Customer Reviews

Paul's Case and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)

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Sad tale of boy living in between worlds- many possible interpretations about Paul's particular predicament. What is undebatable is Willa Cather's skill and insight. I first read "Paul's Case" in Grade 11; I have since returned to it many times, each time my appreciation for the story and Willa Cather's writing ability deepens.

Willa Cather has had an enduring appeal as a novelist, but "Paul's Case and Other Stories" shows that she was also skilled in the short story genre. The pieces in this book (I refer to the Dover Thrift Edition), all originally published between 1892 and 1920, are as follows: "Lou, the Prophet," "Eric Hermannson's Soul," "The Enchanted Bluff," "Paul's Case," and "A Wagner Matinee."

These stories take us to Nebraska farm country as well as to Pittsburgh, Boston, and New York City. Cather writes of Danish and Norwegian immigrants, religion, "high" culture, regret, loss, and regional legend.

The title story is a particularly fascinating character study of a boy who doesn't fit into society--you might think of him as sort of a literary ancestor of J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield. Throughout the collection Cather demonstrates a telling eye for visual detail and a keen sense of human tragedy.

I read Paul's Case in my sophomore language class this year and ended up writing a paper on it. I love this story and can relate to Paul. Paul is jaded by society, although he posseses the insight to see beauty others can not. He is misunderstood in his affection for the arts, and therefore stereotyped as having a problem. This is a very worthwhile story for any person who wants a thought-provoking look at society.

This short story combines a extremely classical point of view about a mental unstable boy named Paul. It is a problomatic story. The book appears boring but becomes interesting once you read it.