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Death Comes for the Archbishop

By Willa Cather and Editor
Series: Oxford World's Classics
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Brief Description
One afternoon in the autumn of 1851, a solitary horseman, followed by a pack-mule, was pushing through an arid stretch of country somewhere in central New Mexico. He had lost his way. Death Comes for the Archbishop is the story of two missionary priests, travelling through... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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The story of two missionary priests, travelling through the American Southwest in the aftermath of the Mexican American wars, Father Jean-Marie Latour and Joseph Vaillant spread Catholic faith and religious practices, convert and gather new souls, and discipline wayward priests who have strayed from the Church of Rome.

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One afternoon in the autumn of 1851, a solitary horseman, followed by a pack-mule, was pushing through an arid stretch of country somewhere in central New Mexico. He had lost his way.

Death Comes for the Archbishop is the story of two missionary priests, travelling through the American Southwest in the aftermath of the Mexican American wars. Father Jean-Marie Latour and Joseph Vaillant spread Catholic faith and religious practices, convert and gather new souls, and discipline wayward priests. Their missionary journey takes them towards a greater understanding of the place and people they serve.

Cather wrote at length about the layers within her texts and the influences and the details she incorporated. This edition of Death Comes for the Archbishop edited by Catherine Morley highlights and addresses these details: Cather's engagement with fine art, her palimpsestic layering of texts, and her movement through different languages. Morley also places Cather among her American modernist peers, while reflecting upon the thematic details of the text, and offering insights into Cather's personal life and her life as a writer.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780192849250

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 February 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oxford University Press

Contributors:

  • Edited by Catherine Morley

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 230.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 215g

Pages: 288

Collections

Editor Fiction General Fiction Series: Oxford World's Classics Willa Cather

About the Author

Catherine Morley is Lecturer in American Literature at the University of Leicester. She is the author of The Quest for Epic in Contemporary American Fiction (2008) and Modern American Literature (2010). She is also the co-editor of American Thought and Culture in the 21st Century (2008).

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