Bad Roads and Burial Grounds: Feral Transport Media and Narrative Erasure in Willa Cather's Migrant Tales.

The article focuses on the concept of "bad roads" in Willa Cather's works, particularly in her novel *O Pioneers!*, and how these roads symbolize nonconformity and the complexities of transport media in the context of American settler narratives. The "bad road," associated with characters like Crazy...

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Publicado en:Western American Literature Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 111 - 133
Autor principal: Burch, Paul W.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Western Literature Association Summer2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Bad Roads and Burial Grounds: Feral Transport Media and Narrative Erasure in Willa Cather's Migrant Tales.
      aug:
        au: Burch, Paul W.
      su:
        Roads
        Cather, Willa, 1873-1947
        Mass migrations
        Biopolitics (Philosophy)
        Novelists
        Settler colonialism
        Ecofeminism
      sug:
        subj:
          Roads
          Cather, Willa, 1873-1947
          Mass migrations
          Biopolitics (Philosophy)
          Novelists
          Settler colonialism
          Ecofeminism
      ab: The article focuses on the concept of "bad roads" in Willa Cather's works, particularly in her novel *O Pioneers!*, and how these roads symbolize nonconformity and the complexities of transport media in the context of American settler narratives. The "bad road," associated with characters like Crazy Ivar, serves as a metaphor for alternative ways of living and knowing, contrasting with the more conventional paths taken by characters like Lou and Oscar. The analysis extends to other Cather works, such as *A Lost Lady* and *My Ántonia*, exploring how these narratives engage with themes of migration, Indigenous erasure, and the interplay between technological progress and ecological awareness. Ultimately, the article argues that Cather's portrayal of roads reflects deeper biopolitical and ecofeminist concerns, revealing the tensions between settler narratives and the histories they often obscure.
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    language: English
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