Canadian Women in Print, 1750–1918

Carole Gerson

Description

Canadian Women in Print, 1750—1918 is the first historical examination of women’s engagement with multiple aspects of print over some two hundred years, from the settlers who wrote diaries and letters to the New Women who argued for ballots and equal rights. Considering women’s published writing as an intervention in the public sphere of national and material print culture, this book uses approaches from book history to address the working and living conditions of women who wrote in many genres and for many reasons.

This study situates English Canadian authors within an extensive framework that includes francophone writers as well as women’s work as compositors, bookbinders, and interveners in public access to print. Literary authorship is shown to be one point on a spectrum that ranges from missionary writing, temperance advocacy, and educational texts to journalism and travel accounts by New Woman adventurers. Familiar figures such as Susanna Moodie, L.M. Montgomery, Nellie McClung, Pauline Johnson, and Sara Jeannette Duncan are contextualized by writers whose names are less well known (such as Madge Macbeth and Agnes Laut) and by many others whose writings and biographies have vanished into the recesses of history.

Readers will learn of the surprising range of writing and publishing performed by early Canadian women under various ideological, biographical, and cultural motivations and circumstances. Some expressed reluctance while others eagerly sought literary careers. Together they did much more to shape Canada’s cultural history than has heretofore been recognized.

Sujets

• Literary criticism
• Women's studies

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 24 mai 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781554582396
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Canadian Women in Print 1750–1918

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Canadian Women in Print 1750–1918 

carole gerson

This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing pro- gram. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program for our publishing activities.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Gerson, Carole Canadian women in print, 1750–1918 / Carole Gerson.

Includes bibliographical references and index. Issued also in electronic format. isbn 9781554582204(cloth) isbn 9781554583041(pbk.)

1. Canadian literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 2. Women and litera- ture—Canada—History. 3. Women authors, Canadian—Social conditions. I. Title. (cloth) ps8089.5.W6G473 2010C810.9'9287 c20109006437

isbn 9781554582396 Electronic format. 1. Canadian literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 2. Women and litera- ture—Canada—History. 3. Women authors, Canadian—Social conditions. I. Title. ps8089.5.W6G473 2010C810.9'9287 c20109006445

Cover image from iStockphoto. Cover design by Martyn Schmoll. Text design by Catharine Bonas-Taylor.

©2010Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada www.wlupress.wlu.ca

This book is printed on FSC recycled paper and is certified Ecologo. It is made from100%post-con- sumer fibre, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using biogas energy. Printed in Canada Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher’s attention will be corrected in future printings. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.access- copyright.ca or call toll free to18008935777.

List of Illustrations / vii

Acknowledgements / ix

Introduction / xi

contents 

Part A: Contexts: Women and Print in Canada, to 1918 1Women and the Broader Contexts of Print /3 2Beginnings to the1850s /25

Part B: Women Writers at Work 3Strategies of Legitimation /47 4The Business of a Woman’s Life /65 5Canadian Women and American Markets /91

Part C: Breaking New Ground after 1875 6Periodicals and Journalism /105 7Stretching the Range: Secular Non-fiction /125 8From Religion to Reform /139 9The New Woman /159 10Addressing the Margins of Race /177

Conclusion: Observations on the Canon /193 Notes /199 Selected Bibliography /237 Index /263

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figure 1.3 figure 2.1 figure 2.2 figure 3.1 figure 3.2 figure 4.1 figure 4.2

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 illustrations

The composing room staff of theKing’s County Record, Sussex, New Brunswick, c.1900/7 The staff of the Reference Library, Toronto Public Library, c.1895/15 Anne Langton, self-portrait,1840/18 Susanna Strickland Moodie, c.1860/39 Catharine Parr Strickland Traill, c. early1890s /40 Joséphine Marchand Dandurand (“Josette”) /55 Isabella Valancy Crawford /58 L.M. Montgomery, c.1940/87 Madge Macbeth, photographed by Yousuf Karsh, 1938/88 Marshall Saunders,1920s /99 Marjorie Pickthall,1916/100 Robertine Barry (“Françoise”) /109 Ethelwyn Wetherald /111 Founding members of the Canadian Women’s Press Club, en route to the Saint-Louis Exhibition, June1904/121 Carrie M. Derick /130 Sarah Anne Curzon,1891/136 Nellie McClung, c.1914/152 Agnes Maule Machar distributing Humane Society literature, c.1912/156 Sara Jeannette Duncan,1890s /160 Agnes C. Laut /170

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illustrations

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Agnes Deans Cameron, “My Premier Moose” and “The First Type-writer on Great Slave Lake,”1908/172 Mina Hubbard, “In the Heart of the Wilderness,” “With the Nascaupee Women,” and “On the Trail,”1905/175 E. Pauline Johnson, c.1895/183 Winnifred Eaton (“Onoto Watanna”), c.1902/190

 acknowledgements

Very few books are createdby just one person, and this one owes its existence to the assistance of many. Over the years I have gratefully drawn on the research of other scholars, including Gwendolyn Davies’ ground- breaking work on Maritime women writers, Michael A. Peterman’s exten- sive knowledge of the Strickland family, Marjory Lang’s fabulous book on Canada’s first female journalists, Mary Rubio’s expertise on L.M. Mont- gomery, and Veronica Strong-Boag’s ongoing collaboration on Pauline Johnson. Other researchers have participated as students and as col- leagues, beginning in the1980s and1990s when Carol McIvor, Marjory Lang, Deborah Blacklock, Sandra Even, and Katrina Harack helped to locate and record information on little-known writers for the database, Canada’s Early Women Writers. I’m indebted to eagle-eyed Janet B. Friskney for sending me many details regarding Canada’s literary history that I otherwise would not have found. As this book neared completion, Lian Beveridge pored over microfiche and Alison McDonald organized the bibliography. Many others have contributed directly or indirectly through numerous modes of academic discourse, ranging from informal conversations and email queries to invitations to contribute to confer- ences and publications. I’m grateful to David Bentley, Diana Brydon, San- dra Campbell, Mary Chapman, Leith Davis, Misao Dean, Nancy Earle, Michael Everton, Janice Fiamengo, Irene Gammel, Greg Gatenby, Sherrill Grace, Leslie Howsam, Kar yn Huenemann, Peggy Kelly, Eve-Marie Kroller, Tracy Kulba, Benjamin Lefebvre, Mary Lu MacDonald, the late Lorraine McMullen, Heather Murray, W.H. New, Ruth Panofsky, George L. Parker, Betty Schellenberg, Christl Verduyn, Tom Vincent, and Gillian Whitlock for their ongoing generosity in providing insights, answering

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