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Willa Cather
Website Evaluators
Jean Arrington - Peace College, North Carolina
Ruby Bernstein - Laney College, California
Virginia Brackett- East Central University, Oklahoma
Rodney Cameron- Abraham Lincoln High School, Iowa
Kim Deskin - Overlake Hospital Adolescent Psychiatric Program, Washington
Ann Gann - Clinton High School, Tennessee
Randall Heeres - Northern Michigan Christian High, Michigan
Chris Huber - On Leave, Missouri
Susan Huetteman- retired, Rhode Island
Shoshana Milgram-Knapp,
Virginia Tech, Virginia
Lori McCall - Student Teacher, Kennesaw State University, Georgia
Lohengrin Nix - Calvin Coolidge High School, Washington DC
Wink Rush - Millington Central High, Tennessee
Cheryl Smith - Hudson's Bay High School, Washington
Karen Toomey-Gibson - Henry M. Gunn High School, California
Jill Vickers - Ticonderoga Middle School, New York
Alice Watts-Richmond - Southern Hills Career Center, Ohio
Keith Younker- Southridge High School, Indiana
Roslyn Zuccarelli Gerken - Lincoln High School, New Jersey
Website Reviewers and Compilers
Randall J. Heeres - Northern Michigan Christian High School, Michigan
Charles R. Sanders - San Pedro High School, California
Michelle Toby - University of California, Irvine, California
Site Ratings
1 = Poor 2 = Fair 3 = Good 4 = Excellent
Scribbling Women
http://www.scribblingwomen.org/stories.html
The Scribbling Women website is a teacher's dream for use and for information. Loaded with helpful background to the 10 featured stories and
authors (Cather, Glaspell, Alcott, Gilman, Davis, Kirkland, and others) and filled with helpful lesson plan ideas for writing tasks and listening skills as well, this site offers radio dramatizations of 3 stories,
helpful biographical and contextual information, and some literary criticism. Users will need to download RealAudio to hear the radio plays. Helpful bibliographies and pleasing graphics and layout are here,
too. The site is easy to navigate and links to helpful online resources and newsletters from Scribbling Women.
Overall Rating: 4
Integrating Cather's Works with History and Literature
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/LIT/cather.htm
One of the most excellent of the websites on Willa Cather, this one contains multiple links
to additional authors, presenting "An Outline of American Literature . . . 1860-1914." The "excellent essay integrating American history and literature of the time" offers writing and discussion ideas in abundance
for teacher use, and "the topics provide possibilities for cross- curriculum teaching as well as literature-specific teaching." Although some students may find the site a bit "bookish," they will enjoy the
graphics while gaining perspective on Willa Cather's works. Students will experience a "whetting of the appetite" for additional study by reading about Mark Twain and "African-American authors Booker T. Washington
and Paul Laurence Dunbar." A fine site, its pages load quickly and provide easy reading -- "awesome site!"
Overall Rating: 4Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngphome.html
This terrific website features some 900 photos and articles that will "enable students and teachers alike to gain extensive
knowledge and insight into the Northern Great Plains as they relate to Willa Cather's stories." Internal links will lead students to a "Learn More About It" page, an activities page, an education page, and pages
of historical articles. Other useful features include: "Search and Browse" by keyword and subject, and an external link to the Library of Congress. "Filled with graphics, the site has outstanding quantity
and quality of content."
Overall Rating: 4The Oregon Trail
http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html
This excellent website
offers "exceptional graphics and print" with fine "historic site maps" and solid quotations from historians. Teachers will find multiple resources including "great study guides and teacher support links with
activities and resources that address all styles of learning." "Useful for students of all grade levels," the site provides easy navigation with interesting reading in short bursts that will appeal even to
reluctant readers. This excellent site offers an abundance of writing activities in relationship to the historic Oregon Trail and is well deserving of study-- "my favorite site!"
Overall Rating: 4Westward Expansion--19th Century United States
http://www.msstate.edu/Archives/History/USA/19th_C./expand.html
This useful site offers good content focusing on historical resources about the westward expansion, and "is guaranteed to trap teachers and students for hours." It provides "a valuable connection to the human
side of American history" through "newspaper articles, journals and biographical excerpts" which "complement fictional accounts from American literature of the period." Teachers will find relevant information and
"excellent resources for cross-curriculum instruction," but may have to compensate for "occasional bias" in the information on Native Americans. Students of "all ability levels" will enjoy full text articles as
well as the brief introductions and links to "sites such as the Library of Congress' American Memory and Archive of Folk Culture." An excellent site for historical information, this location offers little specific
information on literature -- "I enjoyed it thoroughly."
Overall Rating: 4 What is Art? What is an Artist?
http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/artartists.html
This
excellent site, prepared by Sweet Briar College's Art History Department, contains enjoyable graphics and offers "an in-depth look at art and its history." Teachers may derive journal writing ideas based on the
idea of "literature as art." Easy to navigate, the site traces "the history of prints, drawing, photography, sculpture and painting," and offers faculty essays accessible by "advanced/honors students."
Although specific information on literature is limited, the "excellent color graphics of fine arts in the College's collection expands Cather's view of the artist."
Overall Rating: 4
Willa Cather Page
http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~cather/
This site is "scholarly and authoritative, but accessible," with appealing graphics and many useful links to other resources.
Though no lesson plans are present, teachers will readily find material for developing plans, such as lists for further reading, links to online articles, and photos. Students will find this site an excellent
"launching point" into Cather studies, though there is one caveat: a link to "Cather and queer history." Navigability is excellent, featuring "logically placed "links, most of which load fast."
Overall Rating: 4Willa Cather's My 聲tonia
http://www.penguinputnam.com/academic/classics/rguides/cather/content.htm
The value of this "wonderful" site on Willa Cather lies in its many "excellent links." After an introduction to My 聲tonia and a short biography of the author, pointers to
other sites lead one to pages such as, "a Cather homepage, a bibliography, essays about the author and her works, and an obituary." "Especially strong is the link to the 'Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial Website'
with the many pictures of Red Cloud." Be aware of one "risky" link to the "Queer History" page, but for the most part, "teachers and students will find this site valuable for the study of the author and her
works."
Overall Rating: 4Willa Cather's My 聲tonia: "The Happiness and the Curse"
http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1987/2/87.02.01.x.html
Possibly the best and most complete internet source for the study of Willa Cather's My 聲tonia, this site is a gold mine for teachers. A "detailed lesson plan," which can be used
"with creativity, at any level," provides "open-minded questions, and suggestions for student research," and is "especially strong in multiple assessment options, particularly in writing." Also included is a fine
reading guide and an "excellent student reading list." Although there are no graphics, the site is "simple and very usable for any educator."
Overall Rating: 4Cather Garden
http://www.unl.edu/unlbga/tour/brochures/cather.html
The unique feature of this site is a "virtual tour" of the Willa Cather Garden at the University of Nebraska. The tour
provides students with "visual/hands-on" activities "that students would find appealing." There is much information about the "botany of the prairie" as featured in the works of Willa Cather. "The site has a
clean and simple design, is easy to read, and includes external links that are very relevant to Cather and her work." It can be used as a springboard to other Cather materials.
Overall Rating: 3
The Opera Hater's Guide to Opera
http://www.wrkf.org/ohgto.html
For readers of Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark,
this site "provides an entertaining introduction to opera for the novice," and "fun reading for the experienced." Students will gain " a broader appreciation of Thea Kronborg's opera studies," as well as a deeper "understanding of difficult concepts." The intent of the site's author is to "make opera terms 'user friendly' through the use of humor." In addition to the 13 humorous chapters, the "narrative also contains two appendices with helpful chronological information and a crossword puzzle suitable for teens."
Overall Rating: 3Metropolitan Opera History
http://www.metopera.org/history/
This page gives readers a "feel for the historical backdrop"
where Willa Cather's Thea Kronborg sings. "By clicking on years of particular interest or titles of interest," one will find "photos,...text about the performances, performers, and operas which have been
associated with the Met over the years." Although the site "might be too specific for the novice," it could "stimulate teachers into creative thinking in teaching what is supposed to be a 'nerd' subject."
Overall Rating: 3The Art Institute of Chicago
http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.html
The Art Institute of Chicago is "the museum where (Willa)
Cather's character, Thea Kronborg, views Breton's painting, The Song of the Lark." The site "opens with an excellent quality slide show," providing an "opportunity for study of the value of art in
general." The site is easy to use, with fun side trips," and one link "describes in-house courses offered for teacher support."
Overall Rating: 3Radicals and Traditionalists: Variety in 19
th Century French Art
http://www.joslyn.org/teach/packets/french/french.html
The Joslyn Art Museum "presents on-screen slides (including The Grief of the Pasha, viewed by (Willa) Cather's Thea Kronborg) from the museum's permanent collection, to educate students regarding
nineteenth-century French art." Also included in the slide show is "another painting by (Jules) Breton who painted The Song of the Lark." One link offers "resource packets for purchase,
including 'print portfolios' containing print reproductions and interpretations, all of which might be used for thematic study and writing."
Overall Rating: 3Peoples of the American Southwest
http://www.desertusa.com/ind1/du_peo_past.html
If you want a more in-depth study of the Anasazi and Pueblo tribes, which are mentioned in
Part IV of Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark,
this "colorful" site can help. "Replete with graphics and links to related topics," this site "will help readers visualize and understand the relevant parts of Cather's novel." One link "allows students to communicate with others interested in the desert as well as with experts on the topic."
Overall Rating: 3 Great Books Index: Willa Cather (1876-1947)
http://book.mirror.org/gb.cather.html (Great Books Index)
This site provides the full text of The Song of the Lark
from three different carriers. Readers choose from HTML (University of Maryland), Wiretap, and Gutenberg. It also provides access to many other international novels. Although there are no teaching materials, it is a good resource for specific text reference, for both teachers and students who do not have any other access to the novel. Some evaluators found it confusing to be offered three choices of the same text.
Overall Rating: 3Letters of a Woman Homesteader
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modeng0.browse.html
This website
provides excellent e-text access to Elinore Pruitt Stewart's Letters of a Woman Homesteader which contain letters supplying an enlightening "perspective on prairie life" written "by a young woman from the plains of
Wyoming between 1909 and 1914." Through writing and discussion assignments for high-school-age students, teachers will be able to relate this fascinating real-life narration by Stewart to the depiction of Willa
Cather's fictional characters and themes. Advanced students can overcome the fact that this site is "not easy to navigate" to find fascinating Stewart's story of the loss of her husband in a railroad accident and
her subsequent journey to "Denver to seek support for herself and her child working as a domestic." An insightful presentation, the "letters are studded with references to Mark Twain and Jack London, among other
writers." Because location and navigation problems exist at this site, use the address above as a jumping-off point to access Stewart's book.
Overall Rating: 3
Making It Their Own: Women in the West
http://scholar.library.csi.cuny.edu/westweb/pages/women.html
With "good graphics" and strong organization, this site provides access to a useful Willa
Cather homepage as well as "very useful links on minorities." Its "very comprehensive" nature makes it of value to teachers who will gain many ideas for assignments. Students will find the information
interesting and useful. They will also enjoy the graphics. The site is recommended for use with Cather studies, but has proved "difficult to access" for some users. Tenacity may be required.
Overall Rating: 3Mesa Verde National Park: Home of the Cliff Dwellers
http://www.swcolo.org/Tourism/Archaeology/MesaVerde.html
This "attractive
and informative" site, containing information on Mesa Verde National Park and its cliff dwellers, is a good "starting point for teachers to introduce the area about which Willa Cather is writing." Although this is
probably more of a site to "instill interest rather than a site to be used for research," one important link leads to "in-depth information about the cliff dwellers."
Overall Rating: 3
My 聲tonia: A Survey of Critical Attitudes
http://lonestar.texas.net/~kwells/antonia.htm
The sole feature of this site is an essay of literary criticism of Willa Cather's My 聲tonia. Discussing the observations of
four noted critics, the author attempts to answer some of the criticism leveled against the novel by these critics. "The essay is referenced-based and therefore would (provide) some excellent resources for the
upper level student." "Symbolism is discussed in terms of names of characters, sexuality, and Biblical references." There are no links, but readers are invited to comment on the essay through e-mail.
Overall Rating: 3Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide
www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/cather.html
The site contains one graphic (a woodcut illustration), a list of Cather's works, some bibliographical sources, and study materials for "Paul's Case" and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Though there are no
lesson plans, teachers may find the bibliography of literary criticism useful; however, these would require exploration in the library. Students may find the materials about the Cather works helpful and thus be
encouraged in their own literary analyses. Easily to navigate, the site features buttons which allow the user to speed through long chunks of text.
Overall Rating: 3Prairie Grasses
http://www-ed.fnal.gov/entry exhibits/grass/grass title.html
From the pages of the "Fermilab Preserve" website, comes this look at "three dominant native prairie grasses."
Probably "most useful in a cross-curricular project relating science and literature." The site is "fairly technical" and the graphics sometimes interfere with readability, but "clear explanations...allow (access
to) a wide age range." Links will lead students to pages "dealing with other representative prairie flora and fauna."
Overall Rating: 3Book Discussion: Willa Cather
http://
www.addison.lib.il.us/6cather.htm
"The links are the highlight" of this site, providing "more extensive sources." Teachers will not find plans or ideas for the classroom
presented. Students may find the site less "intimidating" that some of the more thorough sites; thus, this may be a good starting point for students. The site is easy to navigate.
Overall Rating: 2National Women's Hall of Fame: Willa Sibert Cather
http://www.greatwomen.org/cather.htm
With little
specific information on Cather, this site focuses on the National Women's Hall of Fame. Teachers would need to explore links thoroughly to find Cather materials that might prove useful. While this site may
be "a good place for younger students to start," there is too little here for most. The site proved inaccessible for one evaluator and yet navigable for the others.
Overall Rating: 2
Next on the Docket: "Paul's Case!" Defended by Willa Cather
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/4925/
Focused entirely on Willa Cather's "Paul's Case," this essay is an effort by the author to show how his life
parallels that of the main character of the short story. The text of the essay is linked throughout to "commentaries on Calvinism, suicide, child abuse, learning disabilities, etc., as they relate to the
story." One irritating drawback to the site is the constant "interruption by Geocitites advertisements," however, it is one source for the full text of the short story.
Overall Rating: 2
Psychoanalytic Study: Willa Cather's My 聲tonia
http://www-ms.cc.ntu.edu.tw/~chyliao/ma/a/18.htm
This site presents a psychoanalytic study of Willa Cather's My 聲tonia,
which critically examines the "relationships in this story and compares this to other classic works of literature." Although some "risky, controversial issues" are raised, advanced students may want to use some of these ideas for research purposes. The site is "text only," but does allow for the "reader to follow up with a response and to read other responses to this interpretation."
Overall Rating: 2The Readers' Thread Pages My 聲tonia
http://www.americanliterature.com/MATHREAD.HTML
The message board of
the Brick Row Book Shop invites readers to respond with comments on Willa Cather's My Antonia, and to see what other readers have to say about "characterizations, settings, and plot." Although the site is
"not academic," and very "little critical work" appears here, teachers could use the site to "teach criticism (and) point of view."
Overall Rating: 2Song of Lark
http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/ReadingRoom/Fiction/Cather/SongofLark/
While the majority of our evaluators found this to be "just another online book" one ranked it as the
best of the text sites, since it is attractive and easy to follow. This is the University of Maryland's version of the complete text, broken down by parts and chapters. However, this version is also included
in the Great Books Index (see site in this document).
Overall Rating: 2The Stuff of Our Forebears: Willa Cather's Southern Heritage
http://www.uapress.ua.edu/authors/McDonald.htm
If one is looking for a source for "thematic work and research" on Willa Cather, this review of a book by Joyce McDonald may be of
interest. "The book argues that Cather is a solid product of southern traditions...a deviation from the popular notion that (her) primary geographical influence was the Great Plains." The site is "of good
quality and ... enjoyable" to read.
Overall Rating: 2Welcome to Catherland Online
http://www.willacather.org
There is little here for anyone
but Cather enthusiasts since the site primarily features events celebrating the author and her work. Though there are excellent photos of Nebraska scenes and places appearing in Cather's fiction, the site provided
neither literary insight and criticism nor lesson plans for the classroom. Besides the photos, students will find little if anything of value or interest. The site is, however, "visually appealing" and "easy
to navigate."
Overall Rating: 2Willa Cather
http://www.kutztown.edu/faculty/reagan/cather.html
This site provides "a substantial biography," superior to any on other sites, and an "excellent selection of quotations" by and about Cather. Teachers will not find practical lesson plans here, but
useful background information exists. Students may find "the text too dense and unappealing," though the overview of Cather's life could prove helpful. Users may find "the text difficult to read on the
screen," but the site is easily navigated.
Overall Rating: 2Willa Cather: Domestic Goddess
http://lonestar.texas.net/~kwells/cather1.htm
Featuring valuable
links to other Cather sites, this page is "visually interesting" and provides a helpful biography; however, the site contains errors in grammar and mechanics which mar the overall presentation. Teachers will not
find readily available lesson plans, but the site does explore Cather's personal relationships as they may affect creation of character relationships in her fiction. Students may find this site less overwhelming
in its content that the Willa Cather page, though the criticism this page features is, at present, merely one informal essay. The site has visual appeal and working links.
Overall Rating: 2
The Women Writers Henry James Influenced
http://www.bookpage.com/themerc/womennovelists.html
This site presents an article about "Henry James' influence on three early 20th
century women writers," one of whom is Willa Cather. Although the article is "not at all exciting reading," it does include some "paragraphs of interest: ...the emergence of writing as a respectable career, whether success should be measured artistically or by popularity, and the value of women's voices as authors." The site may have some use to "upper level students as a springboard for their own writing."
Overall Rating: 2 Quotations from Willa Cather
http://www.bemorecreative.com/one/80.htm
This website on Willa Cather offers poor content, consisting of a few quotations that serve little
purpose in advancing knowledge regarding Cather. "The biographical links were sketchy at best," and offer only a few references. "Since The Song of the Lark
abounds with ideas about the artist, teachers and students should extract quotations from the novel itself" to use for discussion prompts. Students will learn mainly about merchandising that features Cather while finding the site difficult to navigate. The weak offerings at this site make it a poor resource.
Overall Rating: 1-2The Song of the Lark Picture
http://www.sai.msu.su/cjackson/b/p-breton1.htm
The sole feature of this site is a "graphic of the Jules Breton painting viewed by (Willa) Cather's character, Thea Kronborg, that inspired the name of Cather's work,
The Song of the Lark." The site "could promote discussion among class members about the role of art in life," or students "could use the print as a basis of journal entries and writing
assignments, evaluating the applicability of the painting and its figure to Cather's plot and to Thea herself."
Overall Rating: 2 |
