The Marriage of Phaedra

Last updated

The Marriage of Phaedra is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in The Troll Garden in 1905 [1]

Contents

Plot introduction

MacMaster visits a late painter's studio and attempts to collect information to write his biography.

Explanation of the title

'The Marriage of Phaedra' is an unfinished painting by Hugh Treffinger.

Plot summary

MacMaster goes to Hugh Treffinger's studio in Holland Road, London. He is greeted by James, who shows him around. Later, he visits Lady Mary Percy, whom he had met in Nice four years back. She criticises Hugh for his lack of manners and for his pride. MacMaster takes to going to the studio to garner information from James. He meets Ellen Treffinger to tell her of his project of a biography. Later, he grows wary of an arts dealer, Lichtenstein. One day, James shows him an issue of The Times saying Ellen is engaged to get married, and she has sold 'The Marriage of Phaedra' to the arts dealer. However, James has stolen the painting as Hugh had made it clear to him before his death that he did not want it sold. MacMaster conjectures they have to tell Ellen of the situation. When he visits her the next day, she says the painting will have to go.

Characters

Allusions to other works

Allusions to actual history

Literary significance and criticism

The story may be inspired by Cather's 1902 visit of Edward Burne-Jones's studio [2] in Kensington; [3] she used the real name, James, of Burne-Jones's valet. [4]

Further, the story has been deemed Jamesian for its narrative technique and its use of the painting as a means to convey meaning. [5]

Related Research Articles

Willa Cather American writer (1873-1947)

Willa Sibert Cather was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the Lark (1915), and My Ántonia (1918). In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours (1922), a novel set during World War I.

<i>Alexanders Bridge</i>

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.

<i>One of Ours</i>

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.

"A Death in the Desert" is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in The Scribner's in January 1903.

"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.

The Bookkeeper's Wife is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Century in May 1916.

Coming, Eden Bower! is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Smart Set in August 1920, and it was republished in Youth and the Bright Medusa under the title of Coming, Aphrodite, with minor alterations.

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

"A Night at Greenway Court" is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Nebraska Literary Magazine in June 1896. Four years later a revised version was published in the Library.

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

The Affair at Grover Station is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in Library in June 1900 in two installments, and reprinted in the Lincoln Courier one month later. The story is about a geological student asking an old friend of his about the recent murder of a station agent.

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

The Professor's Commencement is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in New England Magazine in June 1902

<i>April Twilights</i>

April Twilights is a 1903 collection of poems by Willa Cather. It was reedited by Cather in 1923 and 1933. The poems were first published in many literary reviews, often under pen names.

Neighbour Rosicky

"Neighbour Rosicky" is a short story by Willa Cather. It appeared in the Woman's Home Companion in 1930, under the title "Neighbor Rosicky". In 1932, it was published in the collection Obscure Destinies.

<i>The Troll Garden</i>

The Troll Garden is a collection of short stories by Willa Cather, published in 1905.

References

  1. ↑ Willa Cather's Collected Short Fiction, University of Nebraska Press; Rev Ed edition, 1 Nov 1970, page 234
  2. ↑ Bernice Slote, 'Introduction: Willa Cather and Her First Book', Willa Cather, April Twilights (1903), hardcover, University of Nebraska Pres, 1990, pages xxviii
  3. ↑ Mildred R. Bennett, The World of Willa Cather, University of Nebraska Press, 1961, page 163
  4. ↑ George N Kanes, Willa Cather in Europe: Her Own Story of the First Journey, University of Nebraska Press, 1988, page 66
  5. ↑ James Leslie Woodress, Willa Cather - A Literary Life, University of Nebraska Press, 1989, page 179
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.