DIANE QUANTIC The Wichita State University The Adventures of The Woman Homesteader: The Life and Letters ofElinore Pruitt Stewart. Her account, with the desert metaphor as a common point of reference to the isolation and introspection in her physical and spiritual geography, is a welcome addition to Great Plains literature. Norris’s book is an important contribution to western literature precisely because she brings a unique perspective to the plains experience.
Their historical, social and spiritual roots are distinct, even though they occupy the same space on the land. To some extent, this is a weakness: her parallel description of life in Lemmon and among the monks compares apples and oranges. Rather, her historical points of reference are the desert monks and the Benedictine tradition. Norris does not approach the Great Plains from the familiar historical perspective of cause and effect-the Homestead Act, the myth of the demo cratic utopia, the work ethic and the persistence of the past in community attitudes and personal relationships. She sees the value of gossip as a safety valve in the insular small towns, and of play as an expression of faith among the Benedictines. She acknowledges the evident pride of community support in the face of disaster and the provincialism that isolation fosters. She contrasts the climate of mutual support in a rural church with the reticence and distrust of outsiders in the small town. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:
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