Imagine a world without TV, radio, electricity, or cars-- no airplanes, computers, texting, email, movies, video games, Ipods or cell phones. Imagine a world where life revolves around the seasons, crops and caring for your animals. Where kids did chores after school instead of being chauffeured to activities. Then imagine this life in a place as bleak and flat and dull as rural Nebraska in the late 1800's. Finally, imagine young people who don't know the meaning of the word bored. Who find enchantment in nature, and happiness in family and friendship.
This is Willa Cather's world in her novels "Oh, Pioneers" and "My Antonia." Cather moved to Nebraska as a child in 1883. These stories are beautiful reminiscences, but there isn't anything saccharine sweet about them. There was no shortage of hardship and tragedy. I like to read these books again every few years-- the writing is wonderful, and they put our soft lives into perspective. But you have to appreciate this irony: I just downloaded a free copy of "My Antonia" to read on my Kindle...what would Cather think of that?
Here's a quote from the book about the Nebraska winter:
Next to getting warm and keeping warm, dinner and supper were the most interesting things we had to think about. Our lives centered around warmth and food and the return of the men at nightfall.
Well, some things never change.
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