individualist, Footman argues; she creates characters “whose symbols of authority are sanctioned more by [themselves] than by man in the mass or society” (124). Instead of consulting social norms and dicta, the individualist relies on his or her own internal reasoning and set of values to make decisions and even to do things for the larger community.

How is Ántonia an individualist? Are there any other characters in the novel that display these tendencies? Do you think that Jim Burden is an individualist, or does he cater more to the community?

Resource: Footman, Robert H. "The Genius of Willa Cather." American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 10.2 (1938): 123-141. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=0000100513&site=ehost-live

Reed Library- Willa Cather Photo Exhibit

2010-02-11T11:17:00.006-05:00

In 2006, Betty Kort was commissioned to photograph artifacts in the Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial Collection owned by the Nebraska State Historical Society and artifacts owned by the Cather Foundation. Her Cather Foundation Artifacts (Photography) Collection is on tour at this time. The Daniel A. Reed Library is proud to sponsor the photography collection in our exhibit area in conjunction with our Big Read choice of My Antonia by Willa Cather. Western New York antique farm equipment, courtesy of the Chautauqua County Farm Museum, are also on display in the Exhibit area.

View more photos of the exhibit on our Flickr site.

Event Location: 280 Central Avenue-Reed Library Exhibit area, Fredonia, New York 14063
Date: Mon, Feb 1, 2010 – Tue, Mar 30, 2010
Time: 7:30am – 1:00am

Posted by: Dawn Eckenrode, Reed Library

Reed Library- Northern Chautauqua Kickoff Event

2010-02-11T11:05:00.003-05:00

Reed Library hosted the Northern Chautauqua Kickoff Event for the Big Read 2010 last night. Kevin Muldowny, a representative New York State Senator Cathy Young, opened the event with a proclamation for the Big Read, stating that the Big Read is “designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens.” His remarks were followed by an engaging and informative lecture by Susan McGee, a Willa Cather expert and Ph.D. candidate at Binghamton University.

Ms. McGee’s lecture focused on Cather’s life, as represented through her novels, in particular My Antonia and the works written during her “Nebraska period.” Ms. McGee characterized Cather as a series of contradictions in both her personal and professional life: a blend of both rural and cosmopolitan influence, intensely private yet seeking the public eye through her writing, feminist and misogynist, progressive and conservative, realist and romantic. A well-rounded and lively portrait of Willa Cather was presented by Ms. McGee, who peppered her talk with interesting details from Cather’s life. For instance, referencing the memory book kept by a classmate of the then 14-year-old Cather, Ms. McGee shared interesting insight into the mind and quirks of a young Cather, who signed her name “Wm. Cather M.D.” and wrote that her “idea of perfect happiness” is “amputating limbs.” To view the memory book in full, visit the Willa Cather Foundation website at: http://www.willacather.org/rediscovering-serenas-album. Cather’s entry is on pages 32-33 of the memory book.

Posted by: Dawn Eckenrode, Reed Library