num_pages: 272
description: My Antonia is a classic tale of pioneer life in the American Midwest. The novel details daily life in the newly settled plains of Nebraska through the eyes of Jim Burden, who recounts memories of a childhood shared with a girl named Antonia Shimerda, the daughter of a family who have emigrated from Bohemia. As adults, Jim leaves the prairie for college and a career in the east, while Antonia devotes herself to her large family and productive farm. When he returns Jim sees that although Antonia is careworn, she remains "a rich mine of life, like the founders of early races,". Full ofstirring descriptions of the prairie's beautiful yet terrifying landscape, and the rich ethnic mix of immigrants and native-born Americans who chose to restart their lives there, My Antonia mythologized a period of American history that was lost before its value could be understood.This new edition provides a critically up-to-date introduction and detail notes which put the events and themes of the book in full historical context. Also included are Cather's original and revised introductions to her novel.
language: English
title: My Antonia
titlecomplete: My Antonia
characters: Ántonia Shimerda, Jim Burden, Emmaline Burden, Ambrosch Shimerda, Josiah Burden, Otto Fuchs, Mrs. Shimerda, Jake Marpole, Lena Lingard, Mr. Shimerda
genres: American, Historical Fiction, Historical, Literary Fiction, School, Novels, Literature, Classic Literature, Classics, Fiction
ratings_count: 134634
places: Nebraska
awards: awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: One Book One Nebraska
publisher: Oxford University Press