Book Comparison
I.
These Happy Golden Years
A.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Born Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, on February 7, 1867, in Lake Pepin, Wisconsin. Ingalls attended
school in various states as her family of pioneers moved around the West. She taught in the
Dakota Territory from 1882 to 1885, when she married Almanzo Wilder. After their marriage,
the Wilders lived on a farm in De Smet, South Dakota until they moved to Mansfield, Missouri
in 1894. Laura Ingalls Wilder served as the editor of the Missouri Ruralist for 12 years. When
she was in her 60's, Wilder drew on her own and her husband's experiences to write books about
pioneer days.
1.
Other works
Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Farmer Boy (1933)
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
B.
Theme
Life may change, but it just gets better.
C.
Tone, mood, style
Simple, straightforward narrative from a young girl's point of view.
D.
Message to the reader
Be thankful for the simple things and appreciate family.
II.
My Antonia
A.
Willa Cather
Willa S. Cather was born December 7, 1873, near Winchester, Virginia. Her family moved to the
town of Red Cloud, Nebraska when she was nine years old. Several of her novels are set in Red
Cloud. After graduating from the University Nebraska - Lincoln, she taught high school in
Pittsburgh and wrote some newspaper articles. Willa Cather won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for
One of Ours. She died on April 24, 1947.
1.
Other works
Alexander's Bridge (1912)
O Pioneers! (1913)
My Antonia (1918)
One of Ours (1922)
A Lost Lady (1923)
The Professor's House (1925)
My Mortal Enemy (1926)
Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)
Shadows on the Rock (1931)
Lucy Gayheart (1935)
Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940)
B.
Theme
The vitality of the pioneer west is captured in the portrait of a pioneer woman.
C.
Tone, mood, style
Mood reflects the feelings of the characters, so it is sometimes lighthearted, sometimes
frightening.
D.
Message to the reader
Strength, humor, and goodness help one to overcome trials and misfortunes.
III. Conclusions
A.
What do the author's lives have in common?
Both lived the life of a pioneer.
B.
How are the themes similar or different?
Cather's book is more issue-oriented (for example, immigrants).
C.
How are the tone, mood, and style alike or different?
Cather's book is written for an older audience, so the word choice and sentence structure are
more sophisticated.
D.
How are the books' messages alike or different?
Again, because of the difference in audiences, the messages are different in depth and
sophistication. Wilder's view is directed at family and friends, but Cather investigates someone
outside the narrator's circle.