Name: ________________________________________

Willa Cather Group Work

1.) Quiz Question: Which three (3) “parts of the anatomy” are mentioned most often in this story -- and why?

2.) Do you notice any other “parallels” or “motifs” (repeated scenes, ideas, images, words, etc.) in this short story? What are they, and why does Cather do this?

3.) Is the character of Rosicky “too good to be true”? What about the other characters? (Evaluate them as artistic creations rather than as real people.) Do the characters ruin the story for you?

4.) How does this short story “fit in” with the fiction we read in Volume C? In other words, does Cather’s story have in common with them certain literary conflicts or themes? Is she a realist? A naturalist? A regionalist? A local colorist?

5.) But since Cather is in Volume D, the “modern period,” does her story do anything different than the stories in Volume C? Does it emphasize the subject matter differently, or does it approach the subject matter in a different way? Does it present the subject matter differently?

6.) On page 726, the editors of the NAAL mention that Cather’s works might “encode a lesbian sensibility.” Do you think this is true of “Neighbor Rosicky”? What do you find when you examine the story as a feminist or gender literary critic?

7.) What do you find if you examine the story as a Marxist (see page 708-709) or social-economic literary critic? [Hint: perhaps pay attention to setting(s) and composition/publication dates.]