Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

English

Reader 1

Thomas Koenigs

Reader 2

Aaron Matz

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Rights Information

© 2023 Lauren Marler

Abstract

This thesis explores the question: How does Cather employ the Bildungsroman genre in My Ántonia, and what are the implications of this? I argue that Cather engages with the traditionally male Bildungsroman in order to expose the genre’s narrow ideas of success, specifically in its focus on social integration. As Cather transgresses the traditional Bildungsroman, she also revises female archetypes, such as those found in the Seduction Plot and the Marriage Plot, which present female coming-of-age stories as downward spirals: with protagonists ending up unhappy or dead. Instead, Cather imagines a hopeful ending for Ántonia which disrupts generic expectations of female destiny.

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