Loss and nostalgia in Willa Cather's trilogy : o pioneers!, the song of the lark and my Antonia

Abstract EN

Willa Sibert Cather (1873-1947) a well-known American writer in the first half of twentieth century.

In her trilogy, O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of The Lark (1915)and My Antonia1 (1918), she presents a clear state of Loss and nostalgia that some of her characters feel due to their immigration and other causes like Mr.

Shimerda.

Peter and Pavel, Jim Burden.

Some of them try hard to overcome such homesickness and achieve success like her heroines specifically Thea in The Song of the Lark, Alexandra in O Pioneers! and Antonia in My Antonia with some male characters.

This study is concerned with knowing the meaning of nostalgia relying on different Dictionaries and some Critics 'views about Cather's nostalgic characters and the reasons behind their complicated psychological state and present suggestions for solutions of such problems.

Cather through her novels supports her female characters to work hard side by side with men in the farms or at any place to go forward and improve their ways of living.Both main and minor characters had nostalgia for their old places and attached persons.

Both images of successful characters and the nostalgic ones are discussed.

Their nostalgia is presented through their homesickness, physical decline, isolation, loneliness, depression, and even death.

In the trilogy, there are many reasons that caused the characters’ nostalgia; for example, the crises and great changes in life, the important memorable experiences in the past, the mental condition such as loneliness and feeling of loss.

Immigration is the obvious cause of most characters’ nostalgia.

The study presents an introduction and two Sections, the first one is about Nostalgia as a term, its meanings, features and solutions.

Then the rise of nostalgia with specific characters in the trilogy and the effect and role of environment in increasing or decreasing nostalgia.

Section two presents the story of the Song of The Lark and discusses the growth of the female artist and nostalgic moments in the life of Cather's heroine Thea.

The last part of the research is about the main conclusions of the study followed by a list of references.