Laura Ingalls Wilder's little town
Subtitle: where history and literature meet
By: John E. Miller.
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Lawrence, Kan
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 208
ISBN-13: 9780700606542
Subjects: Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957 -- Homes and haunts -- South Dakota -- De Smet.; Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957 -- Criticism and interpretation.; Children -- Books and reading -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Women and literature -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Historical fiction, American -- History and criticism.; Children's stories, American -- History and criticism.; Frontier and pioneer life in literature.; Literature and history -- South Dakota.; City and town life in literature.; De Smet (S.D.) -- In literature.
Description: As Laura Ingalls Wilder anticipated, her widely loved stories of her prairie childhood have become much more than a nostalgic blend of myth, memories, and autobiography. As John Miller reveals, they have much to tell us about the historical realities of day-to-day living and attitudes in the nineteenth century.

History and literature are closely intertwined, Miller contends. Here he illustrates how Wilder's novels enhance our understanding of history and how, simultaneously, a historical perspective framed Wilder's fiction. He shows how Wilder interwove content and form to produce a sentimental and compelling yet nuanced and believable picture of family life on the agricultural frontier.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [175]-202) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : At the intersection of history and literature; title: Place and community in Wilder's De Smet; title: Freedom and control in fact and fiction; title: Love and affection in Wilder's life and writing; title: Fact and interpretation in Wilder's fiction; title: Narrative rules and the process of storytelling; title: Textbook history versus lived history; title: De Smet as frontier destination and way station; title: Relaxing and building community at the Couse Opera House; title: Two artists of the prairie : Laura Ingalls Wilder and Harvey Dunn