“Paul’s Case”
Cather’s most famous short story is about a brooding, narcissistic, but ultimately self-hating young man named Paul whose life is Pittsburgh only serves to remind him of the life to which is not given access. His story inexorably leads to the climax of tossing himself beneath the iron wheels of a train.
“The Sculptor’s Funeral”
A tale of two men: one a lawyer who dreamed of greatness and settled for community expectations and the other an artist who rejected the pressures of a community placing business and money above all else. When the sculptor’s body is returned to town for his funeral, he is the object of derision of the money men who taunt his memory of being useless in their eyes. The lawyer rises to defend him and in the process must come to unforgivable truths about himself.
“Neighbour Rosicky”
The title character here is nearly the precise, exact opposite of Paul. He is old, he is loved, his generous, he is selfless and the irony of a man with such a good heart metaphorically having such a bad heart literally places his death in tragic juxtaposition to the suicidal Paul whose value of living does not even extend to himself.
“The Strategy of the Were-Wolf Dog”
A dark tale featuring a Christmas-hating character in the tradition of Scrooge and the Grinch. The title beast really hates Christmas and plots to kill Santa’s reindeer in order to stop the holiday from coming.
“Scandal”
Though featuring one of Cather’s go-to characters—an opera singer—this is a strangely atypical Cather story in that only does not much seem to happen, but what does happen seems to have little significance. Basically, the story is a character study which puts the idiosyncratic personality of diva Kitty Ayrshire above all other considerations.
“Eric Hermannson’s Soul”
The story of a young violinist who decides to give up both his instrument and the pursuit of women and devote himself to becoming a Free Gospeller. The arrival of an attractive young woman re-ignites Eric’s love for music, but an invitation to escort her to a dance is met with rejection on religious grounds. Eventually, however, they do dance, she leaves go back to her fiancé and the story concludes with Eric’s confession of his sin of dancing.
“Lou, the Prophet”
A young Danish immigrant just cannot seem to get a handle on how to succeed in this New Land and proceeds to lose his herd, his girl, his mother and his corn crop virtually one after the other. Despondency turns to religious fervor, ignited to a fiery ambition by losing himself in the Book of Revelation. Lou becomes a “prophet” of sorts to a group of kids who do not join along with the community’s belief that his sudden disappearance resulted in being swallowed by quicksand.
“Double Birthday”
A plotless and essentially event-free story about a younger man named Albert and his uncle with the same name who were both born on the same day decades apart. The story is less about anything of consequence which actually occurs as a result of the double birthday celebration and more a meditation on the meaning of life and loss. More concerned with theme than action, the story is mostly notable for the plethora of allusions made by the two Alberts during the course of the narrative: historical figures from Napoleon to Martin Luther, a host of classical music composers and literary works from Oscar Wilde to Harriett Beecher Stowe all serve to create a tapestry of historical background lending the tale context to arrive at its thematic significance.
“A Wagner Matinee”
Another of Cather’s more famous stories, this is yet another that revolves the life the artist. A young clerk in Boston prepares for the arrival of an aunt from Nebraska with the intent of settling matters of estate. Over the course of the reunion he shares fond memories of his own visit to Nebraska as a boy, but a trip to the symphony becomes a revelation of everything she gave up decades when she left Boston to elope with her younger husband to a life in Nebraska that has been nothing but disappointment.
“On the Divide”
Back in the familiar environs of Nebraska, this story features a brooding, drunken Swede named Canute Canuteson who falls in love with Lena and proceeds to ask her father for the girl’s hand in marriage. His unexpected rejection of the offer leads to marriage by abduction by the man whose mystery inspires terror among his neighbors.
“The Diamond Mine”
The not-so-thinly veiled fictionalized story of real life opera singer Lillian Nordica who eventually died as the result of being involved in the sinking of a ship off the coast of Australia. Cather’s version is named Cressida Garnet and it is her tragic fate to become a passenger on the Titanic.
“Consequences"
New Year’s Eve in New York City. Two bachelor neighbors discuss the habit of single men like themselves to commit suicide before one of them—Cavenaugh—begins to tell the other—Eastman—about a man who has been stalking him. After considering Eastman’s advice that moving to Montana temporarily would likely cause the lunatic to lose interest, Cavenaugh makes up his mind to do just that. The next very next day Cavenaugh appears to have become one of those suicidal bachelors instead.
“Ardessa”
The title character is a demon in a dress stalking the offices of a weekly magazine. Benefitting from a unique relationship with Marcus O’Mally, editor of “The Outcry,” Ardessa Devine is perfectly comfortable throwing her considerable weight around at underlings who have no excuse but to politely nod and say yes. While on vacation, however, Marcus replaces Ardessa’s hand-picked substitute with the eminently more efficient Becky and before she knows it, Ardessa’s special relationship within the halls of “The Outcry” have been usurped and she’s been demoted.
