Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark

Joshua Grasso (East Central University)

Ed. by Stephen E. Meats, Pittsburg State University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.3: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Early Twentieth-century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1915

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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The Song of the Lark

is a testament to Cather’s love affair with music, and in particular her early years covering the arts scene in Lincoln (and abroad) for the

Nebraska State Journal

. After the success of her second novel,

O Pioneers!

(1913), she returned to the Plains landscape to create Thea Kronborg, a Swedish immigrant from Moonstone, Colorado, who defies her upbringing to reach top billing as a Wagnerian soprano. Besides Cather’s own childhood, her characterization of Thea emerged from her friendship with Anna Olivia “Olive” Fremstad, a famous Swedish-American singer who specialized in Wagnerian roles. Through interviews with the singer, she slowly cobbled together a history for her heroine, whose repertoire mirrors that of Fremstad’s own during the 1912-1914 Metropolitan…

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3278 words

Citation: Grasso, Joshua. "The Song of the Lark". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7781, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark

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