| "Eric Hermannson's Soul" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Willa Cather | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Cosmopolitan |
| Publication type | Women's magazine |
| Publication date | April 1900 |
"Eric Hermannson's Soul" is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Cosmopolitan in April 1900.[1]
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Discovering Willa Cather's Letters: Series Overview
Transcription
MUSIC Willa Cather is one of the most important American writers of the 20th Century, author of books like My Antonia and Death Comes to the Archbishop. She's won the Pulitzer Prize and been translated into over 40 languages. One of her writings that no one has ever really seen are her personal writings, her letters over 3-thousand of which exist. But this spring, her old publisher, Alfred Knopf is publishing "The Selected Letters of Willa Cather." Hi, I'm Andy Jewell and along with my friend and colleague Janis Stout, I co-edited this book. I'm gonna tell you a little bit about it today. I'm lucky to work in the UNL Archives and Special Collections where we have the richest and best Cather Collections in the world... featuring hundreds of her letters thanks in large part to the generous donations of her family. In reading through so many materials in her original hand, I really began to understand what this had to offer to the world and why people really needed to read them. In them, you get access to her personality in a way you never do in her fiction: From her funny, pointed comments, to her warmer and softer side. In this video series, we're gonna look at many of the different aspects of her personality that are present in the letters. So stick with us, I have some interesting things to show you. From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives, I'm Andy Jewell. MUSIC
Plot summary
In rural Nebraska, Eric Hermannson gives up on girls after seeing a rattlesnake whilst on a date with Lena, and stops playing the violin shortly after; he becomes a good Free Gospeller as his mother wants him to be. Later, Wyllis comes back with his sister Margaret. She sings to Eric, thus reawakening his passion for music. Later, she is riding a mustang from St. Anne back to her village with Eric. She asks him to go to a dance and he agrees, although this would breach his Church's covenant. The horses go wild, and he saves her from injury. Back in her house, she receives a letter from her fiancé from the East Coast. Later at the ball, Margaret and Eric dance together, then go out and up a hill. She tells him she is soon to leave and never come back again. After she has left, Eric talks to his pastor and confesses to dancing.
Characters
- Asa Skinner, a guru of the Free Gospel.
- Eric Hermannson, a Norwegian. He likes to play the violin. He is taciturn.
- Mrs Hermannson, Eric's mother.
- Genereau, a saloon-keeper.
- Lena Hanson, a local girl Eric goes on a date with.
- Wyllis Elliot
- Margaret Elliot, Wyllis' sister. She is twenty-four years old and about to marry a man from the East coast.
- Jerry Lockhart, a local man.
- Mrs Lockhart, Jerry's mother. She organises the ball.
- Olaf Oleson, an accordion player.
- Jack Courtwell, someone Margaret's husband mentions in his letter.
- Miss Harrison, someone Margaret's husband mentions in his letter.
- Gerard, someone Margaret's fiancé mentions in his letter.
- Constant, someone Margaret's fiancé mentions in his letter.
Allusions to other works
- Literature is mentioned with The Bible (especially Saul and Lazarus), Paul Bourget, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, William Shakespeare's As You Like It, and Thor.
- Sculptures are alluded to with Doryphoros.
- Music is mentioned with Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, Stefano Rossetto, Franz Schubert, and Edvard Grieg.
Allusions to actual history
- Nero is mentioned in passing.
Footnotes
- ^ Willa Cather's Collected Short Fiction, University of Nebraska Press; Rev Ed edition, 1 Nov 1970, page 379
External links
- Full Text at the Willa Cather Archive
This page was last edited on 13 April 2023, at 09:44