Eric Hermannson's Soul

Last updated

"Eric Hermannson's Soul" is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Cosmopolitan in April 1900. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

In rural Nebraska, Eric Hermannson gives up on girls after seeing a rattlesnake whilst on a date with Lena, and stops playing the violin shortly after; he becomes a good Free Gospeller as his mother wants him to be. Later, Wyllis comes back with his sister Margaret. She sings to Eric, thus reawakening his passion for music. Later, she is riding a mustang from St. Anne back to her village with Eric. She asks him to go to a dance and he agrees, although this would breach his Church's covenant. The horses go wild, and he saves her from injury. Back in her house, she receives a letter from her fiancé from the East Coast. Later at the ball, Margaret and Eric dance together, then go out and up a hill. She tells him she is soon to leave and never come back again. After she has left, Eric talks to his pastor and confesses to dancing.

Characters

Allusions to other works

Allusions to actual history

Footnotes

  1. Willa Cather's Collected Short Fiction, University of Nebraska Press; Rev Ed edition, 1 Nov 1970, page 379

Related Research Articles

<i>Alexanders Bridge</i> novel by Willa Cather

Alexander's Bridge is the first novel by American author Willa Cather. First published in 1912, it was re-released with an author's preface in 1922. It also ran as a serial in McClure's, giving Cather some free time from her work for that magazine.

<i>My Ántonia</i> Novel by Willa Cather

My Ántonia is a novel published in 1918 by American writer Willa Cather, considered one of her best works. It is the final book of her "prairie trilogy" of novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark.

<i>O Pioneers!</i> novel by Willa Cather

O Pioneers! is a 1913 novel by American author Willa Cather, written while she was living in New York. It is the first novel of her Great Plains trilogy, followed by The Song of the Lark (1915) and My Ántonia (1918).

<i>One of Ours</i> novel by Willa Cather

One of Ours is a novel by Willa Cather that won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It tells the story of the life of Claude Wheeler, a Nebraska native in the first decades of the 20th century. The son of a successful farmer and an intensely pious mother, he is guaranteed a comfortable livelihood. Nevertheless, Wheeler views himself as a victim of his father's success and his own inexplicable malaise.

Peter is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in The Mahogany Tree in 1892.

The Burglar's Christmas is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Home Monthly in 1896 under the pseudonym of Elizabeth L. Seymour, her cousin's name.

The Dance at Chevalier's is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Library in 1900 under the pseudonym of Henry Nicklemann.

"Nanette: An Aside" is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Courier on 31 July 1897 and one month later in Home Monthly.

Ardessa is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Century in May 1918.

Her Boss is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Smart Set in October 1919.

The Joy of Nelly Deane is a short story by American writer Willa Cather. It was first published in Century in October 1911.

The Bohemian Girl is a short story by Willa Cather. It was written when Cather was living in Cherry Valley, New York, with Isabelle McClung whilst Alexander's Bridge was being serialised in McClure's. It was first published in McClure's in August 1912.

On the Gulls' Road is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in McClure's in December 1908.

On the Divide is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Overland Monthly in January 1896.

"A Resurrection" is a short story by American writer Willa Cather. It was first published in Home Monthly in April 1897.

The Profile is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in McClure's in June 1907.

The Garden Lodge is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in The Troll Garden in 1905

The Marriage of Phaedra is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in The Troll Garden in 1905

The Treasure of Far Island is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in New England Magazine in October 1902.

Robert Beadell was an American composer.