The Song of the Lark

To read Cather is to see life stripped bare of all but the essentials, then to recognize its beauty anew, and finally learn something original and profound. This is certainly the case with Song of the Lark. I won't detail the novel in full. Instead I'll try to offer a few pithy observations. SOTL is epic in scope. The first "act" taking place in Moonstone is so well developed it is a complete story unto itself. As a result, I am glad I read the book tabula rasa. This allowed me read unencumbered by expectations of plot development and to find each new turn in the novel a surprise. This novel speaks to anyone who has ever wondered if they must reject their home and leave a life behind in order to achieve greatness. This theme is echoed often in modern literature. The Fountainhead by Rand may seem like a strange comparison but in fact, the concept of giving everything to art is fundamental to both author's works, however divergent their style and tone may be. Regarding the style, I don't seem to recall as much noteworthy prose as Cather's other novels. That said there certainly is much to admire here. I vividly recall the final pages (spoiler ahead) with Thea's theater exit and a friend left among the waiting throng of admirer's. This scene combined with the narration, evokes the loneliness and separation Thea's pursuit of art has created. I am surprised to find this novel among my favorite Cather books. After reading My Antonia, this novel provides greater diversion from the homogenous world of the prairie. As wonderful as the aforementioned novel is, it's nice to see Cather explore other places with her eye towards the simple, unrefined beauty that is found everywhere.

Very few books fulfill their capacity to both present a wonderful story and completely portray the character of a certain type of person. The Song of the Lark accomplishes both of these tasks. As a classically trained singer, I can attest that the emotions Thea's music wrought from her are precise and beautifully translated into words for others to feel. Cather's insight into Thea's mind transforms The Song of the Lark into a story so intimate that few books can equal it. In addition, Thea acts so realistically! She is young and driven by her passion for music and life. The story itself, besides its merit as a great plot, presents an accurate picture of a singer's training. These three elements of the book - its emotion, its plotline, and its realism - combine to create a powerful novel.

Rarely, if ever, do books captivate me on such a level as this one, and even more rarely do I find such a strong connection between a fictional character and myself. That is what I discovered in the pages of Song of the Lark.In preparing to post this review, I saw the title of another, which I believe read Hideously Dull and Boring, or something to that effect. This story, my first Willa Cather, was nothing of the sort.Within the pages of this book a reader finds passion, love, art, beauty, despair, tragedy, disgust, longing, and triumph. Not bad for 9.95 in this day and age.Thea Kronborg, the heroine of the story, is from very earliest meeting somewhat different from the rest of her family, and the other citizens of Moonstone, Colorado. She is one of several children, but is seen as 'something different, something special' by Howard Archie, the town doctor. He becomes her confidant, her friend, and patron as Thea rises from midwestern girl to Metropolitan Opera headliner. Through her training and triumph, Thea discovers what is sorely lacking in others in her profession....passion, committment, and integrity. She bemoans the success of other singers, as merely 'crowd pleasing' rather that technically superior, or even correct. She rails at the off-pitch, lifeless tones of some of the more popular of her contemporaries, thinking them hideous and beastly, and severely lacking in talent.Thea's life starts in a small Colorado town, where she experiences her first 'love', and her first tragedy when she loses that love. But as she grows, as a singer, and as a woman, Thea realizes, through a series of highs and lows, that her one true love is the pursuit of her passion, her singing. She sacrifices all for that passion, and never seems to regret it as she reaches her reward. Although I admired many traits in this character, the one that stands out most to me is her disdain at others for accepting mediocrity in themselves. Thea despairs when others sell out for simple recognition, and accept it in lieu of striving for artistic integrity. As a performer, this quality in her touched me personally, from having shared stages with many performers stealing scences, upstaging, oversinging, all for personal gain, whether it befit their charater or not. Integrity is a quality sorely lacking in so many these days, that to find another being, fictional or real, so disgusted with the lack of it, was truly a treat.Willa Cather draws from her own childhood to illustrate life in a small midwestern town accurately, and makes liberal mention of many well-known operas in Thea's rise to fame. This is a perfect gem of a novel, with a very believable story of a woman's passion realized in her art. There are no lucky breaks, no right place at the right time, Thea works for everything she gains, one of the greatest rewards of all.

For some reason, this is a Cather novel that sometimes goes unnoticed, given the popularity of OH PIONEERS! and MY ANTONIA. But don't overlook it. It's a thinly veiled autobiography of the emergence of a female artist in America at the turn of the Century. Cather had met a famous Wagnerian opera singer, who inspired the character of Thea Kronborg....but this is really Cather's own tale. The story of a young girl, growing up at the edge of the known world, in this case, Moonstone, Colorado, doubling for Cather's own Nebraska home town. It's about the influences on her life, her mother, the men who surround and protect her--sensing that she has a special gift that needs nurturance. And, ultimately, it's about that emergence--as the character goes from being a sturdy Swedish immigrant child to "The Great Kronborg," a Wagnerian opera Diva on the stages of Europe. The novel contains many memorable characters--and a transformation scene in Arizona that is among the most important in Cather's work. It's also deeply moving. For anyone who loves American literature, it should not be missed.