22 pages 44 minutes read

Willa Cather

A Wagner Matinee

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1904

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

"[Howard] had characteristically delayed writing until, had I been away from home for a day, I must have missed my aunt altogether." 


(Paragraph 1, Lines 12-14)

The above passage is the first hint Cather provides that Georgiana's marriage may not be an entirely happy one. Clark's remark that his uncle's delay was "characteristic" suggests that Howard is—at best—prone to forgetfulness or procrastination. At worst, it implies that he was deliberately trying to inconvenience his wife. If we take Clark's words at face value, either option tends to depict the couple as ill-matched, since we will soon learn that Georgiana is both highly conscientious and sensitive.

Quotation Mark Icon

"The name of my Aunt Georgiana opened before me a gulf of recollection so wide and deep that, as the letter dropped from my hand, I felt suddenly a stranger to all the present conditions of my existence, wholly ill at ease and out of place amid the familiar surroundings of my study." 


(Paragraph 2, Lines 1-5)

Clark's memories are a focal point in Cather's story, where they commonly deepen our understanding of character and setting; his descriptions of earlier interactions with his aunt, for instance, provide a reference point for how much she has changed over the years. They are also important in and of themselves, however, because the characters in the story display such a clear longing for the past. Although Clark's time in Nebraska was unhappy in many ways, his relationship with Georgiana was clearly one of the high points of his life. The reminder of her is therefore so powerful that it actually makes him "ill at ease" with his current circumstances (though they seem, on the whole, to be happy).

Related Titles

By Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

A Lost Lady

Willa Cather

A Lost Lady

Willa Cather

Plot Summary

logo

Coming, Aphrodite!

Willa Cather

Coming, Aphrodite!

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

Death Comes for the Archbishop

Willa Cather

Death Comes for the Archbishop

Willa Cather

Plot Summary

logo

Lucy Gayheart

Willa Cather

Lucy Gayheart

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

My Antonia

Willa Cather

My Antonia

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

Neighbour Rosicky

Willa Cather

Neighbour Rosicky

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

One Of Ours

Willa Cather

One Of Ours

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

Paul's Case

Willa Cather

Paul's Case

Willa Cather

Plot Summary

logo

Shadows on the Rock

Willa Cather

Shadows on the Rock

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

The Professor's House

Willa Cather

The Professor's House

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

The Sculptor's Funeral

Willa Cather

The Sculptor's Funeral

Willa Cather

Study Guide

logo

The Song of the Lark

Willa Cather

The Song of the Lark

Willa Cather