
The Professor's House
by Willa Cather
'The Professor's House' Summary
When Professor Godfrey St. Peter and wife move to a new house, he becomes uncomfortable with the route his life is taking. He keeps on his dusty study in the old house in an attempt to hang on to his old life. The marriages of his two daughters have removed them from the home and added two new sons-in-law, precipitating a mid-life crisis that leaves the Professor feeling as though he has lost the will to live because he has nothing to look forward to.
The novel initially addresses the Professor's interactions with his new sons-in-law and his family, while continually alluding to the pain they all feel over the death of Tom Outland in the Great War. Outland was not only the Professor's student and friend, but the fiancé of his elder daughter, who is now living off the wealth created by the "Outland vacuum."
The novel's central section turns to Outland, and recounts in first-person the story of his exploration of an ancient cliff city in New Mexico. The section is a retrospective narrative remembered by the professor.
In the final section, the professor, left alone while his family takes an expensive European tour, narrowly escapes death due to a gas leak in his study; and finds himself strangely willing to die. He is rescued by the old family seamstress, Augusta, who has been his staunch friend throughout. He resolves to go on with his life.
Book Details
Authors

Willa Cather
United States
Willa Sibert Cather was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Pr...
Books by Willa CatherDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Silver Bear by Edna Adelaide Brown
Lucy and Dora are not sisters, but their bond is just as strong. They live in a small New England town, and their adventures often revolve around thei...

The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain
Imagine what it was like to be the first man and woman on Earth. What would you write in your diary? The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain is a h...

The Forty-Five Guardsmen by Alexandre Dumas
It tells the story of Diane de Méridor's quest for revenge upon the Duke of Anjou – for his betrayal of Bussy d’Amboise. The novel features Forty-five...

Lost House by Richard Harding Davis
Lost House revolves around Austin Ford, a journalist stationed in London, who stumbles upon a cryptic note in a dark alley. The note pleads for help f...

Zanoni by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
Zanoni is an 1842 novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a story of love and occult aspiration. By way of introduction, the author confesses: "... It so chanc...

Liebesbriefe der Marquise by Lily Braun
Liebesbriefe der Marquise erzählt die Geschichte von Delphine Montjoie, einer Marquise aus dem 18. Jahrhundert, deren Leben von den Wirren der französ...

Mount Royal Vol. I by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
A mysterious death in the Canadian wilderness sets the stage for a gripping tale of suspense and intrigue. In Mount Royal Vol. I, Mary Elizabeth Brad...

The Hungry Stones And Other Stories by Rabindranath Tagore
'The Hungry Stones and Other Stories' is a collection of thirteen soul-stirring short stories by Tagore. Each and every one of the stories is aestheti...

The Uncalled by Paul Laurence Dunbar
It tells the story of a young African-American man named John who is searching for his place in the world. Set in the late 19th century, "The Uncalle...

Miss Dee Dunmore Bryant by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
Miss Dee Dunmore Bryant is a young woman with a secret. She is a gifted psychic, and she can see the future. But her gift is also a curse, as she is o...
Reviews for The Professor's House
No reviews posted or approved, yet...