Connections

Cather's References to Her Works

The below visualization shows relationships among Cather's references to her own work. The graph shows works that Cather tends to mention together. The graph is interactive: you can zoom in or out and move/reposition the nodes within the graph.

To determine the works displayed in the network, I created a list of all instances in which two of Cather's works are referenced in the same letter. I then determined the frequency of each pairing. I included any pairing that occurred more than once throughout the letters in the network graph. For example, Cather references My Ántonia and The Song of the Lark together in 26 separate letters. This pairing is displayed on the graph.

Cather's works are represented as gray nodes. The connections, or lines, are colored green to increase readability. The thickness of each line represents the frequency of the connection. The graph is not exhaustive; connections that only occur once can be extremely meaningful but were excluded to help keep the graph readable. The graph is intended to help spark discussion and provide another way for users to navigate and explore Cather's correspondence. You might consider using this graph alongside Cather's letters or the information presented on The Cather Archive.