World War I, Anti-German Hysteria, the “Spanish” Flu, and My Ántonia, 1917–1919

Authors

Charles Johanningsmeier, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2017

Publication Title

Willa Cather Newsletter & Review

Volume

59

Issue

3

First Page

33

Last Page

38

Abstract

At first glance, My Ántonia might seem to have nothing to do with World War I. Despite the fact that Cather’s fourth novel was written between the fall of 1916 and June 1918, the war is nowhere mentioned in it, and no evidence exists to suggest that Cather consciously intended to embed any type of commentary about the war within its pages. Nevertheless, My Ántonia is inextricably connected to the war, chiefly because its early sales and reception among American readers were very likely heavily influenced by the xenophobic attitudes that the war exacerbated.

Comments

This article is reused with permission. To see more articles from this publication, please visit their site here: https://www.willacather.org/willa-cather-review.

Recommended Citation

Charles Johanningsmeier. “World War I, Anti-German Hysteria, the ‘Spanish’ Flu, and My Ántonia, 1917-1919." Willa Cather Newsletter & Review 59.3 (Spring 2017): 33-38.