The Professor's House

The Professor's House by Willa Cather

The Professor's House is a 1925 novel by Willa Cather. It tells the story of Godfrey St. Peter, a retired professor living in a small town in the Midwest. He is struggling to come to terms with his past and his present, and to find a sense of purpose in his life. The novel follows Godfrey as he reflects on his life and his relationships with his family, his students, and his colleagues. He is haunted by the memory of his beloved daughter, who died young, and by his failed marriage. He also struggles to find a place for himself in the modern world, as he is increasingly out of touch with the changing times. The novel is a meditation on the nature of life, death, and the passage of time. It is a poignant exploration of the human condition, and of the power of memory and nostalgia.

By Willa Cather · First published 1925 · Genre: Realistic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Regional Fiction · 29 chapters · 61,674 words

First lines

The moving was over and done. Professor St. Peter was alone in the dismantled house where he had lived ever since his marriage, where he had worked out his career and brought up his two daughters. It was almost as ugly as it is possible for a house to be; square, three stories in height, painted the colour of ashes--the front porch just too narrow for comfort, with a slanting floor and sagging steps. As he walked slowly about the empty, echoing rooms on that bright September morning, the Professor regarded thoughtfully the needless inconveniences he had put up with for so long; the stairs that were too steep, the halls that were too cramped, the awkward oak mantles with thick round posts crowned by bumptious wooden balls, over green-tiled fire-places.

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Tags

isolation · identity · loss · family · regret · nostalgia · change · art · education · relationships · futility · memory

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The Professor's House is listed on Textopian as a novel by Willa Cather, dated 1925 CE.

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