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Kind of dry. But for those who, like me can't know too much about LIW, a quick read with a different twist.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town: Where History & Literature Meet
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"I understand that in my own life, I represented a whole period of American history."
As Laura Ingalls Wilder realized they would, her widely loved stories of her prairie childhood have become much more than a nostalgic blend of myth, memories, and autobiography. Historically, John Miller reveals, they have much to tell us about the realities of day-to-day living and attitudes in the nineteenth century.
History and literature are closely intertwined, Miller contends, and in this book he illustrates how Wilder's novels enhance our understanding of history and how, simultaneously, a historical perspective framed Wilder's fiction. Wilder, he shows, interwove content and form to produce a sentimental and compelling, yet nuanced and believable, picture of family life on the agricultural frontier.
Focusing on Wilder's novels set in and around De Smet, South Dakota, which include By the Shores of Silver Lake and Little Town on the Prairie , Miller compares her fictional world to history recorded in census figures, newspaper accounts, county records, maps, and photographs. He illustrates that, although Wilder sacrificed some historical details for simplicity and drama, she preserved a general accuracy of people, places, events, and customs and depicted many facets of late nineteenth-century life, from food and entertainment to work ethics and education.
Miller also addresses the controversy over the authorship of the eight novels attributed to Wilder—was she the true author or were they ghostwritten by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane? He contends that while Lane's editorial contribution was of great value, the voice in the book belongs to Wilder. The books are filled with her interpretations of the truth as influenced by the time period in which she grew up and the culture—the institutions, gossip, informal community pressure, media, stories, songs, roles, and stereotypes—that surrounded her.
Providing a glimpse of prairie life through the eyes of a young girl, Wilder's novels are as historically valid as their nonfiction cousins, Miller argues. Hers is a lived history—a sometimes romantic, sometimes observational account of the joys and frustrations of life on the prairie and a reflection of the westward movement in its prime.
As Laura Ingalls Wilder realized they would, her widely loved stories of her prairie childhood have become much more than a nostalgic blend of myth, memories, and autobiography. Historically, John Miller reveals, they have much to tell us about the realities of day-to-day living and attitudes in the nineteenth century.
History and literature are closely intertwined, Miller contends, and in this book he illustrates how Wilder's novels enhance our understanding of history and how, simultaneously, a historical perspective framed Wilder's fiction. Wilder, he shows, interwove content and form to produce a sentimental and compelling, yet nuanced and believable, picture of family life on the agricultural frontier.
Focusing on Wilder's novels set in and around De Smet, South Dakota, which include By the Shores of Silver Lake and Little Town on the Prairie , Miller compares her fictional world to history recorded in census figures, newspaper accounts, county records, maps, and photographs. He illustrates that, although Wilder sacrificed some historical details for simplicity and drama, she preserved a general accuracy of people, places, events, and customs and depicted many facets of late nineteenth-century life, from food and entertainment to work ethics and education.
Miller also addresses the controversy over the authorship of the eight novels attributed to Wilder—was she the true author or were they ghostwritten by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane? He contends that while Lane's editorial contribution was of great value, the voice in the book belongs to Wilder. The books are filled with her interpretations of the truth as influenced by the time period in which she grew up and the culture—the institutions, gossip, informal community pressure, media, stories, songs, roles, and stereotypes—that surrounded her.
Providing a glimpse of prairie life through the eyes of a young girl, Wilder's novels are as historically valid as their nonfiction cousins, Miller argues. Hers is a lived history—a sometimes romantic, sometimes observational account of the joys and frustrations of life on the prairie and a reflection of the westward movement in its prime.
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Genres
nonfictionhistory
220 pages, Paperback
First published June 1,1994
This edition
- Format
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220 pages, Paperback
- Published
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June 2, 1994 by Univ Pr of Kansas
- ISBN
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9780700607136
- ASIN
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0700607137
- Language
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English
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Rating(3.7 / 5.0, 11 votes)
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11 reviews All reviews
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A fascinating book, it's a really good history of De Smet.
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There are new titles coming out about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family all the time. It makes it hard for a writer with an interest in sharing Laura's story to come up with a unique idea that will be attractive to publishers. But that's exactly what Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer, John E. Miller did with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town: Where History & Literature Meet.
As a review by Library Journal says, "Taking concepts such as place and community, freedom and control, and love and affection, Miller considers how they operate in Wilder's novels of prairie life..."
The amount of research Miller put into this book is evident and there are almost twenty pictures, maps, and diagrams--some of which I had never seen before.
Focusing on Wilder's By the Shores of Silver Lake and Little Town on the Prairie, Miller proves how Laura's novels are just as historically valid as nonfiction accounts of the time period because these are Wilder's experiences as a young pioneer girl growing up on the prairie--living history.
Other interesting portions of this book include:
* Miller's discussion on the controversy over Rose Wilder Lane's involvement in writing the first eight novels of the series
* The similiar historical contributions of Harvey Dunn and Laura Ingalls Wilder, though Dunn was a painter and Wilder a novelist
* And fact and interpretation in Wilder's novels
All this and more makes this one of the most interesting Laura Ingalls Wilder biographies I have ever read.
As a review by Library Journal says, "Taking concepts such as place and community, freedom and control, and love and affection, Miller considers how they operate in Wilder's novels of prairie life..."
The amount of research Miller put into this book is evident and there are almost twenty pictures, maps, and diagrams--some of which I had never seen before.
Focusing on Wilder's By the Shores of Silver Lake and Little Town on the Prairie, Miller proves how Laura's novels are just as historically valid as nonfiction accounts of the time period because these are Wilder's experiences as a young pioneer girl growing up on the prairie--living history.
Other interesting portions of this book include:
* Miller's discussion on the controversy over Rose Wilder Lane's involvement in writing the first eight novels of the series
* The similiar historical contributions of Harvey Dunn and Laura Ingalls Wilder, though Dunn was a painter and Wilder a novelist
* And fact and interpretation in Wilder's novels
All this and more makes this one of the most interesting Laura Ingalls Wilder biographies I have ever read.
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Best quote ever by anyone! " I believe we would be happier to have a personal revolution in our individual lives and go back to simpler living and more direct thinking. It is the simple things in life that make living worth while, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest and living close to nature. There are no hothouse blossoms that can compare in beauty and fragrance to my bouquet of wildflowers" Laura Ingalls Wilder. How I admire this woman!
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I noted this review as containing spoilers because I wanted to warn people who might prefer their illusions intact. It's a good "fact vs. fiction" book for teenagers to adults.
I found it informative but it wasn't necessarily enjoyable. My life will never be the same after learning that another family lived with the Ingalls during the Long Winter.
I found it informative but it wasn't necessarily enjoyable. My life will never be the same after learning that another family lived with the Ingalls during the Long Winter.
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This reads like it might be Miller's dissertation. Actually, no, I think it would be less repetitive and the chapters would flow together better if it were a dissertation. This is more like a series of essays, which could be okay, but was not what I had hoped. Miller clearly did extensive research into the history of De Smet, but I found that history was not paired with nearly as much insight into Wilder's books as I wanted. Also, Miller completely ignores, or is oblivious to, the history of Missouri and the US in general in the 1930s and 1940s when Wilder was writing, and the tremendous impact the attitudes and daily life of that place and time period had on her books as well. Finally, the publication date for this book is 1994, and as a 2023 reader, I notice the complete lack of examination of the underlying sexist, racist, heteronormative, and colonialist attitudes that permeate Miller's own writing, and likely most of the sources he references.
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Torn between 3 and 4 stars... Interesting, yet not quite what I anticipated. Less focus on LIW specifically, with more of a discussion of railroad towns of that era in general.
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I liked it except for the chapter on De Smet's leisure activities, which I thought deadly dull. List writing, I call that sort of thing, something I always fear with University press books but most of the chapters in this book don't slide into it. There is a fair bit of repetition, which is often the case with books including articles printed elsewhere, but that I didn't mind so much.
Someone who thinks the Little House books are dead accurate history probably wouldn't like this book much, but I found the discussion on how Laura filtered her own history into story fascinating, and also enjoyed seeing glimpses of how Rose encouraged and guided her mother into writing better books.
Someone who thinks the Little House books are dead accurate history probably wouldn't like this book much, but I found the discussion on how Laura filtered her own history into story fascinating, and also enjoyed seeing glimpses of how Rose encouraged and guided her mother into writing better books.
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