In the book, Cather has a note: “The Bohemian name Ántonia is strongly accented on the first syllable, like the English name Anthony, and the i is, of course, given the sound of long e. The name is pronounced Án-ton-ee-ah.”

But apparently this is wrong: “In Czech the name would be spelled “Antonie” with the final syllable being pronounced “eh” not “uh.” The first syllable would receive the most stress but would not have an accent over it, as Cather preferred to write it. “

I once helped edit an article about the Virgilian influence here. The abstract is sufficiently vague that I don’t remember what it actually argued.

My main question about Cather’s novel (which I have not read) is: what is up with the accent in Ántonia’s name? It seems as gratuitous as that of exotic escort “Mystiquè,” who advertises in the Phoenix.