"The Diamond Mine" is a short story by

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and ''My Ántonia''. In 1923, ...

. It was first published in ''

McClure's ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism (investigative journ ...

'' in October 1916.

Plot summary

Aboard a ship, Cressida Garnet, a soprano, meets a cousin of her late first husband's. She tells him of her love affair with Blasius Bouchalka, a

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

violinist who was her second husband. After he had an affair with their maid, Ruzenka, she filed for divorce and never saw him again. She is now set to marry Jerome Brown, a financier. Later, we learn that Cressida died on the RMS ''Titanic''. Her marriage to Jerome Brown is said to have been an unhappy one, as he constantly demanded more money from her. Similarly, we learn that after her death, her family wrangled over her will, each hoping to cash in on her fortune.

Characters

*Cressida Garnet, an opera singer. *Jerome Brown, Garnet's fourth husband. *Miss Julia, Cressida's sister. *Horace, Cressida's son. *Mr Miletus Poppas *Luisa, Cressida's maid. *Charley Wilton, Cressida's first husband and Horace's father. He was an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

. *Blasius Bouchalka, a violinist. He becomes Cressida's second husband. *Ransome McChord *Caroline, the narrator. *Mme Bartolas, a Spanish soprano. *Ruzenka, Bouchalka's maid. *Buchanan Garnet, Cressida's brother. *Henry Gilbert, Cressida's lawyer.

Allusions to other works

*Opera music runs through the story, with direct allusions to

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther'' ...

's ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

'', Janáček's '' Šárka'',

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

's ''

Marche Militaire The Three ''Marches Militaires'', Op. 51, D. 733, are pieces in March (music), march form written for piano four-hands by Franz Schubert. The first of the three is far more famous than the others. It is one of Schubert's most famous compositions, ...

'', and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' (through 'Donna Anna').

Literary criticism and significance

The story was the last one she published in ''McClure's''.James Leslie Woodress, ''Willa Cather: A Literary Life'',

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press, also known as UNP, was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the Univer ...

, 1989, p. 27

/ref> Moreover, it has been noted that Cather initially didn't think the story would suit the format of a magazine due to its length, subject matter and mode of narration. It has been suggested that ''The Diamond Mine'' bears similarities with '' The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', insofar as both writings deal with a female artist's relationship with her family.Janis P. Stout, ''Willa Cather: The Writer and Her World'',

University of Virginia Press The University of Virginia Press (or UVaP) is a university press that is part of the University of Virginia. It was established in 1963 as the University Press of Virginia, under the initiative of the university's then President, Edgar F. Shannon ...

, 2002, pp.130-13

/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond Mine 1916 short stories Short stories by Willa Cather Works originally published in McClure's