I got this novel in a book which is a collection of novels by Willa Cather from the library. The print is small making it slow reading.
I felt at times that I was getting an index file of the characters. The author did not develop their stories as much as I would have liked - except for Tom Outlander.
Tom Outlander's discovery of the Indian villages in the Blue Mesa with the treasure trove of ancient relics was interesting. If that had happened in this day and age the story would have been so much different. Those kind of finds are so well protected that what happened to him when he reported his find would not have happened. He tried so hard to do the right thing and was brushed aside. Sad.
The reactions between the two sisters because of the money made me wondeer how solid their relationship was before money had come into the picture. I do think that Rosamond enjoyed showing off her wealth too much.
Those of you who have gone to college and/or teach at college probably understood what was happening with the professor a bit more than I did.
If the professor had enough money to rent a complete house for a year simply to use the upstairs study then why I wonder didn't he offer the main part of the house to his daughter and son-in-law. It appeared that they did not have much of a place and even if they did, he could be saving them a lot of money.
The book was so-so. I liked Part 2 about Tom Outland but the rest ….mmmmmm slow. They all seemed greedy to me. The daughters were all about themselves, I didn’t like Louis Marsellus at all nor Dr. Crane. No one seemed too appreciative of anything.
I guess I don’t have too much to note. Chapter 1 – sharing the study with the seamstress and the “forms” and then telling the seamstress to buy new forms so the old ones wouldn’t have to be moved. Randy is a lot like this –DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING! Even if it has no place! Why did they even bother to build a new house? Seems kind of crazy to pay rent on a house just to keep the study. I would find it very depressing to walk through an empty house to get to the attic where your “stuff” is. And COLD besides!
Chapter 9 – The description of the charity girls in Paris walking 2 by 2. Madeline!
But much vocabulary! Metonymy – a substitute – here a word for bust Atelier – studio or workshop Floridity – highly decorated, gaudy Box-couch (in the attic), I google imaged it and it is a box couch just like you would imagine. Chiffonier – chest of drawers Devoir – duty Clawhammer coat – had to google image this and it was nothing like I imagined but after seeing it I do see the “clawhammer”.
J I believe in the opening of the story the Professor goes through the old house and describes all the things that had needed repair but had never been taken care of because the landlord refused to pay for repairs. Apparently the Professor's wife wanted a new house probably because she was tired of dealing with an old house. Too bad the Professor did not share her enthusiasm of having a newer nicer house.
A lot of mixed feelings on this book. I didn't like it when reading it. I thought the women were trite and the story was slow. Then, after I finished, the more it started to grow on me. I'm still not sure if I would say I liked it, but I just couldn't help but pity St. Peter in the third section. I could just seem him sighing and not wanting to deal with all of the hustle and bustle that was going to come at him when that ship came in to port.
I Kindled this one so I marked a few passages and vocab. J, I also marked metonymy. ascetic: characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence
pg 32: "Science hasn't given us any new amazements, except for the superficial kind we get from witnessing dexterity and sleigh of hand. It hasn't given us any richer pleasures, as the Renaissance did, nor any new sins - not one!"
pg 33, Lillian: "It's hardly dignified to think aloud in such company. It's in rather bad taste." This is when I stopped liking Lillian.
pg 39, St. Peter and Rosamond: "It's only lately that you've begun to wear them. Louie's taste, I suppose?" "Of course, he selects all my things for me" said Rosamond proudly. PROUDLY? This is where Rosamond lost me.
pg 44: "The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one's own."
pg 47 "Lillian had thoughtfully put in one of her best dinner napkins, knowing he hated ugly linen." Ok, These people are definitely living above my paygrade.
pg 67: "He lived in the most depressing and unnecessary ugliness."
I think the sisters have a lot of unresolved jealousy revolving around Tom Outland. Clearly they were both infatuated with him, even if they are both now married. Rosamond got all of Tom, even his last name for her house, while Kathleen got nothing.
B - good point about the empty house below the study. Why couldn't Kathleen + husband live there? Then again, if she had enough money to buy a fur coat... Maybe they were comfortable but not filthy rich like the others?
I read this story in part of a library book entitled "Willa Cather's Later Novels". There were six novels in the book (Lost Lady, The Professor's House, Death Comes to the Archbishop, Shadows on the Rock, Lucy Gayheart, Sapphira and the Slave Girl). After reading all six of the stories I had a better feeling for the writing style of the author. I think I appreciated The Professor's House more after reading all of the stories. The author has a very melancholy/sad serious writing style. She reminded me of those people who go around saying "that's the way it is, and don't expect anything better or happier because life is life".
J Death Comes to the Archbishop is a good read. If you liked the chapters about Tom Outland at Blue Mesa then you will like this story. It is a historical novel about New Mexico.
We had a 3 hour delay in Detroit when coming back from New Orleans, so I finally managed to finish this book. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't really interest me. I agree with most of your comments and only have a few things to add.
Chapter 1: "for looks, the fewer clothes he had on, the better." There are relatively few people this could be said about.
I also marked metonymy. In fact, I had marked the whole passage about the bust and the Professor being risque.
The section about St Peter being inspired by his students really resonated with me. I see some faculty members that could care less about teaching, and it shows. I just don't understand this. If you didn't like teaching, why would you do it? I enjoy my students and am almost always happier coming out of class than going in.
Chapter 4: I wonder if part of Kathleen's problem was her father. For example, as he reminisces about her he says he didn't like her pluck and would "make her take his arm and be docile."
Chapter 8: I also marked "The heart of another..." Are we all starting to think alike? :-) It was in this chapter that I began to wonder if part of St. Peter's problem was that he was a closeted gay man. He thinks about the perfect day to die young and pictures it not with his wife, but on a ship with "a dozen spry seamen" in Spain. He was infatuated with Tom Outlander. In Chapter 10 he goes on about Tom's hands for a paragraph and remembers it that well years later. He prefereed not to be in female company. None of this is conclusive, of course, but it did make me wonder.
BTW: Did we ever figure out what happened with the Cranes? Did Rosamund and Louie give them some money or go to court?
9 comments:
I got this novel in a book which is a collection of novels by Willa Cather from the library. The print is small making it slow reading.
I felt at times that I was getting an index file of the characters. The author did not develop their stories as much as I would have liked - except for Tom Outlander.
Tom Outlander's discovery of the Indian villages in the Blue Mesa with the treasure trove of ancient relics was interesting. If that had happened in this day and age the story would have been so much different. Those kind of finds are so well protected that what happened to him when he reported his find would not have happened. He tried so hard to do the right thing and was brushed aside. Sad.
The reactions between the two sisters because of the money made me wondeer how solid their relationship was before money had come into the picture. I do think that Rosamond enjoyed showing off her wealth too much.
Those of you who have gone to college and/or teach at college probably understood what was happening with the professor a bit more than I did.
If the professor had enough money to rent a complete house for a year simply to use the upstairs study then why I wonder didn't he offer the main part of the house to his daughter and son-in-law. It appeared that they did not have much of a place and even if they did, he could be saving them a lot of money.
The book was so-so. I liked Part 2 about Tom Outland but the rest ….mmmmmm slow. They all seemed greedy to me. The daughters were all about themselves, I didn’t like Louis Marsellus at all nor Dr. Crane. No one seemed too appreciative of anything.
I guess I don’t have too much to note.
Chapter 1 – sharing the study with the seamstress and the “forms” and then telling the seamstress to buy new forms so the old ones wouldn’t have to be moved. Randy is a lot like this –DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING! Even if it has no place! Why did they even bother to build a new house? Seems kind of crazy to pay rent on a house just to keep the study. I would find it very depressing to walk through an empty house to get to the attic where your “stuff” is. And COLD besides!
Chapter 9 – The description of the charity girls in Paris walking 2 by 2. Madeline!
But much vocabulary!
Metonymy – a substitute – here a word for bust
Atelier – studio or workshop
Floridity – highly decorated, gaudy
Box-couch (in the attic), I google imaged it and it is a box couch just like you would imagine.
Chiffonier – chest of drawers
Devoir – duty
Clawhammer coat – had to google image this and it was nothing like I imagined but after seeing it I do see the “clawhammer”.
I've read other books by Willa Cather and enjoyed those. This one just didn't do it for me.
You are right B, an ancient find like that would not be discarded in today's world. And Tom was so patient too to try to do the right thing.
J I believe in the opening of the story the Professor goes through the old house and describes all the things that had needed repair but had never been taken care of because the landlord refused to pay for repairs. Apparently the Professor's wife wanted a new house probably because she was tired of dealing with an old house. Too bad the Professor did not share her enthusiasm of having a newer nicer house.
A lot of mixed feelings on this book. I didn't like it when reading it. I thought the women were trite and the story was slow. Then, after I finished, the more it started to grow on me. I'm still not sure if I would say I liked it, but I just couldn't help but pity St. Peter in the third section. I could just seem him sighing and not wanting to deal with all of the hustle and bustle that was going to come at him when that ship came in to port.
I Kindled this one so I marked a few passages and vocab.
J, I also marked metonymy.
ascetic: characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence
pg 32: "Science hasn't given us any new amazements, except for the superficial kind we get from witnessing dexterity and sleigh of hand. It hasn't given us any richer pleasures, as the Renaissance did, nor any new sins - not one!"
pg 33, Lillian: "It's hardly dignified to think aloud in such company. It's in rather bad taste."
This is when I stopped liking Lillian.
pg 39, St. Peter and Rosamond: "It's only lately that you've begun to wear them. Louie's taste, I suppose?" "Of course, he selects all my things for me" said Rosamond proudly.
PROUDLY? This is where Rosamond lost me.
pg 44: "The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one's own."
pg 47 "Lillian had thoughtfully put in one of her best dinner napkins, knowing he hated ugly linen."
Ok, These people are definitely living above my paygrade.
pg 67: "He lived in the most depressing and unnecessary ugliness."
I think the sisters have a lot of unresolved jealousy revolving around Tom Outland. Clearly they were both infatuated with him, even if they are both now married. Rosamond got all of Tom, even his last name for her house, while Kathleen got nothing.
B - good point about the empty house below the study. Why couldn't Kathleen + husband live there? Then again, if she had enough money to buy a fur coat... Maybe they were comfortable but not filthy rich like the others?
I read this story in part of a library book entitled "Willa Cather's Later Novels". There were six novels in the book (Lost Lady, The Professor's House, Death Comes to the Archbishop, Shadows on the Rock, Lucy Gayheart, Sapphira and the Slave Girl). After reading all six of the stories I had a better feeling for the writing style of the author. I think I appreciated The Professor's House more after reading all of the stories. The author has a very melancholy/sad serious writing style. She reminded me of those people who go around saying "that's the way it is, and don't expect anything better or happier because life is life".
I've always wanted to read Death Comes to the Archbishop but haven't, how was that one?
J Death Comes to the Archbishop is a good read. If you liked the chapters about Tom Outland at Blue Mesa then you will like this story. It is a historical novel about New Mexico.
We had a 3 hour delay in Detroit when coming back from New Orleans, so I finally managed to finish this book. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't really interest me. I agree with most of your comments and only have a few things to add.
Chapter 1: "for looks, the fewer clothes he had on, the better." There are relatively few people this could be said about.
I also marked metonymy. In fact, I had marked the whole passage about the bust and the Professor being risque.
The section about St Peter being inspired by his students really resonated with me. I see some faculty members that could care less about teaching, and it shows. I just don't understand this. If you didn't like teaching, why would you do it? I enjoy my students and am almost always happier coming out of class than going in.
Chapter 4: I wonder if part of Kathleen's problem was her father. For example, as he reminisces about her he says he didn't like her pluck and would "make her take his arm and be docile."
Chapter 8: I also marked "The heart of another..." Are we all starting to think alike? :-) It was in this chapter that I began to wonder if part of St. Peter's problem was that he was a closeted gay man. He thinks about the perfect day to die young and pictures it not with his wife, but on a ship with "a dozen spry seamen" in Spain. He was infatuated with Tom Outlander. In Chapter 10 he goes on about Tom's hands for a paragraph and remembers it that well years later. He prefereed not to be in female company. None of this is conclusive, of course, but it did make me wonder.
BTW: Did we ever figure out what happened with the Cranes? Did Rosamund and Louie give them some money or go to court?
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