Cather Studies, Volume 6: History, Memory, and War

Cathers Literary Choreography: The "Glittering Idea" of Scientific Warfare in The Professor's House

Cather’s Literary Choreography The ‘‘Glittering Idea’’ of Scientific Warfare in The Professor’s House W E N D Y K . P E R R I M A N This study examines how Willa Cather used the medium of dance to explore the ‘‘glittering idea’’ of scientific warfare. Inspired by the late-nineteenth-century classical Italian ballet Excelsior (juxtaposed against modern performances of Faust and Jeux), Cather was able to manipulate the ‘‘human story’’ of war with her own unique style of literary choreography. But the ballet motif is difficult to pin down. When Richard Giannone encountered a similar problem with Cather’s music metaphors, he looked at the shifts in meaning from her early works to her later novels. This type of approach helps clarify her use of dance imagery too; it is possible to detect the transition from a simple experimental prose translation to a sophisticated subtext woven into the story. For example , Alexander’s Bridge can be interpreted as a straightforward retelling of the plot from Swan Lake,1 whereas a more mature novel like The Professor’s House employs a far more subtle and complex approach—the result of a two-decade exposure to dance during which time Cather became an aficionado. As recent scholarship has highlighted the importance of many other arts in Cather’s work, it is now time to consider the influence of ballet. Cather’s arrival in New York in 1906 coincided with a resurgence of interest in classical dance generated by Adeline Genée and the stars of the Russian Ballet. Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant’s biography Willa Cather: A Memoir reveals how ballet ‘‘interested her vitally as a balanced trial of grace, poise, muscle and temperament in which a unique individual, the ballerina, could excel.’’ Sergeant 244 245 Cather’s Literary Choreography explains that the famous Anna Pavlova was a particular favorite of Cather because she was ‘‘a superlative mistress of coordination and aesthetic charm’’ (197). Ballet ‘‘divertissements’’ were traditionally performed as light relief during an opera, usually at the start of the third act. Consequently the Russian dance stars appeared on the same bill as the major opera divas of that period, including Cather’s favorite performer, Olive Fremstad.2 It is therefore reasonable to assume that the writer was exposed to the finest quality ballet from around 1910 onward; she thereafter followed the Russian dance movement with great enthusiasm, even when it was no longer connected to the opera house. At the turn of the century pioneers of modern dance were following in Isadora Duncan’s footsteps, seeking a new form of movement to free them from the staid conventions of European classical ballet. A similar transition was taking place in Russia, which culminated in an exciting program spearheaded by the Ballets Russes. So by the time Cather’s enthusiasm was aroused there were three major professional schools of dance: the traditional classical ballet (Italy and France); modern dance, or ‘‘classic’’/ ‘‘barefoot’’ dancing (Isadora Duncan et al); and modern ballet (the Ballets Russes). Cather dismissed the first type as being antiquated and the second style as being unskilled. Her artistic interest lay in the imagination, innovation, and dynamic energy of the Russian company that produced such phenomena as Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova. Perhaps one of the times when Cather’s world ‘‘broke in two’’ was when she first saw Pavlova perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1910. From that point on dance could be categorized as being either pre-Pavlovian ‘‘entertainment,’’ or post-Pavlovian ‘‘high art.’’ For although there is no apparent sequential growth pattern in Cather’s treatment of dance themes in her early short stories, they do reveal two very distinct before and after phases, commemorating the moment when modern ballet was accepted into the kingdom of art.3 In1913 Cather wrote an eleven-page explanatory article for McClure ’s called ‘‘Training for the Ballet,’’ featuring photographs and interviews from the fledgling Metropolitan School of Ballet Dancing . Setting herself up as expert, she educates readers to appreci- 246 w e n dy k. p e r r i m a n ate the five basic positions of classical ballet, bar exercises, ‘‘toe dancing,’’ male elevation, and balance skills. She emphasizes the strength, power, and athleticism involved and the rigorous years of training. She also tries to restore the reputation of professional dancers, who for many years had functioned...