Nov. 2017-June 2018 / Laura Ingalls Wilder: From Prairie to Page
Laura Ingalls Wilder, the writer
Laura Ingalls Wilder: From Prairie to Page detailed Wilder’s lifetime of writing and explores various themes including Educated on the Move, which shows how the formal and informal education young Laura Ingalls received shaped the style of her writing, subject matter, and the values embedded in the “Little House” series. The popularity of the novels shaped American understanding of the time period, but often obscured the real woman behind the books.
on display in the roberta rubin writers room
November 18, 2017 – June 10, 2018
The first book in the “Little House” series was published when Wilder was 65 years old, but she had been writing since her adolescence. The exhibit will display the longhand manuscript of The Long Winter from the Detroit Public Library, reproduced typed Long Winter pages with handwritten notes by Laura Ingalls Wilder, merchandise, and memorabilia contributed by AWM Affiliates , Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove in Walnut Grove, Minnesota and Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.
Reading “Little House” Today
Wilder’s version of events sidesteps the brutality and exploitation of the period. Representations of Native Americans and African Americans are sometimes crude and superficial, reinforcing damaging racial stereotypes. Readers today must place “Little House” within a larger historical context. Wilder’s books convey but one perspective of the time.
The real draw is the emotional struggle of a family united in their quest for a home. The universal themes of adventure, love, and home pull readers of all ages into Laura’s world, generation after generation. With Laura and her family, we keep plodding, ever forward, ever hopeful.
