The Professor's House

The Professor's House Synopsis

'I knew at once I had come upon the city of some extinct civilization, hidden away in this inaccessible mesa for centuries' The Professor's House (1925) depicts the mid-life crisis of Godfrey St. Peter, a history professor at a midwestern state university who is disillusioned with his wife and daughters, his university, and the materialism of American culture. He longs for Tom Outland, his most brilliant student, who died on a World War I battlefield.

At the same time, Tom's recollection of discovering hidden cliff dweller ruins in New Mexico interrupt Godfrey's narrative. Cather's own experiences of travel in the Southwestern US with her partner, Edith Lewis, shadow and enrich her depictions of Tom's New Mexican experiences. Cather's sixth novel is a compelling modernist work of art that raises questions that are still compelling a century later.

What is the purpose of a university education? Are the sacrifices of war worth the outcome? To whom do the American past and the country's future belong?

A daring experiment in form, the novel is haunted by war and love. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.