My Ántonia
Preface

Preface

Introduction

Historical Context

About the Author

Other Works/Adaptations

Discussion Questions

Additional Resources

Credits

Teacher's Guide

When Willa Cather's editor first read the manuscript of My Ántonia, he experienced "the most thrilling shock of recognition of the real thing" in any manuscript he had ever read. I confess I feel almost the same way about this classic novel of the American immigrant experience.

Few books pack so much vibrantly real life into their pages as My Ántonia. The novel teems with romance, violence, tenderness, cruelty, comedy, and tragedy-all bustling side by side in a narrative at once compassionate and compelling.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 NEA report, identified a critical decline in reading for pleasure among American adults. The Big Read aims to address this issue directly by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.

A great book combines enlightenment with enchantment. It awakens our imagination and enlarges our humanity. It can even offer harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us. Whether you're a regular reader already or a nonreader making up for lost time, thank you for joining the Big Read.

Dana Gioia
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts