The Song of the Lark

Notes on Emendations

861 Notes on Emendations ≤∫.∞∂ The name of this tree is usually spelled ‘‘gingko’’; the Oxford English Dictionary gives an 1883 source for ‘‘ginko.’’ ≥≤.∫ English song titles are typically not italicized in the novel, and the words (except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions) are capitalized. ∏∫.∑ Swan’s-down is a dress trimming made of feathers; ‘‘swansdown’’ is more likely to be used to refer to a thick cotton flannel fabric. ∞≠∑.∫ The Hardt Mountains are in southwestern Germany; the Hartz Mountains are in Tasmania. There are also the Harz Mountains in northern Germany, but the mention of Wiesbaden in southwestern Germany later in the sentence suggests Hardt is correct. ≤≠∂.≤∞ The North Side of Chicago is a definite place, not merely a direction. ≤∞≠.≤ The reference is to the roughness of Thea’s speaking voice, not to the prickly seed burs of various plants. ≥π∑.∞Ω The ranch is owned by the Ottenburg family, not Henry Biltmer. ∂π≠.≤≠ Although Thea’s maid is called both Thérèse and Theresa in the first edition, Cather’s change here for the Autograph Edition suggests that she intended the French version. notes on emendations 862 ∑∞∫.≤∏ No hotel named Phillamon was found in New York. Ovid’s story of Baucis and Philemon, the poor couple who shared their home and food with the disguised Jupiter and Mercury, associated the name with hospitality. The Autograph revision brings the name closer to the classical name. ∑≤≥.∞ In a letter to Elizabeth Sergeant, Cather complained that the proofreaders should have caught and corrected her misquotation from Wordsworth (21 September [1915]). ...