the rule of fiction written by men. Aside from this, however, and to the point regarding the present study, is the fact that with few exceptions virtually all serious fiction and drama prior to the modern period was written by men; sensitive insight was bound to appear here and there. Finally, the concerns of Anna and Emma are by and large romantic concerns; that is, the characters seek to resolve their feelings toward the men in their lives.
The work of Willa Cather becomes important to the discussion of woman centered fiction not least because of her gender, and because of her position as among the first women in the period of transition from the Victorian to the modern period to achieve status as a writer of serious fiction (there were others, Virginia Woolf chief among them). But Cather's position as a writer is also important because her work consistently positions women as the prime movers of action. Her approach to narrative shifts the focus away from the concerns of male characters or indeed away from the concerns of male female romantic entanglement, and seeks to resolve or at any rate explore the complexities of women's lives from a modern perspective. The way women behave, as well as the implications of their behavior for themselves and those around them, is what engages Cather's interest. This is true even when Cather's narrative emerges through the perceptions of a man, particularly in My Antonia and A Lost Lady. A reader unaware of the gender of the author could easily conclude that Cather's books were written by a woman, in part because by and large they involve most of the characters in the life experiences of a central female character. Only in The Professor's House and
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