Okay, I kind of see why Cather described the church at Acoma the way she did: It's a symbol of Euroamerican oppression of the people there. The building that I saw, by contrast, reflected the spirit of the Acoma people and culture, as our guide explained it to us, and they were very proud thereof. She (our guide) told us it was as much an expression of the historical Acoma religion as of Christianity.
#WillaCather
#literature
#DeathComesForTheArchbishop #AcomaPueblo
Cather devotes a whole chapter to describing Acoma, and it's bringing back memories. She describes their church as follows:
"At the very edge of the mesa, overhanging the abyss so that its retaining wall was like a part of the cliff itself, was the old warlike church of Ácoma, with its two stone towers. Gaunt, grim, grey, its nave rising some seventy feet to a sagging, half-ruined roof, it was more like a fortress than a place of worship."
I don't know if this description was ever accurate (I suspect Cather did do her research), but the church I saw there was something lovely and brilliant, an open space with images of crops around the walls, IIRC. To me it was an image of life itself.
#WillaCather
#literature
#DeathComesForTheArchbishop #AcomaPueblo
Well into book 3! The bishop is still very much alive. I'm enjoying this story; Cather has such a way with words and is very observant on human nature.
I started reading this because it was recommended to me by an author I met at a café, a locally run business. She was a huge fan of Cather and suggested this one when I asked for recommendations.
Among things, that encounter reminded me of the value of public spaces like this, where people can meet by chance, have enriching conversations, and leave refreshed and the better off mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (by which I mean as human beings relating to other human beings).
#WillaCather
#literature
#DeathComesForTheArchbishop #PublicSpace
Another surprise mention: The Acoma people. I had the pleasure of visiting their pueblo years ago, and it remains one of my loveliest memories.
#WillaCather
#literature
#DeathComesForTheArchbishop #AcomaPueblo
Wow, *Kit Carson* just showed up! Was not expecting that.
Book 2, chapter 2. An American apparently was planning to harm the bishop, but the latter got away in time, fleeing on a mule into the dark night. Seems like Death missed its chance.
Chapter 4. Bishop is still very much alive.
At least cowboys are shooting up the night for kicks and giggles. Good to know Americans have always been Americans.
Cather asking the real questions here:
— Father Joseph frowned intently at the earthen pot in the middle of the table. His pale, near-sighted eyes had always the look of peering into distance. "C'est ça, c'est vrai," he murmured. "But how," he exclaimed as he filled the Bishop's plate again, "how can a man make a proper soup without leeks, that king of vegetables? We cannot go on eating onions for ever."
#WillaCather #DeathComesForTheArchbishop #leeks #onions #soup #VeggieWars
Currently reading Willa Cather's "Death Comes for the Archbishop." I'm on chapter 3, and so far there is a disturbing lack of death. And since the main character is just called "bishop," there is also a disturbing lack of Arch.
#WillaCather #literature #DeathComesForTheArchbishop #ArchBTW
NegativePrimes