The following passages are adapted from critical essays on the American writer Willa Cather (1873–1947).
P1 (A): Cather’s Admiration for Russian Writers & Their Influence
Cather looked up to Russian authors like Turgenev and Tolstoy for their storytelling. She copied their indirect way of showing characters’ emotions through actions rather than telling us directly. Turgenev’s advice was to pick just the right details and not over-explain, and Cather followed this, focusing on what’s typical and revealing.
P2 (A): Connecting Cather to Impressionistic Aesthetics
The author links Turgenev’s “secret knowledge” to Cather’s idea of “the thing not named”—creating feelings on the page without spelling them out. Both writers think art should simplify and select, combining setting, action, and mood to create an emotional effect.
P1 (B): The “Novel” vs. “Narrative” Debate & Modern Theory
Cather herself wasn’t super attached to calling her books “novels.” She liked “narrative” better, which actually lines up with later literary theorists (“narratologists”) who care more about storytelling than traditional novel rules. This approach, the author says, fits Cather’s style well.
P2 (B): Criticisms and Appreciation of Cather’s Impressionistic Approach
Some critics have knocked Cather for not fitting the mold of a classic novelist, complaining her structure is weak or inconclusive. But the author argues these so-called “failures”—like her unusual narrative time, ambiguous endings, and bold, stylized characters—are part of what makes Cather’s style unique, expressing deeper emotional conflicts in her stories.