The Troll Garden

Willa Cather

This group of short stories was the first collection Willa Cather had published. I understand these include some of her best short stories. All of these are studies of people in the arts or relating to the arts.

Since this was originally published in 1905, the arts at that time included painters, writers, musicians, and stage actors. The stories are not about the artists themselves, but rather the people around them or who related to them.

I especially enjoyed "A Wagner Matinee". The tale was written in the first person by the nephew whose aunt was visiting Boston for the first time in 30 years from the farm life of Nebraska. She had been a music teacher in the East before her marriage. After her marriage, she moved west and could devote little time to her music or its appreciation. On her visit, her nephew takes her to the theater.

Another short story I appreciated was "The Sculptor's Funeral", one of her more famous stories. Willa Cather has since been grouped with the masters of writing. While these short stories were interesting, I would still recommend O! Pioneers or My Antonia. She was able to do more characterization in the novels. The short stories are poignant tidbits.