My Ántonia and the BIG READ

“There was nothing but land: not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made.” — My Ántonia

One of the most positive and exciting things happening in our country right now is the BIG READ sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). According to the NEA website, “The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens.” In carrying out this mission, the BIG READ has embraced sixteen American novels with the intention of offering grants to organizations such as libraries and literary societies to present programming connected to any one of the sixteen books. These books are representative of the best that American literature has to offer. I have decided to write about this because the NEA has chosen Willa Cather’s My Ántonia as a selection for the BIG READ.

The choice of My Ántonia is an especially wise decision. The quality of language and imagery in this novel is without precedent. Moreover, the narrative of this American tale is uncommonly inspiring. In the beginning of the novel Cather talks about the beginnings of a country and the materials necessary to mold community: "There was nothing but land: not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made." She then goes on to define for the reader what those materials are. I believe she is talking about three basic elements: land, people, and culture. These are, of course, the elements that make up the beginnings of every society. To see these elements coagulate in My Ántonia is to relive the making of America in every locale across this broad land and with all of the diversity associated with land, people, and culture—a nice reminder to citizens today of what we are all about.

It is important to emphasize that Cather, in telling the story of My Ántonia, is the rare American novelist who describes the beginning of a society in uncommonly positive and inspiring terms. The novel ends in triumph. The reader comes away with hope and the expectation of a bright and abundant future for a new society founded in the heart of America.

I am particularly interested in the cultural aspect of the novel. In My Ántonia Cather asks her characters to share their stories—stories of the old world and the new; stories having many ethnic origins. As individuals, we repeat our own stories and we learn the stories of others. These stories together become the myths and legends we all know in common. The stories are part of our culture and define who we are as Americans; and one of Cather’s special gifts in My Ántonia is her ability to tell stories in ways that make abundantly clear the positive aspects of our diversity as Americans. Yes, NEA made a prudent decision when they chose My Ántonia for the BIG READ—through this beautifully written novel, we learn something of who we are in the context of hope and bright anticipation of what we can become.

Because My Ántonia is being read in communities across the country, the Cather Foundation is taking part in the BIG READ in a variety of ways. Our own Cather scholars from the Cather Foundation Board of Governors are making presentations and are participating in BIG READ panels. I have given presentations myself. The “Willa Cather and Material Culture” photography exhibit of special artifacts connected to Cather’s life and literature is now traveling from state to state as part of the BIG READ initiative.

If you have not checked out the BIG READ website, you might want to go to http://www.nea.gov/national/bigread/index.html. For more information about how you can use Cather Foundation resources to enhance programming connected to My Ántonia in your community, contact us at http://www.willacather.org/ or email wcpm@gpcom.net.