Pioneer Days: The Works of Laura Ingalls Wilder

[Auroranorth]

I loved the Little House series growing up. Heaven knows how many times I read it, plus the later books. I do know I read the first set I had into shreds and had to replace them. This article brought it all back- I think I'm going to the library this week!

Any other fans?

[dwanollah]

Time for me to start prostelitizing now, or should I wait 'til later?

I'm presenting my paper on LIW and American Gothic in a couple weeks at the big Chillun's Lit conference.

[Auroranorth]

How cool! Will it be posted somewhere I (and other Dwanollah fans) could read it?

[divasahm]

dwanollah said:

Time for me to start prostelitizing now, or should I wait 'til later?

You'll be preachin' to the choir, Dwan.

These were my. favorite. books. in grade school. The TV series was in development when most of my friends and I were in the midst of our obsession and we could hardly wait for it.

My ten-year-old received the coveted paperback set that I always wanted and I've been going back and re-reading them. I wonder how much input Laura's daughter really had in writing them--they seem to have so much character that I attribute to Laura, and I'd be a little disappointed to find that Rose was the real voice of the narrative.

I'd love to read your paper, too, Dwan! Will you tell us about it when you get back? Pretty please?

[dwanollah]

One of my pet research projects is the Laura/Rose collaboration. There are several excellent books... namely, "The Ghost in the Little House." The writer has a very clear agenda and a distinct psychoanalytical critical approach, both of which are questionable, but the book is worth it for the level of detail and amount of info from Rose's journals. Another good one is "Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder."

I've also done a lot of work reading Laura's first draft MSS (and have photocopies of a couple), and there are some certain stylistic and political things that are distinctly Rose, and some that are very much Laura's. It's such an interesting thing to study (once you get past the whole "OMG! LAURA DIDN'T MAGICALLY WRITE EVERY WORD HERSELF!?!) It's important to remember that these books are (and were published as) fiction, so there are certain liberties taken in terms of theme, character, etc. For instance, most people are horrified to find that the "real" Jack was just a dog they had for a short time in Kansas... but in the books, the "good dog" Jack, the "faithful brindle bulldog" is such an essential character, and a huge part of the series. His death, in particular, marks Laura's leaving childhood behind.

"Nellie Oleson" is also a composite character of three different girls Laura knew: Nellie Owens (around the time of On the Banks of Plum Creek), Genny Masters (during the time between Plum Creek and Silver Lake, and then Little Town on the Prairie; it was Genny, not Nellie Owens, who showed up in De Smet), and another girl whose name I can't remember who was her rival for Almanzo (Al-MAN-zo! NOT Al-MAHN-zo! Fucking Michael Landon....) and wheedled all the buggy rides.

You can't say I didn't warn y'all.

I'm submitting the paper for publication, and hopefully it'll be part of the Laura chapter of my book, too. *fingers crossed*

I also have a pit from a plum I ate On the Banks of Plum Creek summer before last.

[whatever]

dwanollah said:

It's such an interesting thing to study (once you get past the whole "OMG! LAURA DIDN'T MAGICALLY WRITE EVERY WORD HERSELF!?!)

"Nellie Oleson" is also a composite character of three different girls Laura knew: Nellie Owens (around the time of On the Banks of Plum Creek), Genny Masters (during the time between Plum Creek and Silver Lake, and then Little Town on the Prairie; it was Genny, not Nellie Owens, who showed up in De Smet), and another girl whose name I can't remember who was her rival for Almanzo (Al-MAN-zo! NOT Al-MAHN-zo! Fucking Michael Landon....) and wheedled all the buggy rides.

Thank you for destroying the last remains of my childhood.

I'm nostalgic now. I think I'll go grab my last box out of my mom's basement this weekend - I'm pretty sure that's where my LHOTP and Anne of Green Gables books are.

[dwanollah]

Thank you for destroying the last remains of my childhood.

No prob! ;D

Actually, once you get past the initial shock, and once you get to know Rose more, the books become even more impressive an artistic, familial, historical, political, racial and American work than you initially thought.

Can I make it up to you with more Me! Me! Me! instead...?

Lil' Dwanollah on the Prairie

[SGleason]

I also have a pit from a plum I ate On the Banks of Plum Creek summer before last.

I have a stick from a cottonwood planted by Pa (On The Shores of Silver Lake.)

Through an incredible stroke of luck, about 12 years ago I lived right off Adams Avenue in San Diego (which is Used Book Central; a very cool place.) Anyway, while I was browsing in a bookstore, someone opened a box and pulled out original HC editions of Big Woods, LHOTP, Plum Creek, Farmer Boy, Silver Lake and The Long Winter. I immediately gave them $70 and walked out with the lot.

(I cherish my boxed set of the yellow Garth Williams-illustrated edition too.)

I hated The First Four Years. It used to make me feel awful, but I had to read it in its turn.

[dwanollah]

WAS IT AT THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER BOOKSTORE?!?! The owner was a real fan of both Laura and Rose, and we used to save/send each other stuff!

I AM SO JELLUS!

[NappingAthena]

Plum Creek is my least favorite Little House book, and also the LIW site I've been to that I liked the least. My favorite book was These Happy Golden Years.

I've also been to DeSmet and Mansfield. But I've never seen the TV series, because its so not correct.