EN266 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Frontier Thesis, Travois, Encyclopedia
Document Summary
Book divided by jim"s life, time periods and locations. Looking for the center gravity of the book. Definite focus on the beginning, reflects back to his memories. It is orderly, chronological according to his life and times. Over 100 pages in the first, and second. The last ones are (3) are shortest. A nod toward modernism, it is realistic. For the reader of the day the structure challenged and startled readers. Focus of the books is where he left, where ntonia stays. I knew i"d ruin my material if i put in the usual fiction pattern. I just used it the way i thought it absolutely true. No one saw the original, just reprinted in calendars, photos, etc. Helped to shape peoples notion of what was going on in the frontier. All heading west, indigenous and buffalo running away. Dark side of the painting to the left, she is a symbol of american progress.
