Flavia and Her Artists
Encyclopedia
Flavia and Her Artists is a short story by American writer Willa Cather
. It was first published in The Troll Garden
in 1905.
, where she has been invited by her friend Flavia. The latter picks her up from the station and drives her to her house. Later Miss Broadwood introduces herself and begs her not to think of her as another 'artist'; she will be her confidante. Arthur joins them to say hello and prepare the dinner. At supper, the artists have agitated conversations M. Roux remains distant. When asked about Flavia about his idea that women cannot be intellectual, he admits he has never met such a one. Later, Imogen thinks back to her childhood days when Arthur would read her children's stories. Before bed, he asks his wife why she invited Imogen, who is not a fickle artist; she said she owes it to her mother. M. Roux is to leave the next day.
The next day, Imogen has breakfast with Miss Broadwood, and they are joined by Arthur and his sons, who are to go off for the day so as not to unsettle the artists. Together, the two women wonder how Arthur can put up with his wife, why he ever married her; Miss Broadwood goes so far as to suggest she has no real sense of what art really is.
Later, back from a hike, Imogen and Arthur come upon the other artists, who seem agitated. They have been reading a satire on Flavia by M. Roux in a newspaper article; Arthur vows not to let his wife hear of it, lest it should hurt her feelings. At dinner, Flavia praises her slanderer, and Arthur lashes out about artists. Some of the artists decide to leave the next day. Flavia then argues with Imogen over Arthur's manners, although Imogen cannot tell her why he acted that way. She confides in Miss Broadwood that she is disheartened with Flavia; she shall leave the next day. Arthur takes her to the station.
, with the reference to Caius Marius and the ruins of Carthage
.
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
. It was first published in The Troll Garden
The Troll Garden
A collection of short stories by Willa Cather, published in 1905.-Contents:This collection contains the following stories: * "On the Divide"* "Eric Hermannson's Soul"* "The Enchanted Bluff"* "The Bohemian Girl"* "Flavia and Her Artists"...
in 1905.
Plot introduction
Imogen visits her friend Flavia, where she is to join a retinue of artists. However, things do not pan out as well as planned.Plot summary
Imogen takes a train to Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
, where she has been invited by her friend Flavia. The latter picks her up from the station and drives her to her house. Later Miss Broadwood introduces herself and begs her not to think of her as another 'artist'; she will be her confidante. Arthur joins them to say hello and prepare the dinner. At supper, the artists have agitated conversations M. Roux remains distant. When asked about Flavia about his idea that women cannot be intellectual, he admits he has never met such a one. Later, Imogen thinks back to her childhood days when Arthur would read her children's stories. Before bed, he asks his wife why she invited Imogen, who is not a fickle artist; she said she owes it to her mother. M. Roux is to leave the next day.
The next day, Imogen has breakfast with Miss Broadwood, and they are joined by Arthur and his sons, who are to go off for the day so as not to unsettle the artists. Together, the two women wonder how Arthur can put up with his wife, why he ever married her; Miss Broadwood goes so far as to suggest she has no real sense of what art really is.
Later, back from a hike, Imogen and Arthur come upon the other artists, who seem agitated. They have been reading a satire on Flavia by M. Roux in a newspaper article; Arthur vows not to let his wife hear of it, lest it should hurt her feelings. At dinner, Flavia praises her slanderer, and Arthur lashes out about artists. Some of the artists decide to leave the next day. Flavia then argues with Imogen over Arthur's manners, although Imogen cannot tell her why he acted that way. She confides in Miss Broadwood that she is disheartened with Flavia; she shall leave the next day. Arthur takes her to the station.
Characters
- Imogen Willard. She studies philologyPhilologyPhilology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
. - Flavia Malcolm, a patron of the arts. She is thirty-five years old. She is bossy and pretty, but somehow 'always ill at ease'.
- Arthur Hamilton, Flavia's meek husband.
- William
- Edward
- M. Emile Roux, a French writer from ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, who has written twelve novels. He later publishes a satirical article about Flavia. - Ivan Schemetzkin, a Russian pianist. He is small and fat.
- Jules Martel, a painter.
- Signor Donati, an Italian tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. He is very small. He smokes cigarettes. - Professor Schotte, a scholar on AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
. - Restzhoff, a Russian chemist.
- Alcee Buisson, a philologist.
- Frank Wellington, a novelist. He is from KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and went to Harvard. He has published three historical novels. - Will Maidenwood, the editor of Woman. He is convalescent.
- Jemima Broadwood, Flavia's second cousin and a stage actress.
- Fray Lichtenfeld, a German writer.
Allusions to other works
- Arthur is said to have read Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Alice in Wonderland and JabberwockyJabberwocky"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense verse poem written by Lewis Carroll in his 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
, as well as Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
's The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid"The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
out to Imogen when she was a child. - Flavia mentions Elizabeth Barrett BrowningElizabeth Barrett BrowningElizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
, George EliotGeorge EliotMary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
, and George SandGeorge SandAmantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
when she asks M. Roux about intellectual women. - Schemetzkin plays some Chopin after the first dinner.
- Music is also mentioned by Arthur, with ErlkingErlkingThe Erlking is depicted in a number of German poems and ballads as a malevolent creature who haunts forests and carries off travellers to their deaths. The name is an 18th-century mistranslation of the original Danish word elverkonge, "elf-king"...
. - Miss Broadwood compares the children's dialogue to something out of Maurice MaeterlinckMaurice MaeterlinckMaurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
. - Flavia is said to have garned information from others about the Barbizon schoolBarbizon schoolThe Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
and Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
's Hedda GablerHedda GablerHedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
. - Flavia compares her husband to BanquoBanquoBanquo is a character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth and they are together when they meet the Three Witches. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his...
, from William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
.
Allusions to actual history
- M. Roux compares himself to Jaufré RudelJaufré RudelJaufre Rudel was the Prince of Blaye and a troubadour of the early–mid 12th century, who probably died during the Second Crusade, in or after 1147...
in his quest for an intellectual woman. - Imogen compares the household she leaves at the end to Caius Marius and the ruins of CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
.
Literary significance and criticism
The ending of Flavia and Her Artists foreshadows The Way of the WorldThe Way of the World
The Way of the World is a play written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered in 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London...
, with the reference to Caius Marius and the ruins of Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
.