I mks in Yeview POSSIBLE STORMS - University of British Columbia
I mks in Yeview POSSIBLE STORMS - University of British Columbia
I mks in Yeview POSSIBLE STORMS - University of British Columbia
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I <strong>mks</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Yeview</strong><strong>POSSIBLE</strong> <strong>STORMS</strong>JAMAICA КШКАГО, A Small Place. Coll<strong>in</strong>s PS,$19-95-BARBARA HARLOW, Resistance Literature. Routledge,Chapman & Hall, $11.95.LAWRENCE D. KRiTZMAN, ed., Michel Foucault:Politics, Philosophy, Culture: Interviews andother Writ<strong>in</strong>gs 19JJ-1984. Routledge, Chapman& Hall, $35.00.EACH OF THESE BOOKS makes a dist<strong>in</strong>ct,thought-provok<strong>in</strong>g contribution to currentdiscussions <strong>of</strong> post-coloniality and allthat that term implies. Although predictabletopics appear passim (e.g. the correlation<strong>of</strong> political and literary power, themeans <strong>of</strong> l<strong>in</strong>guistic oppression, possiblemethods <strong>of</strong> liberation, legacies <strong>of</strong> FrantzFanon, and so on), the real strength <strong>of</strong>these books is that each goes beyond suchnew clichés to explore the convoluted conditions<strong>of</strong> possibility for a tangible, effectivepolitical resistance. Taken as a groupthese three books constitute a serendipitoustriangulation, because here we haveillustrations <strong>of</strong> the practice (K<strong>in</strong>caid),study (Harlow), and theory (Foucault)<strong>of</strong> possible resistance cultures. The writ<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> each is critically <strong>in</strong>terrogative ; read<strong>in</strong>gbecomes an act <strong>of</strong> forced participation.There's no room for lazy/liberal apologetics.And that makes the process disquiet<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> all senses <strong>of</strong> the word.Disquiet, <strong>in</strong> fact, is the primary andlethal effect <strong>of</strong> Jamaica K<strong>in</strong>caid's all-toobriefA Small Place. This is a short,sad, and extraord<strong>in</strong>arily angry book thatlobotomizes the touristic m<strong>in</strong>dset <strong>of</strong> depoliticizedreaders. The perfect antidoteto Cruise Brochures, A Small Place speaksabout Antigua from with<strong>in</strong> a context similarto that <strong>of</strong> Derek Walcott or GeorgeLamm<strong>in</strong>g.K<strong>in</strong>caid addresses the peculiarly Caribbeanaspects <strong>of</strong> decoloniz<strong>in</strong>g readers andwriters; that is, how do you create a textthat ( 1 ) resists economic and cultural imperialism;(2) seeks to dismantle a culture'sself-representations as both delusiveand mystify<strong>in</strong>g; but (3) recognizes thatthese representations fulfil crucial economicand psychic desires <strong>of</strong> both localand overseas <strong>in</strong>terests? More specifically,how do you conv<strong>in</strong>ce European and/orNorth American readers (read maggotwhitew<strong>in</strong>ter sunseekers) that their paradisical"getaway spot" is a third worldghetto? Worse, a ghetto that their cultureand their own tourism has selfishly createdand susta<strong>in</strong>ed through various shad<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong>historical, economic, and political imperialisms?The project is fraught withwriterly risks from the outset ; most liberalreaders, after all, don't like to be caughtwith their politically-correct designerswimweardown around their ankles.A Small Place, <strong>in</strong> other words, is an<strong>in</strong>tensely irritat<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong>controvertiblyhonest book. K<strong>in</strong>caid parodically appropriatesthat grand expansionist mode —the travel essay — for her own purposes <strong>of</strong>deconstructive "re-misprision" ; throughoutshe exposes and re-exposes the morefungoid substructures that underlie thosesusta<strong>in</strong>ed images <strong>of</strong> blue lagoons andhappy rhythm-laden natives. Beh<strong>in</strong>d theguise <strong>of</strong> a dispassionate travel reporter hernarrator coolly itemizes corruptions <strong>in</strong>Antiguan political circles, examples <strong>of</strong>touristic ignorance, and specific forms <strong>of</strong>historical and economic exploitation. As<strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>dley's The Wars, K<strong>in</strong>caid, subtlydeploys the open-endedness <strong>of</strong> that madden<strong>in</strong>gword, "you", thus cont<strong>in</strong>uallymanipulat<strong>in</strong>g her readers <strong>in</strong>to either complicityor hypocritical disgust. Unsympatheticreaders will rightly foreground K<strong>in</strong>caid'sshrill arrogance — a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> perverseParnassian sneer aga<strong>in</strong>st anyoneunlucky enough to be a non-Antiguanand /or unwise enough to ever have been141
BOOKS IN REVIEWa tourist. But such a response would beunfair because partial. Despite its tonalor attitud<strong>in</strong>al coarseness, its pervasive selfrighteousness,and K<strong>in</strong>caid's own bizarre(and delusive) denial <strong>of</strong> self-implication,A Small Place is an important andsophisticated irony : a small hit <strong>of</strong> counterpower,delivered <strong>in</strong> a deceptively pedestrianidiom aga<strong>in</strong>st a deceptively benignantagonist.Although considerably less subtle, BarbaraHarlow's Resistance Literature is anequally earnest attempt to trace alternativescenarios to <strong>of</strong>ficial, fossilized world/literature views. Reject<strong>in</strong>g from the outsettraditional Western categorizations <strong>of</strong> literature,Harlow bases her study on N'gugi'srevolutionary division <strong>of</strong> all writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to"the aesthetic <strong>of</strong> oppression and exploitationand <strong>of</strong> acquiescence with imperialism; and that <strong>of</strong> human struggle for totalliberation". Ambitious, self-consciouslyprelim<strong>in</strong>ary, and brac<strong>in</strong>gly aggressive, thebook focuses on little-studied guerrilla/political activist writ<strong>in</strong>gs (<strong>in</strong> English)from Africa, Lat<strong>in</strong> America, and theMiddle East (with a strong focus on Palest<strong>in</strong>e,Kenya, South Africa, Lebanon, Nicaragua,and Egypt.)Over five chapters Harlow <strong>in</strong>vestigatesresistance poetry and narratives, prisonmemoirs, Utopian, dystopian, and post<strong>in</strong>dependencedevelopments. Underp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>geach is a commitment to the necessityand possibility <strong>of</strong> peripheralized groups toreclaim, "re-member" their own amputatedhistories — to use literature as are-historiciz<strong>in</strong>g process, and as such a site<strong>of</strong> crucial ideological struggle. For all thisadmirable idealism, however, ResistanceLiterature is someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> a bumpy ride ;it is not an altogether successful mixture<strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>troduction, survey, theory, close textualanalysis, and proselytiz<strong>in</strong>g.At its best, Resistance Literature forcesa more elastic def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> metaphors and<strong>British</strong> legacies, but on N'gugi's toughand demand<strong>in</strong>g dialectic. More particularly,Harlow is able to deploy her considerableskills <strong>in</strong> "allegoriz<strong>in</strong>g" texts tore-direct her readers <strong>in</strong>to their own reread<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>of</strong> literature. Hence one <strong>of</strong> hermost <strong>of</strong>f-handed comments on the shape<strong>of</strong> resistance writ<strong>in</strong>g—"the very bareness<strong>of</strong> the language is part <strong>of</strong> the <strong>of</strong>fensive" —brilliantly re-focuses the impulses andeffects <strong>of</strong> a text like K<strong>in</strong>caid's A SmallPlace. Overall, then, Harlow opens a vastnew literary terra<strong>in</strong>, one <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g theoretical,political, and critical enrichment.Harlow partially derives this k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>hybrid enrichment through a careful use<strong>of</strong> various contemporary critical theorists,most notably the "subject" <strong>of</strong> the lastbook under consideration: Michel Foucault:Politics, Philosophy, Culture: Interviewsand Other Writ<strong>in</strong>gs igjj-ig84.Lawrence Kritzman, the editor <strong>of</strong> thissubstantial volume, has performed an enviableact <strong>of</strong> academic courtesy <strong>in</strong> thisparticular compilation. To beg<strong>in</strong>, thesesixteen <strong>in</strong>terviews, four lectures and oneextract (apparently from the projectedfourth volume <strong>of</strong> The History <strong>of</strong> Sexuality)are important <strong>in</strong> their own right:the entries are divided <strong>in</strong>to such generaltopics as "Theories <strong>of</strong> the Political: History,Power and the Law," "The Politics<strong>of</strong> Contemporary Life," "The Ethics <strong>of</strong>Sexuality," and "Notes on the Power <strong>of</strong>Culture." Many <strong>of</strong> these pieces appearfor the first time <strong>in</strong> English. The title isa bit mislead<strong>in</strong>g, however, s<strong>in</strong>ce one <strong>of</strong>Foucault's most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terviews("Power and Sex") is transcribed from ataped conversation made <strong>in</strong> 1975. As suchthis volume <strong>of</strong>fers not only an extraord<strong>in</strong>arilyrich variety <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>sights <strong>in</strong>to Foucault'slast ten years, but a fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>ganalogue to the major books.I use "analogue" advisedly because thisbook is not, as the blurb proclaims, "aguide by Foucault through Foucault'sown works." This suggests a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> autobiographicalColes Notes. Foucault sawthe <strong>in</strong>terview genre, rather, not as a site142
BOOKS IN REVIEWfor simple-m<strong>in</strong>ded reduction, but as astrategy for either further exploration,additional démystification, or both. Inthis sense Kritzman's real contribution isthat he provides Foucault one compressedspace <strong>in</strong> which to problematizefurther our <strong>in</strong>terpretations <strong>of</strong> his entireoeuvre. Readers want<strong>in</strong>g a simple explanation<strong>of</strong> what, for example, powerreally is are told, "It would be bold <strong>of</strong> me<strong>in</strong>deed if I were to tell you my ideas onthis subject are clearer now [1978] than[<strong>in</strong> 1972]"; what then follows is a meticulousand demand<strong>in</strong>g re-speculation on"the strategies, the networks, the mechanisms,all those techniques by which a decisionis accepted and by which that decisioncould not but be taken <strong>in</strong> the way it was. . . while refra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g from see<strong>in</strong>g powereverywhere, I also th<strong>in</strong>k there is a specificity<strong>in</strong> these new techniques <strong>of</strong> tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g."Interest<strong>in</strong>gly Foucault emphasizesthroughout the truly revolutionary/conversionarypotential <strong>of</strong> these "strategicknowledges" ; aga<strong>in</strong>st those critics who seeonly the pessimistic arch-reactionary,Foucault himself counters <strong>in</strong> an anonymous1980 <strong>in</strong>terview <strong>in</strong> Le Monde:I can't help but dream about a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>criticism that would not try to judge, but tobr<strong>in</strong>g an oeuvre, a book, a sentence, an ideato life; it would light fires, watch the grassgrow, listen to the w<strong>in</strong>d, and catch the seafoam <strong>in</strong> the breeze and scatter it. It wouldmultiply, not judgements, but signs <strong>of</strong> existence;it would summon them, drag themfrom their sleep. Perhaps it would <strong>in</strong>ventthem sometimes — all the better. All thebetter. Criticism that hands down sentencessends me to sleep; I'd like a criticism <strong>of</strong>sc<strong>in</strong>tillat<strong>in</strong>g leaps <strong>of</strong> the imag<strong>in</strong>ation. Itwould not be sovereign or dressed <strong>in</strong> red. Itwould bear the lightn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> possible storms.For me such poetic language is both beautifullybizarre and jarr<strong>in</strong>gly uncharacteristic;for here Foucault is rem<strong>in</strong>iscent<strong>of</strong> Blake and Shelley, pre-figurative <strong>of</strong>N'gugi and K<strong>in</strong>caid ; characteristic <strong>of</strong> virtuallyall those resistance writers <strong>of</strong> Harlow.A po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> convergence amongstresistances, a testimony to the many unpredictabilitiesconta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Kritzman'svolume.Given Foucault's tremendous importance(and frequent misuse) <strong>in</strong> contemporaryliterary criticism and theory, giventhe fact that these many <strong>in</strong>terviews arespliced with four powerful lectures and anextract (on "The Battle for Chastity"),this volume is <strong>in</strong>dispensable. It representsthe possibility <strong>of</strong> resistance thought at itsmost demand<strong>in</strong>g.GARY BOIRESUN, RUM & ROMANCEGÉRARD ETIENNE, La Re<strong>in</strong>e Soleil levée. Guér<strong>in</strong>.PIERRE KARCH, Noëlle à Cuba. Prise de Parole.THE ACTION OF THESE two novels takesplace <strong>in</strong> a Caribbean country — Haiti <strong>in</strong>the case <strong>of</strong> the first, and Cuba <strong>in</strong> thesecond; <strong>in</strong> each case the locale plays animportant role <strong>in</strong> the narrative, but thereends the similarity, for Etienne's récit isvery much the <strong>in</strong>sider's view <strong>of</strong> the placeand Karch's the tourist's; Etienne's to beread by those seriously seek<strong>in</strong>g enlightenmentabout the sorry reality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>in</strong> hisbenighted country and Karch's to bepacked for a good read on a vacation trip— perhaps to Cuba.To beg<strong>in</strong> on the lighter side : Noëlle àCuba is a playful novel whose games beg<strong>in</strong>with its title. It is only marg<strong>in</strong>ally abouta character called Noëlle, but it is aboutChristmas-time <strong>in</strong> Cuba with a group <strong>of</strong>vacation<strong>in</strong>g Montrealers. Among thegroup is an amateur astrologer calledAstrid and a ubiquitous outsider calledIcare who has a bathetic encounter witha para-sail operator called Dedalo. Anunnamed writer makes occasional <strong>in</strong>cursions<strong>in</strong>to the text with his own text whichironizes on the first, and make weightystatements on philosophical issues. Thereare <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g reflections upon representation: 'le but de toute forme d'art est de143
BOOKS IN REVIEWmultiplier les po<strong>in</strong>ts de vue,' says theanonymous narrator. One <strong>of</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong>elements <strong>of</strong> the story is the search for thelost pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> the Canadian pa<strong>in</strong>terJames Wilson Morrice whose works representlife <strong>in</strong> Cuba. Ernest Hem<strong>in</strong>gwayenters the narrative <strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> amonument to him made out <strong>of</strong> themelted-down propellers <strong>of</strong> the fish<strong>in</strong>gboats <strong>of</strong> the village immortalized <strong>in</strong> TheOld Man and the Sea. Enid R<strong>in</strong>seau-Despres, a prunish school-marm, becomesa figure <strong>of</strong> fun <strong>in</strong> a comic scene <strong>of</strong>over-representation when she reads herlatest children's book to the exasperatedcompany.Despite its length, the novel is describedwith<strong>in</strong> strict limits, both physical andtemporal. The physical space is, <strong>of</strong> course,the island, which we see for the first timeas the travellers fly <strong>in</strong> from Montreal:'Cuba n'était plus une île quelconque surlaquelle on pouvait construire des systèmeset écrire des romans. Cuba, depuisqu'on l'apercevait, était une île qui baignedans la mer, qui a ses limites, son corps defemme qu'on convoite et dont on se demandes'il nous rendra heureux ou ridicule.'S<strong>in</strong>ce Lise has brought with her ayear's worth <strong>of</strong> outdated newspapers, shekeeps up with the frequent past <strong>in</strong> Montrealand the rest <strong>of</strong> the world and Liljanaevokes her exotic travels as a young woman<strong>in</strong> Europe. The temporal limits areobvious: 'Les vacances, j'entends surtoutcelles passées à l'étranger, permettent àchacun d'être ce qu'il voudrait et de vivreses phantasmes à l'<strong>in</strong>térieur de parenthèsesbien déf<strong>in</strong>ies, rassurantes, donc, car onsait qu'il est impossible de les déborder.'The key to the fantasies <strong>of</strong> the characters— and <strong>of</strong> the reader — is the mysteriousIcare. He is unusual because,although he lives <strong>in</strong> Toronto, he is afrancophone. His charismatic effect isestablished at the very outset when theeven more mysterious Black Widow hashim picked out <strong>of</strong> the hotel bus andescorted <strong>in</strong>to her car. Throughout thenovel he cont<strong>in</strong>ues to give satisfaction <strong>of</strong>various k<strong>in</strong>ds to various people : consolationto a bereaved member <strong>of</strong> the party,safety from a s<strong>in</strong>ister encounter with thelocal populace to another, a mov<strong>in</strong>gChristmas rem<strong>in</strong>der <strong>of</strong> her desperatelymissedfamily to the grandmotherlyEuridice, a re<strong>in</strong>carnation <strong>of</strong> a long-loststranger to one family and the restitution<strong>of</strong> a lost object to another. For a group <strong>of</strong>local children he is a benign Pied Piper— 'l'enchanteur venu de quelque payslo<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>.'But <strong>in</strong> the foreground is adventure, violentbecause a death is foretold and couldhave occurred on several different occasionswhen there are attempts at murder;romantic because there are various coupl<strong>in</strong>gson the dance floor, on the beach, <strong>in</strong>bedrooms. Most encounters end <strong>in</strong> asatisfy<strong>in</strong>g conclusion — though the BlackWidow drops out <strong>of</strong> sight disappo<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>glyearly. Events come full circle and endwhere they began with a flight, but thistime a flight back to reality. The passengersreturn with a sense <strong>of</strong> a new truthlearned : 'le bonheur ne se vit pas au jourle jour comme on est trop porté à le croire,mais il est fait de souvenirs.' The memorythat we will reta<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> this book is that 'lespalmiers jetaient sur tout une ombre différentede celle des érables' and the headymix <strong>of</strong> sun, rum and romance will havebeguiled us even if they have not broughtabout the same transformations <strong>in</strong> thereader as <strong>in</strong> the characters.If the Cuba <strong>of</strong> the first novel is anisland <strong>of</strong> palm-fr<strong>in</strong>ged beaches and limpidblue sea, the Haiti <strong>of</strong> La Re<strong>in</strong>e Soleil levéeis a place <strong>of</strong> urban pollution, where thelush <strong>in</strong>terior serves to hide squads <strong>of</strong> vicious<strong>of</strong>ficials who swoop down to <strong>in</strong>flictraids <strong>of</strong> casual brutality upon the alreadyhard-pressed populace.The ma<strong>in</strong> protagonist is Mathilda,devastated by the sudden, pa<strong>in</strong>ful paralysiswhich has stricken her husband Jo144
BOOKS IN REVIEWGannel, and desperate to f<strong>in</strong>d a cure forhim. In her frantic search, she is trapped<strong>in</strong> the terrify<strong>in</strong>g space between conflict<strong>in</strong>gelements <strong>of</strong> Haitian reality: the dehumaniz<strong>in</strong>gsqualor <strong>of</strong> the alien hospital onthe one hand, and the s<strong>in</strong>ister court <strong>of</strong>the familiar voodoo priest on the other.Mathilda is 'd'une beauté foudroyante, cequ'on appelle, dans le pays, une femmedahoméenne de sang propre.' Jo is 'bonvivant, respectueux, ami de tout lemonde!' Their understand<strong>in</strong>g is so completeand so self-sufficient, that it causessome envy among their acqua<strong>in</strong>tances;they seem, by their very perfection, to betempt<strong>in</strong>g providence. For their impeccablecredentials are no pro<strong>of</strong> aga<strong>in</strong>sttheir country's régime. Jo's sickness is ametaphor for the paralysis and impotence<strong>of</strong> Haitians <strong>in</strong> the face <strong>of</strong> the corruptionand oppression rife <strong>in</strong> their country. Therulers 'ont créé un enfer sur une terreautrefois belle, généreuse, parfumée. Avecla complicité des autres dieux, ils nous ontenlevé notre âme.' Of course there is nocure for Jo's illness when the whole hierarchy<strong>of</strong> the country is sick.The position <strong>of</strong> extreme hopelessnessgalvanizes Mathilda <strong>in</strong>to extreme andquite unpremeditated action. Like thehero <strong>of</strong> Etienne's earlier novel, Un Ambassadeurmacoute à Montréal she becomesa magically <strong>in</strong>spired leader; andlike the crowd <strong>in</strong> Montreal, Mathilda'sneighbours rally to her: 'L'espace d'uncillement, voilà une bande de mortelsconscients de la dynamique d'un tempsqui se fait, d'une présence encore plusriche que le quotidien, celle d'une Noireà l'image des femmes traquées prenantla tête des mouvements d'<strong>in</strong>surrection.'In this densely written novel, the twodays <strong>of</strong> Mathilda's calvary are meticulouslyand mov<strong>in</strong>gly documented aga<strong>in</strong>stthe background <strong>of</strong> the clearly del<strong>in</strong>eatedHaitian social order. It is a story <strong>of</strong> devotionand sacrifice and <strong>of</strong> the triumph <strong>of</strong>the human spirit. One suspects that thecritic Léon-François H<strong>of</strong>fman is rightwhen he says 'aucun roman n'a jamais,que l'on sache, contribué à réformer quoique ce soit en Haïti.' If such a reformthrough literature were possible, La Re<strong>in</strong>eSoleil levée would be the novel to br<strong>in</strong>g itabout. If it is not, we can be but gratefulthat Gérard Etienne cont<strong>in</strong>ues to write <strong>in</strong>this ve<strong>in</strong> and speaks <strong>of</strong> the specific <strong>in</strong> avoice which we all understand.VIVIEN BOSLEYD'UN PAYS L'AUTRENAÏM KATTAN, Le Repos et l'oubli. HurtubiseHMH, $16.50.DANIEL POLIQUIN, L'Obomsaw<strong>in</strong>. Editions Prisede Parole, $14.95.Le Repos et l'oubli est un recueil d'essaisqui s'<strong>in</strong>scrit assez bien dans le prolongementdes oeuvres précédentes de l'auteur,toutes plus ou mo<strong>in</strong>s placées sous le signede l'hybridation culturelle. Collection de20 essais précédés d'une préface de l'auteur,et répartis en deux sections nontitrées et du reste assez librement séparées.Comme à l'habitude, Kattan se révèled'emblée l'homme "venu d'ailleurs" quiobserve et analyse la réalité nord-américa<strong>in</strong>e.Ici cependant, il va plus lo<strong>in</strong> danssa réflexion, du mo<strong>in</strong>s dans certa<strong>in</strong>s essais,les plus forts, qui entraînent le reste del'ouvrage. C'est en gros, mais sans faire<strong>in</strong>justice au livre, la trace d'un hommequi a baigné dans plusieurs cultures fondatrices(Islam, Judaïsme, Christianisme)et qui réfléchit sur les rapports qu'elles<strong>in</strong>staurent (et présupposent) entrel'homme et de div<strong>in</strong>. D'où l'examen decerta<strong>in</strong>es notions essentielles: autorité,pouvoir, prière, écriture, temps, orig<strong>in</strong>e,<strong>in</strong>stant/durée, sur lesquelles est centrétout discours contempora<strong>in</strong>.Kattan paraît au plus dense dans lespremiers essais, e.g. "Temps et saisons,""Suite et succession" puis "Histoire et145
BOOKS IN REVIEWdest<strong>in</strong>" où il éclaire pour l'occident moderne,mal <strong>in</strong>struit, des nuances sans lesquellesl'Islam, le Judaïsme d'aujourd'huiresteraient opaques, et opaques du mêmecoup certa<strong>in</strong>s soubresauts et certa<strong>in</strong>s anathèmescontempora<strong>in</strong>s. A<strong>in</strong>si, voir Rushdiecomme un révélateur de cette véritéen Islam : la littérature est toujours transgressioncar l'empire de Dieu est le monde,dont le Verbe est la Loi (Torah) et laLecture (Coran). Po<strong>in</strong>t de place dansl'ordre de la pure glose, pour l'<strong>in</strong>vention ;encore mo<strong>in</strong>s pour le rêve. Cet Islam estbien le vrai: le livre de Kattan vient àpo<strong>in</strong>t pour nous le rappeler.Ailleurs dans cet ouvrage, soit des réflexionspert<strong>in</strong>entes, encore que po<strong>in</strong>tforcément conva<strong>in</strong>cantes — comme parexemple sur la crise contempora<strong>in</strong>e dusens, que Kattan déclare analogue à larupture survenue entre les champs iconiqueet verbal et constatée dès la Bible et leCoran — soit des remarques plutôt banales,comme sur l'amitié, la connaissanceet le savoir, la censure et la tolérance.La cohérence est souvent le po<strong>in</strong>t faiblede tout recueil d'essais. Le Repos et l'oubl<strong>in</strong>e fait pas exception, malgré le so<strong>in</strong> queprend l'auteur de cheviller l'ensemble parla répétition dans le corps de plusieurstextes de la formule du titre. Les cahotssont plus vivement ressentis sur le plan dela syntaxe et du style. Hurtubise HMHnous avait habitués à plus de rigueur rédactionnelle,et plus de vigilance sur ceplan est à recommander. A recommanderégalement de lire ce livre qui, malgré des<strong>in</strong>égalités <strong>in</strong>hérentes au genre, est le témoignage<strong>in</strong>tense d'un esprit venu d'unpays d'ailleurs et s<strong>in</strong>cèrement préoccupéde dev<strong>in</strong>er "le sens de l'<strong>in</strong>stant et dumonde" d'ici.C'est d'un tout autre pays que parlePoliqu<strong>in</strong> dans son Obomsaw<strong>in</strong> (prendrela phrase comme la réponse à la doublequestion: "De quoi est-ce que ça parle?"et "D'où est-ce que ça parle?"). Sur unestructure de reconstruction du passé —ici thématisé par le procès différé d'unmétis, Thomas Obomsaw<strong>in</strong>, pe<strong>in</strong>tre célèbre,et qui aurait mis le feu à sa maisonde Sioux Junction dont on voulait faireun musée de l'art amér<strong>in</strong>dien — Poliqu<strong>in</strong>exploite très adroitement, et sans jamaisdécoller de l'attachant récit, l'espace narratologiquecontempora<strong>in</strong>.Le roman est donné à lire comme l'histoired'un procès ("Qui a <strong>in</strong>cendié lamaison du pe<strong>in</strong>tre?"), mais aussi d'unprocessus ( "Comment trouver la paix parl'écriture?").Si le narrateur-déprime (le Déprimé),comme le François du Grand Meaulnes,apprend au contact d'un autre le sens dela vie, et du même coup la signification dela sienne, il a en outre la révélation de lavéracité du texte déf<strong>in</strong>itif. Il règle sescomptes avec lui-même, avec l'écriture, etdécouvre la source de la joie ou la f<strong>in</strong> de ladéprime, autre forme ici de la névrose.Après quoi, logiquement, il ne resteraitplus que le silence. Rien là le nouveau,mais l'on reste bien en ple<strong>in</strong>e réflexioncontempora<strong>in</strong>e . . .Au coeur de l'<strong>in</strong>trigue, se trouve le combatdu narrateur avec la langue. Des troisbiographies du pe<strong>in</strong>tre amér<strong>in</strong>dien — dureste appelé "Pal<strong>in</strong>gue" — les deux premières(l'un en anglais, l'autre en français"<strong>in</strong>ternational") parlaient faux. Seule latroisième, appelée par le retournementl<strong>in</strong>guistique du biographe, sera la bonnecar écrite en français d'ici et de ma<strong>in</strong>tenant,porteur des effets de réel canadienévoqués plus haut. Elle est en fait un actede foi ("autodafé") thématisé et ritualisédans le roman par la destruction parle feu d'une biographie ancienne ("lapourriture de menterie" p. 154) af<strong>in</strong> d'<strong>in</strong>cendierla maison de Thomas.Pour faire justice à ce court roman "romanesque"mais qui est cependant unfasc<strong>in</strong>ant traitement de techniques narrativesmodernes, il faudrait parler de sonécriture "immédiate" qui met le lecteuren ple<strong>in</strong>e situation, selon un mode de146
BOOKS IN REVIEWsaisie du réel quasi c<strong>in</strong>ématographique(grâce en particulier à l'emploi du présent); et parler aussi de sa forte valeurdocumentaire: ce Canada, à la "jonction"(Sioux Junction) des trois cultures fondatrices(d'où la nécessité de trois biographies?)est bien le nôtre. Du reste SiouxJunction est bien donné à diverses reprisescomme le lieu de l'orig<strong>in</strong>e, le po<strong>in</strong>t dedépart d'où tout et tous sont partis. Yrevenir pour y voir clair, pour faire lalumière (sur cette affaire de feu) au coursd'un procès <strong>of</strong>ficiel ne peut donc manquerde mener à des révélations. Et l'onreconnaîtra la vitalité, mais aussi les mesqu<strong>in</strong>eries,les complexes, la rudesse, l'<strong>in</strong>toléranceet la fasc<strong>in</strong>ation de l'argent etdu sens des affaires qui caractérisent lemonde actuel.L'Obomsaw<strong>in</strong> est un livre à mettreentre le plus de ma<strong>in</strong>s possible. Il ne dépareraitpas un programme universitairede littérature canadienne.CLAUDE BOUYGUES"DEUX SOLITUDES"APPRIVOISÉESКАТНУ MEZEi, Bibliography <strong>of</strong> Criticism onEnglish and French Literary Translations <strong>in</strong>Canada/Bibliographie de la Critique desTraductions Littéraires Anglaises et Françaisesau Canada, Ottawa Univ. Press,$'9-95·ROBERT MARTEAU, Voyage to Vendée, trans.David Homel. Exile Edns, $9.95.Dans un pays comme le nôtre où il existeune barrière quasi <strong>in</strong>surmontable entre lesdeux cultures et langues nationales, latraduction implique a priori quelquechose de positif. En pratiquant une brèchedans ce mur de silence, généré et entretenupar nos "deux solitudes", elle contribue,symboliquement et concrètement,à promouvoir le dialogue entre nos deuxcultures. Vus sous cet angle, Bibliography<strong>of</strong> Criticism on English and French LiteraryTranslations <strong>in</strong> Canada j Bibliographiede la critique des traductions littérairesanglaises et françaises au Canada deKathy Mezei et la traduction de Voyageen Vendée que signe David Homel représententun effort considérable dans cettedirection.L'enseignement de la traduction pourformer des traducteurs existe à pe<strong>in</strong>e depuistrente ans. Ceci explique en partie laraison pour laquelle il existe de graveslacunes en matière de textes critiques etthéoriques portant sur la traduction littéraire,champ d'études qui, au Canada,n'en est qu'à ses débuts. La bibliographiecommentée de Kathy Mezei vient à tempsremplir une de ces lacunes et représentedonc un <strong>in</strong>dispensable outil de travail tantpour les chercheurs que pour les enseignantset les étudiants oeuvrant dans cedoma<strong>in</strong>e. Cette recherche, qui se veut untravail de "filature", comporte 581 entrées.Celles-ci recouvrent les quatredernières décennies (1950-1986), et sesubdivisent en 9 sections: articles, bibliographies,livres, entrevues, <strong>in</strong>troductions,comptes rendus de fond, comptes rendus,thèses et, en dernier lieu, notes des traducteurs.Par ailleurs, cet ouvrage fouilléet bien structuré, auquel ont collaboréPatricia Mason et Maureen Hole, témoigned'un respect <strong>in</strong>né non seulementdes deux langues (les annotations étantsoit en français soit en anglais), mais aussides traducteurs littéraires qui, en f<strong>in</strong> d'ouvrage,sont arrachés à leur anonymat traditionnelpar le biais d'un <strong>in</strong>dex qui leurest consacré. Ce travail enregistre l'histoirede la traduction littéraire au Canadaet <strong>of</strong>fre, par ricochet, une base solide pourles recherches futures.Dans sa préface à la traduction desTableaux parisiens, de Baudelaire, WalterBenjam<strong>in</strong> avança en 1923 l'hypothèse147
BOOKS IN REVIEWselon laquelle la traduction se situe à michem<strong>in</strong>de la création littéraire et de lacritique. De nos jours, cette hypothèsen'est plus contestée, la traduction étantreconnue comme discipl<strong>in</strong>e connexe de lacritique. A cet égard notamment, les notesdu traducteur jouent un rôle <strong>in</strong>contestabledans la documentation des procédésde traduction. Or, il est regrettable queDavid Homel se soit abstenu d'<strong>in</strong>corporerà Voyage To Vendée des commentairessur les opérations auxquelles il s'est livréau cours de sa rédaction. Cependant, cettetraduction confirme à nouveau un fait:pour qu'il y ait "bonne" traduction, laprédilection du traducteur doit aller versl'auteur qu'il traduit. David Homel a, eneffet, à son actif plusieurs traductions detextes de Robert Marteau parmi lesquelleson trouve: Mount-Royal (ig82), Pig-Sk<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g (1984) et River Without End:A Logbook <strong>of</strong> the Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Lawrence (ig8j).Sa connaissance du style alambiqué etde l'univers imag<strong>in</strong>aire hermétique del'auteur lui ont certes été de bon secours,car Voyage To Vendée met <strong>in</strong>déniablementen évidence sa virtuosité. A titred'exemple, notons que cette traductionlittéraire n'est pas "<strong>in</strong>flationniste," selonl'expression de Ste<strong>in</strong>er. En effet, le textesource se résume à 88 pages, et le textecible, lui, à 89 pages. De plus, le traducteurs'est gardé d'adopter le parti de larationalisation, de la clarification. Ce qu<strong>in</strong>'est pas "clair" dans l'orig<strong>in</strong>al conserveson mystère dans la traduction, preuveirréfutable que le sens pr<strong>of</strong>ond de l'oeuvren'a pas été déformé. Par ailleurs, il neremanie jamais arbitrairement la ponctuation,et réussit a<strong>in</strong>si à respecter la rythmiquede la prose marteaunienne. Dansce sens, David Homel s'<strong>in</strong>crit dans lecourant des traducteurs littéraires qui,parce qu'ils privilégient "la lettre" dutexte source, parviennent à en rendrel'altérité.ANNE BROWNCULTURAL MEMORYANTONiNO MAZZA, The Way I Remember It,with music written and performed by AldoMazza, and with their parents Domenico andAngela. Trans-Verse Productions, $11.95(record or cassette).IN ITS EDITORIAL on the death <strong>of</strong> PierPaolo Pasol<strong>in</strong>i, Tel Quel wrote that thiswas more than just Italy's loss, for 'we areall Italian <strong>in</strong>tellectuals' <strong>in</strong> the sense thatso much <strong>of</strong> our cultural history has beenwritten there. Anton<strong>in</strong>o Mazza—who hasproduced exceptional translations <strong>of</strong>Pasol<strong>in</strong>i, the first to be done <strong>in</strong> Canada —is concerned with this paradoxical universality<strong>of</strong> a particular history. In thishe echoes Pasol<strong>in</strong>i's concern with the culturalpast as evidenced by the personalpresent. So keenly did Pasol<strong>in</strong>i feel thisthat we f<strong>in</strong>d him lament<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong> La Div<strong>in</strong>amimesis, the disappearance <strong>of</strong> certa<strong>in</strong>physical types, for with them vanished anentire history. This is, admittedly, a populisthistory based on an oral tradition —hence the great importance Pasol<strong>in</strong>i attachedto dialect forms — and so it isfitt<strong>in</strong>g that Mazza should address thistheme <strong>in</strong> a record<strong>in</strong>g which mixes his ownlyrics with the music <strong>of</strong> his brother Aldo.The cover <strong>of</strong> the album, The Way IRemember It, reproduces, on the front, aphotograph <strong>of</strong> Anton<strong>in</strong>o and Aldo takenwhen they were very young, together withtheir mother. Along the left edge a photo<strong>of</strong> an <strong>of</strong>fice tower extends over the backcover, and is superimposed on a picture <strong>of</strong>Anton<strong>in</strong>o as a child, seated <strong>in</strong> a pedal car.Here, <strong>in</strong> visual terms, are his themes, asannounced on the album cover, whichspeaks <strong>of</strong> the swallow<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>of</strong> differenceexperienced by those who emigrate tosuch homogeniz<strong>in</strong>g cultures as our own —what Pasol<strong>in</strong>i referred to as 'anthropologicalgenocide.' The album proposes arediscovery <strong>of</strong> ethnicity to counteractthis levell<strong>in</strong>g effect, and commemoratesMazza's own discovery <strong>of</strong> his father's148
BOOKS IN REVIEWability (unknown to him before) to accompanywith the tambour<strong>in</strong>e a recitationfrom his vast storehouse <strong>of</strong> Calabriandialect poems <strong>in</strong> the altercatio mode, amode which extends back to Theocritusand Virgil.That recitation is reproduced <strong>in</strong> thealbum and is its center, the (re) discovery<strong>of</strong> the father who is absent from the photoon the cover. Anton<strong>in</strong>o's words flow out<strong>of</strong> this poem and Aldo's music takes usback <strong>in</strong>to it, although the dist<strong>in</strong>ction isunderm<strong>in</strong>ed both by the musicality <strong>of</strong>Anton<strong>in</strong>o's words and the resistance tosonority <strong>of</strong> Aldo's electronic compositions(and <strong>in</strong> that use <strong>of</strong> technology we hear atonce the alienat<strong>in</strong>g factors <strong>of</strong> which thealbum cover speaks and <strong>of</strong> their recuperation<strong>in</strong>to cultural memory).The first poem speaks <strong>of</strong> the "cosmicear" which conta<strong>in</strong>ed the house <strong>in</strong>towhich Anton<strong>in</strong>o was born, <strong>of</strong> the "night<strong>in</strong>gale"which was between his mother's lips,<strong>of</strong> wait<strong>in</strong>g for his father to return fromthe sea, and <strong>of</strong> a dream which conta<strong>in</strong>sthe word which conta<strong>in</strong>s the house.Mazza's talents are most fully revealed <strong>in</strong>their lyric mode, as <strong>in</strong> this poem. Yet,paradoxically, he declaims his poetry,sacrific<strong>in</strong>g an aural lyricism for the declarativeformality <strong>of</strong> the oral tradition, asacrifice which is redeemed by the music.In addition to "Our House is <strong>in</strong> a CosmicEar," the album conta<strong>in</strong>s other lyrics,such as "Fuoco"; "Viaggio," a poem <strong>of</strong>journey<strong>in</strong>g ("home so soon after solong") ; "Muscoli" and "In the Threshold"on the immigrant experience; anelegy ( "Giovann<strong>in</strong>a" ) ; "Release the Sun,"a poem about poetry ("Poetry is aboutlearn<strong>in</strong>g about sail<strong>in</strong>g a boat / <strong>in</strong> the ra<strong>in</strong>/ <strong>in</strong> the ra<strong>in</strong> and one acre <strong>of</strong> light") ;and an epigram called "Doors" : "Placeswe go through / to come from."But the heart <strong>of</strong> the album rema<strong>in</strong>s thatwonderful calabrese poem recited byDomenico Mazza, "Si si vera poeta." Aseries <strong>of</strong> riddles with solutions, it conta<strong>in</strong>sthe other poems on the disc, just asits percussive accompaniment conta<strong>in</strong>sAldo's music. "Tell me," asks the poet,"who does its journey<strong>in</strong>g with no feet";"who sends you greet<strong>in</strong>gs from afar";"who while break<strong>in</strong>g rema<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong>tact.""The ship," he replies; "the letter"; "thesea." While listen<strong>in</strong>g to this album I rememberedwhen Anton<strong>in</strong>o and I werestudents <strong>in</strong> Toronto, and the conversationsabout Calv<strong>in</strong>o and Eco, but I alsoremembered my grandfather who, like theMazza family from Calabria, never alludedto the past, and who was never heardto speak a word <strong>of</strong> dialect. "My house isyour house, take it." Thank you, Ton<strong>in</strong>o.IMAGE/TEXTRICHARD CAVELI.NAOMI JACKSON GROVES, One Summer <strong>in</strong>Quebec: A. Y. Jackson <strong>in</strong> 1925: A FamilyView, Penumbra, $14.95.ASHELEiGH MOORHOUSE, Art, Sight and Language:A Read<strong>in</strong>g/Writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Some ContemporaryCanadian Art. Penumbra, $21.95.FROM Ι 92 Ι TO 1947, A. Y. Jackson wouldgo on sketch<strong>in</strong>g tours (usually <strong>in</strong> earlyspr<strong>in</strong>g) downriver from Quebec Cityalong the North and South shores <strong>of</strong> theSt. Lawrence. However, <strong>in</strong> 1925, ow<strong>in</strong>gto teach<strong>in</strong>g commitments at the OntarioCollege <strong>of</strong> Art, Jackson missed his spr<strong>in</strong>gtour, go<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>in</strong> the summer <strong>of</strong> thatyear, and spend<strong>in</strong>g most <strong>of</strong> his time onthe Ile d'Orléans. Accompany<strong>in</strong>g Jacksonwere the ethnologist Marius Barbeau, andArthur Lismer, like Jackson a member <strong>of</strong>the Group <strong>of</strong> Seven. The 59 pencil sketchesreproduced here are a record <strong>of</strong> thattrip.Naomi Jackson Groves (A. Y.'s niece)has provided a fifty-page <strong>in</strong>troduction <strong>in</strong>which she describes the sketches (now <strong>in</strong>the McMichael collection at Kle<strong>in</strong>burg,where Jackson himself went to live towardsthe end <strong>of</strong> his life) and how they149
BOOKS IN REVIEWcame to be. The sketches are valuable asdocuments <strong>of</strong> this trip and as sources forpa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs by Jackson, some <strong>of</strong> which arereproduced here <strong>in</strong> black and white. Itwas perhaps Barbeau's presence whichlent Jackson's sketches a documentaryquality, with their precision, their annotationsand their measurements, a qualitygreatly suffused <strong>in</strong> the pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs derivedfrom them. Groves po<strong>in</strong>ts out that Barbeauand Jackson were lifelong friends,and confirms that the pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs by Jacksonwhich serve as illustration to Barbeau'sThe Downfall <strong>of</strong> Temlaham (1928)were done expressly for that book (consideredto be one <strong>of</strong> the most beautifulproduced <strong>in</strong> Canada). Jackson's sketcheshave much <strong>in</strong> common, <strong>in</strong> fact, with illustrationshe did for W. H. Blake's translation(published 1924) <strong>of</strong> Adjutor Rivard'sChez Nous; <strong>in</strong>deed, they have so much <strong>in</strong>common, <strong>in</strong> some <strong>in</strong>stances, that one isleft want<strong>in</strong>g more <strong>in</strong>formation on howGroves (who is the cataloguer <strong>of</strong> A.Y.'sworks) came to assign these particularsketches to that particular year, especiallys<strong>in</strong>ce none <strong>of</strong> the sketches appears to beara date. Groves remarks rather curiously,<strong>in</strong> this context, that some <strong>of</strong> the sketches"would seem to be illustrations for somework along the l<strong>in</strong>es <strong>of</strong> the already publishedChez Nous," without connect<strong>in</strong>gthe sketches to that work itself.We tend to elide the importance <strong>of</strong> thefact that most <strong>of</strong> the Group provided illustrationsfor literary texts, that theirwork derived from the textual milieu <strong>of</strong>such magaz<strong>in</strong>es as Studio, and that theirwork <strong>in</strong> design made them acutely aware<strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>teraction <strong>of</strong> text and image. It isprecisely the imbrication <strong>of</strong> textual withartistic practice which Asheleigh Moorhouseseeks to confront <strong>in</strong> Art, Sight andLanguage, a "read<strong>in</strong>g/writ<strong>in</strong>g" <strong>of</strong> six contemporaryCanadian artists : Shelagh Alexander,Janice Gurney, Rae Johnson,Joanne Tod, Jeff Wall, and Shirley Wiitasalo.These six read<strong>in</strong>gs are preceded by atheoretical <strong>in</strong>troduction <strong>in</strong> which Moorhouse(himself an artist) discusses thenotion <strong>of</strong> "the subject who makes art and<strong>of</strong> the subject who looks at it," draw<strong>in</strong>gon the writ<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> Sartre, Levi-Strauss,Lacan, Foucault, Barthes, Kristeva andDerrida <strong>in</strong> the process.Seek<strong>in</strong>g to elucidate a relationship betweenthe biological self and the concept<strong>of</strong> the Subject, Moorhouse beg<strong>in</strong>s his<strong>in</strong>troduction with a discussion <strong>of</strong> cellbiology. The essential connection Moorhousemakes is between the cont<strong>in</strong>gencyfactor opérant with<strong>in</strong> DNA molecules andthe processual nature <strong>of</strong> the Subject; hecomplicates the ambiguity <strong>of</strong> the Subjectfurther by argu<strong>in</strong>g for the necessity <strong>of</strong> aSubject position which is neither Malenor Female but androgynous (aga<strong>in</strong> employ<strong>in</strong>ga biological analogy). Moorhouse'savowed program is, thus, not toprovide a "critique" or an "analysis" <strong>of</strong>these works, but rather "a very personaland admittedly passionate read<strong>in</strong>g/writ<strong>in</strong>g"<strong>of</strong> them. Passion, however, is never<strong>in</strong> evidence, and one would th<strong>in</strong>k that thepossibility <strong>of</strong> a "personal" read<strong>in</strong>g (ratherthan one constituted by the codes govern<strong>in</strong>gthe possibilities <strong>of</strong> such a read<strong>in</strong>g)would be underm<strong>in</strong>ed by the theoreticalstance elaborated <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>troduction.One <strong>of</strong> Moorhouse's central concerns isthe "male gaze" and the ways <strong>in</strong> which itis deconstructed by artists such as JaniceGurney <strong>in</strong> her 1982 mixed media work,"Portrait <strong>of</strong> Me as My Grandmother'sFaults," where the full-length portrait <strong>of</strong>a naked woman has white l<strong>in</strong>es superimposedon it which divide it <strong>in</strong>to neat parcels,as if the woman were a piece <strong>of</strong> meat,or perhaps an anatomical specimen, theartist thereby mak<strong>in</strong>g us see "the violence<strong>of</strong> the look." Similarly, Gurney breaksdown likenesses <strong>in</strong> her self portraits, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>gthe futility <strong>of</strong> any attempt to fixthe Subject.In both his theoretical <strong>in</strong>troduction,and throughout his essays, Moorhouse150
BOOKS IN REVIEWstates that ideology has no place <strong>in</strong> art,or <strong>in</strong> art criticism. It is ironic, then, thatone <strong>of</strong> his best read<strong>in</strong>gs occurs <strong>in</strong> thechapter on Joanne Tod, whose work foregroundsmany <strong>of</strong> the ideological assumptions<strong>of</strong> art and society. Tod's 1984 work<strong>in</strong> oil called "Shh . . . They Own theRestaurant" is seen as a meditation onthe "comfortable" nature <strong>of</strong> Realism.Just as that comfort is underm<strong>in</strong>ed bycerta<strong>in</strong> technical <strong>in</strong>consistencies, so thecomfort <strong>of</strong> the scene is underm<strong>in</strong>ed forsome <strong>of</strong> the viewers with<strong>in</strong> it by the presence<strong>of</strong> difference — <strong>in</strong> this case, racialdifference, and hence the title. Thus,Realism and racism are seen to have certa<strong>in</strong>ideological underp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> commonrelat<strong>in</strong>g to the colonization <strong>of</strong> difference.The chapter on Jeff Wall is likewisevery good. Moorhouse argues that Wall'suse <strong>of</strong> cibachrome transparencies, enlarged<strong>of</strong>ten to lifesize, raises immediatelythe issue <strong>of</strong> presence, while the quiteclearly posed nature <strong>of</strong> the images theyconta<strong>in</strong> underm<strong>in</strong>es it, reveal<strong>in</strong>g the imageas a signifier rather than a signified,and <strong>in</strong> this context the association <strong>of</strong> thecibachrome blowups with advertis<strong>in</strong>g is<strong>in</strong>structive.The f<strong>in</strong>al read<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>of</strong> Shirley Wiitasalo'swork, becomes a writ<strong>in</strong>g, a prose poem <strong>in</strong>its own right/write, but it is at this po<strong>in</strong>tthat the greatest gap <strong>in</strong> Moorhouse's programbecomes evident : why must we writeart to br<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to be<strong>in</strong>g? What is thisfundamental <strong>in</strong>terrelationship betweentext and image? Moorhouse is aware <strong>of</strong>the importance <strong>of</strong> the question, but nevergets far enough out <strong>of</strong> what he calls the"semiotic muskeg" to address it fully. Yet,if Art, Sight and Language lacks thetheoretical sophistication evident <strong>in</strong> PhilipMonk's Struggles With the Image ( 1988),which overlaps with it considerably <strong>in</strong>subject matter, it rema<strong>in</strong>s important forits <strong>of</strong>ten successful read<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> artists whowould otherwise rema<strong>in</strong> too little known.And although there are some serious slips<strong>in</strong> the production <strong>of</strong> this volume (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gwander<strong>in</strong>g footnotes, typos, and a reproductionwhich fails to show the detailsdiscussed <strong>in</strong> the text), values at PenumbraPress (w<strong>in</strong>ner <strong>of</strong> the George WittenbornAward <strong>of</strong> Excellence for publish<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> the visual arts) rema<strong>in</strong> admirably high.OPACITYVS. ACCESSIBILITYRICHARD CAVELLj. MICHAEL YATES, Torpor: Collected Fiction,ig6o-igj8, Volume s. Cacanadadada, n.p.LINDA LEiTH, ed., Tell<strong>in</strong>g Differences: Newf<strong>in</strong>glish Fiction from Quebec. Véhicule,$12.95·LESLEY KRUEGER, Hard Travel. Oberon,$25.95/12.95."SMOKESTACK IN THE DESERT," the first <strong>of</strong>several fabular pieces <strong>in</strong> J. Michael Yates'Torpor, beg<strong>in</strong>s at the end : civilization hasdim<strong>in</strong>ished to a few attendants stok<strong>in</strong>g apollutant furnace and welcom<strong>in</strong>g the rarestraggler who, attracted by the mysterioussmokestack pierc<strong>in</strong>g the clouds <strong>of</strong> toxicfumes it emits, has made a successfuljourney across the desert. But we, presumablypart <strong>of</strong> the stragglers, are warnedthat the stack and furnace "won't confrontyou as mystery for long. You mightsay there aren't any mysteries here." Thepieces that follow are, as Yates' dedicationasserts, "For the suicides, both swiftand slow," perhaps the slowest <strong>of</strong> all be<strong>in</strong>gconta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the conclud<strong>in</strong>g fable, that <strong>of</strong>photographer Sono Nis whose passion for<strong>in</strong>trospection reduces his life to an absurd,frenzied attempt to record everyth<strong>in</strong>gabout his past, present, and future self.His future has already been destroyeds<strong>in</strong>ce he has rendered himself sterile withhis "deadly rout<strong>in</strong>e" <strong>of</strong> x-ray<strong>in</strong>g his <strong>in</strong>teriorself several times a day. In Sono Nis'journal is to be found another warn<strong>in</strong>g:"'Come out <strong>of</strong> your musty studios and
BOOKS IN REVIEWmiserable dreams. While you destroy yourselveswith your pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs and your literature,attempt<strong>in</strong>g to falsify time and space,your own present is pass<strong>in</strong>g — withoutyou.'" These warn<strong>in</strong>gs bode ill for thefuture <strong>of</strong> a civilization whose art hasgrown so <strong>in</strong>trospective that it fails toestablish any connection to its audience.Ironically, Yates' own Torpor providesthe most extreme example <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>trospectiontransform<strong>in</strong>g potentially excit<strong>in</strong>gpieces <strong>of</strong> fiction <strong>in</strong>to obscure tours deforce. One <strong>of</strong> the epigraphs to Yates' firstvolume <strong>of</strong> collected fiction, Torque, a passagedrawn from Paul Valéry's The Art<strong>of</strong> Poetry, reveals that Yates recognizesthe risks that he takes: "Obscurity, aproduct <strong>of</strong> two factors. If my m<strong>in</strong>d isricher, more rapid, freer, more discipl<strong>in</strong>edthan yours, neither you nor I can do anyth<strong>in</strong>gabout it." Opacity does have itsrewards when the dense fog yields glimmers<strong>of</strong> beauty, poignancy, <strong>in</strong>sight, orprovocation; <strong>in</strong> Torpor, however, opacityproduces little but tedium. Weav<strong>in</strong>g anoverwhelm<strong>in</strong>g sense <strong>of</strong> the scientific, technical,and mechanical properties <strong>of</strong> life<strong>in</strong>to an occasional sense <strong>of</strong> its poetry, thedismally prophetic "Smokestack <strong>in</strong> theDesert," the vividly etched narrative <strong>of</strong>"The S<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the Northwest Passage,"and the <strong>in</strong>tricate description <strong>of</strong> the webweav<strong>in</strong>gprocess <strong>of</strong> "Latrodectus Schoicetans"provide a compell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>troductionto this collection. However, with the perversity<strong>of</strong> "A Naive and StraightforwardNarrative," the collection becomes <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>glymonotonous.By contrast, there are spontaneity andvariety want<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Tell<strong>in</strong>g Differences,edited by L<strong>in</strong>da Leith, which jo<strong>in</strong>s thegrow<strong>in</strong>g number <strong>of</strong> anthologies devoted to"New English Fiction from Quebec."Widely differ<strong>in</strong>g cultural backgroundsand a variety <strong>of</strong> styles and <strong>in</strong>terests preventtedium, although the self-consciousness<strong>of</strong> these writers is mannered andtherefore annoy<strong>in</strong>g. While the stories byAnn Diamond, Kenneth Radu, P. ScottLawrence, Robyn Sara, Stephen Henighan,Ludmilla Bereshko, Michael Mirolla,Richard Lanoie, Yesim Ternar, GeorgeSzanto, and T. F. Rigelh<strong>of</strong> are generallycompetent several are also seriously flawedby pretension ; however, two very differentstories emerge as truly superior. First is astory <strong>of</strong> fragile beauty, Renato Trujillo's"The W<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g Staircase." Set <strong>in</strong> BuenosAires, this story traces the <strong>in</strong>itial resistancebut ultimate <strong>in</strong>itiation <strong>of</strong> the narrator, agrocery store clerk, to the dangerouslyentic<strong>in</strong>g world <strong>of</strong> beauty, art, and dreamswhen he and his friend Jorge are <strong>in</strong>vited<strong>in</strong>to the home <strong>of</strong> a great Argent<strong>in</strong>ianwriter. Equally successful is Trevor Ferguson's"Thunder<strong>in</strong>g." In forceful prose,it tells the story <strong>of</strong> how Trudy obta<strong>in</strong>s theprivilege to ride <strong>in</strong> the pack with theother bikers.Several <strong>of</strong> the stories <strong>in</strong> Lesley Krueger'sfirst published book, Hard Travel, alsochallenge the dire prophecies <strong>of</strong> Yates'Torpor. Despite a few shortcom<strong>in</strong>gsKrueger generally tells her stories well.The collection opens with an evocativedescription <strong>of</strong> Lake Atitlan <strong>in</strong> "Guatemala."Monroe, on assignment to photographthe beauties <strong>of</strong> Guatemala, confrontsthe mediocrity <strong>of</strong> his talents and hislife as he searches for an image to givehis pictures a fulcrum.A girl with a deformed eye gives himhope. Most <strong>of</strong> Krueger's stories are hauntedby odd faces. "Talk about Suffer<strong>in</strong>gHere Below," tells the story <strong>of</strong> a rapevictim who is deceived by a trustworthyface. In "The Way We Live Today,"Richard discovers and attempts to adaptto his wife's new "face", when she becomesa lesbian after the birth <strong>of</strong> theirchild. Three <strong>of</strong> the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g stories areuneven, although "Mary Ellen Amongthe Tarahumara" has a f<strong>in</strong>e end<strong>in</strong>g: whenher son constructs a chessboard fromsouvenir carv<strong>in</strong>gs and baskets, a motherrealizes that he is remember<strong>in</strong>g his father,
BOOKS IN REVIEWa face she wishes to escape. The story thatcompletes Hard Travel — "Merle-oh!"—is the strongest <strong>in</strong> the collection. Here,Krueger shows her own face and uses thefirst-person voice. The narrator undertakesthe "hard travel" to the buried memory<strong>of</strong> Merle's black face, a perilousundertak<strong>in</strong>g captured <strong>in</strong> the epigraphfrom Thomas à Kempis prefac<strong>in</strong>g Krueger'sbook. "They who travel seldom comehome holy."LESLEY D. CLEMENTENVIRONMENTALTHEATREJOHN KRizANC, Tamara. Stoddart, 1989,$24.95.A COLLABORATION OF John Krizanc anddirector Richard Rose, Tamara was firstperformed <strong>in</strong> Toronto by the NecessaryAngel Theatre Company on May 8, 1981.The present text is based on the third production,which was staged <strong>in</strong> November,1987 at the Park Avenue Armory <strong>in</strong> NewYork City. The action takes place onJanuary 10 and 11,1927 at Gabriele d'Annunzio'scountry villa, II Vittoriale degliItaliani (The Shr<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> Italian Victories),where Mussol<strong>in</strong>i is supposedly keep<strong>in</strong>gItaly's "greatest poet and patriot" underhouse arest. Each scene (there are onehundred and n<strong>in</strong>e altogether) is set <strong>in</strong> one<strong>of</strong> the villa's many ostentatious rooms,stairways and passageways, and the audienceparticipates directly <strong>in</strong> the action byobserv<strong>in</strong>g and follow<strong>in</strong>g one or more <strong>of</strong>the ten characters from room to room.Because the scenes are performed "simultaneouslywith different actors . . . <strong>of</strong>tenplay<strong>in</strong>g as many as eight scenes at onetime," several stages are required, a complexstructure which Krizanc and Rosecall "environmental theatre."The current script <strong>in</strong>cludes an engag<strong>in</strong>gforeword by Alberto Manguel, and is designedto facilitate the read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> theplay: the text "is divided <strong>in</strong>to twenty-onedifferent sections — A through U — witheach section approximately a unit <strong>of</strong> time<strong>in</strong> which a number <strong>of</strong> scenes occur simultaneously."My only compla<strong>in</strong>t about theeditorial apparatus is that while the textis generally free <strong>of</strong> typographical errorsthere are a number <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>accuracies <strong>in</strong> thespell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Italian words: examples <strong>in</strong>clude"Padoua" for Padova, p. 76; "Toccatta"for toccata, p. 144; "patrono" forpadrone, p. 161 ; "Capice" for Capisce, p.179; "Italiano" for Italiani, p. 198; and"Tur<strong>in</strong>a" for Tor<strong>in</strong>o, p. 283.On one level Tamara is a Brechtian allegory<strong>of</strong> Italian society dur<strong>in</strong>g the 1920'sand 1930's, the period that gave rise t<strong>of</strong>ascism. The spectators purchase passports,rather than tickets, which they arerequired to submit to the sneer<strong>in</strong>g fascistpoliceman upon enter<strong>in</strong>g the theatre.There are also str<strong>in</strong>gent regulations govern<strong>in</strong>gthe audience's participation. Eachspectator must rema<strong>in</strong> with<strong>in</strong> his/herdesignated group and is permitted to followa different character only when twocharacters meet. We are further warned :"do not talk, do not get <strong>in</strong> the way, donot go wander<strong>in</strong>g about on your own, and... do not stand <strong>in</strong> front <strong>of</strong> a door. . . ."The behaviour <strong>of</strong> both the characters andthe audience is closely monitored by thesecret police and by a snarly Capta<strong>in</strong> who<strong>in</strong>forms us that "Anyone found wander<strong>in</strong>garound on their own will be deported."If one belongs to a large group <strong>of</strong> spectatorsit is easy to miss a good deal <strong>of</strong> theaction. Thus what appears <strong>in</strong>itially to bea radical and liberat<strong>in</strong>g theatrical experienceis underm<strong>in</strong>ed by a tyrannical superstructure.Paradoxically, however, theplay, whether read or observed <strong>in</strong> performance,becomes, as Manguel observes,"the exact antithesis <strong>of</strong> fascism, becauseit condemns the audience to the unbearablefreedom <strong>of</strong> a concerned and activewitness."153
BOOKS IN REVIEWThe title <strong>of</strong> the play refers to Tamarade Lempicka, the "aristocratic Frenchspeak<strong>in</strong>gPolish exile" and art-decopa<strong>in</strong>ter who has been <strong>in</strong>vited to pa<strong>in</strong>td'Annunzio's portrait. The character isbased on the historical de Lempicka,whose decadent pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs and social life<strong>in</strong>spired Krizanc to write the play. Therelationship between de Lempicka andd'Annunzio, whose libert<strong>in</strong>e life was ascelebrated as his exotic and morbid art,is similar to all other relationships <strong>in</strong> theplay: sadistic, obsessive, and spirituallyempty, like fascism itself. Although therelationship constitutes only one trajectory<strong>of</strong> the action (another plot-l<strong>in</strong>e revolvesaround a murder mystery), itaddresses a subject which is central to all<strong>of</strong> Krizanc's plays, namely the artist'splace <strong>in</strong> society. The most celebratedItalian writer and war hero <strong>of</strong> the earlytwentieth century, d'Annunzio could havehelped to prevent Mussol<strong>in</strong>i's rise topower. (A few years earlier, at the age <strong>of</strong>54, d'Annunzio had enlisted <strong>in</strong> and <strong>in</strong>fluencedItaly's decision to jo<strong>in</strong> WorldWar I.) His response to the fascist regime,however, was to yield passively to exile <strong>in</strong>exchange for material well-be<strong>in</strong>g and asteady supply <strong>of</strong> coca<strong>in</strong>e.Tamara has had a dist<strong>in</strong>guished stagehistory, w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g the Dora Mavor MooreAward, the Los Angeles Drama Critics'Circle Award, and the Mexican Association<strong>of</strong> Theatre Critics and JournalistsAward. Yet while the play's creators purportthat its serious critique <strong>of</strong> decadence<strong>in</strong> politics and culture has universal appeal,Tamara has primarily attracted affluentNorth American audiences andcritics, many <strong>of</strong> whom have ignored itsdarker themes, delight<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>in</strong> thechase <strong>of</strong> characters and <strong>in</strong> the lavishbuffet catered dur<strong>in</strong>g the "<strong>in</strong>termezzo" <strong>in</strong>d'Annunzio's stately d<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g room. "'Tamara',"wrote one critic, "is not to betaken too seriously. It is basically a clever,divert<strong>in</strong>g whodunit" (Mel Gussow, TheNew York Times, 3 December 1987).Ticket prices, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the buffet and achampagne cocktail upon admission, haveranged from $85 to $ 135 per performance.And <strong>in</strong> order to appreciate the play's multiplestructures audiences have been advisedto see it more than once. In itslimited accessibility the play is problematicand decidedly anti-Brechtian.VIVIANA COMENSOLISTRUCTURE OF BELIEFRiNA LASNiER, Ou Le Langage des Sources:Essais. Estuaire, Ecrits des Forges, $8.00.RINA LASNIER'S ELEVATED conceptionboth <strong>of</strong> poetry and the poet's role as part<strong>of</strong> a firm structure <strong>of</strong> belief has been afeature <strong>of</strong> the Quebec literary scene forfifty years. Her output <strong>of</strong> work has beensteady and impressive, her <strong>in</strong>tellectual<strong>in</strong>terests wide. Few comparisons can bemade with poets <strong>in</strong> English Canada, althoughClément Moisan's study <strong>of</strong> analogieswith Margaret Avison (whose workis m<strong>in</strong>imal, quantitatively) has opened uppossibilities for further exploration. Atfirst glance, writers <strong>of</strong> R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier's owngeneration such as Dorothy Livesay orP. K. Page might <strong>of</strong>fer parallels. But theformer's commitment to socialism doesnot enter <strong>in</strong>to her perception <strong>of</strong> the imag<strong>in</strong>ativeprocess, and <strong>in</strong> the latter's workit is difficult to detect any expression <strong>of</strong>personal belief. And both these writers aredeliberate adventurers <strong>in</strong> modernity. Onthe other hand, R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier's work celebratesa unity where the word is part <strong>of</strong> asacred cosmos and echoes the <strong>in</strong>tellectualperception <strong>of</strong> a moral order expressedthrough the Christian symbolism <strong>of</strong> theCatholic church. As conscious as anyonecan be <strong>of</strong> the way <strong>in</strong> which the creativeact occurs <strong>in</strong> the m<strong>in</strong>d, she answers the"lucidité pr<strong>of</strong>anatrice" <strong>of</strong> Valéry's LaJeune Parque with La Malemer, whosemar<strong>in</strong>e imagery <strong>of</strong> the subconscious154
BOOKS IN REVIEWmerges <strong>in</strong> the birth <strong>of</strong> the poem withChristian revelation.It would be difficult for any collection<strong>of</strong> critical essays to rival the breadth anddepth <strong>of</strong> those appear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Liberté(Nov.-Dec. 1976), but the short studies <strong>in</strong>this volume can be perceived as a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>addenda to that issue. There is, for example,an updated selective bibliographyby Lucie Bourassa which supplements theexhaustive study published by YvanLajoie.Jean-Pierre Issenhuth f<strong>in</strong>ds R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier'soeuvre comparable to a caravanw<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g its way with slow dignity acrossthe landscape <strong>of</strong> Africa, its start<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>tunknown, its dest<strong>in</strong>ation eternity. Henotes the love <strong>of</strong> beauty which ties herto the mystic theology <strong>of</strong> the EasternChurch, analyses the role <strong>of</strong> nature <strong>in</strong>her work, and comments on the denselypacked verses which recall certa<strong>in</strong> Orientalpoetry, "Les vers ont horreur du vide,comme la nature." In a stimulat<strong>in</strong>g butsomewhat impressionistic sketch, MoniqueBosco uses the cathedral as a symbol,first to l<strong>in</strong>k R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier's successive variationson a theme with Monet's series <strong>of</strong>shimmer<strong>in</strong>g façades, and second to presentthe whole work as a solidly built stoneedifice, constructed "pierre à pierre. Versà vers. Prière après prière."André Brochu contributes a perceptiveanalysis <strong>of</strong> the poet's short poems (helimits the discussion to quatra<strong>in</strong>s and tercets)which, he believes, are the seedsfrom which the longer poems grow. Healso touches on the question — as vexed<strong>in</strong> French as <strong>in</strong> English — <strong>of</strong> the modernuse <strong>of</strong> classical imagery, without neverthelesspo<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g out the obvious fact that,sad though it may be, classical figureshave ceased to carry for most readers theelectric charge <strong>of</strong> sublim<strong>in</strong>al associationswhich used to be the common property <strong>of</strong>the read<strong>in</strong>g public. In much <strong>of</strong> R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier'swork, one also has to contend witha heavy freight <strong>of</strong> biblical referenceswhich, <strong>in</strong> spite <strong>of</strong> the archetypal associationscommonly attached to them, are notalways immediately accessible as poeticexperience.The <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>of</strong> the collection, laudatoryfor the most part and somewhat uneven<strong>in</strong> quality, lies also <strong>in</strong> its reflection <strong>of</strong> the<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g cosmopolitanism <strong>of</strong> the Quebecliterary scene which has, s<strong>in</strong>ce i960, developedits own sophistication. Criticshave been arriv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the last few yearswho br<strong>in</strong>g, along with their French culture,an experience <strong>of</strong> other languages,literatures, and places — Spanish, for example.It is a healthy sign to f<strong>in</strong>d someonenotic<strong>in</strong>g analogies between Lasnier andNear Eastern poets. But it seems to mefoolhardy to make judgements about herwork <strong>in</strong> English without be<strong>in</strong>g fully conversantboth with the nuances <strong>of</strong> the languageitself and the changes which havetaken place <strong>in</strong> poetic expression s<strong>in</strong>ce theearlier part <strong>of</strong> the century. There are realgaps <strong>in</strong> this critical field which need tobe filled by <strong>in</strong>formed studies on the osmosiswhich can occur between French andEnglish not just at the level <strong>of</strong> vocabularyand image, but, a more subtle matter,between the rhythmic patterns <strong>of</strong> twolanguages co-exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the poet's m<strong>in</strong>d.R<strong>in</strong>a Lasnier's own statements about herdebt to Francis Thompson and GerardManley Hopk<strong>in</strong>s (neither <strong>of</strong> them appropriatemodels for the young writer) wouldprovide a start<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t for such a studyand <strong>of</strong>fer an unusual angle from whichto observe the development <strong>of</strong> this Quebecpoet.AMBITIONGWLADYS DOWNESL. M. MONTGOMERY, Along the Shore: Tales bythe Sea, edited by Rea Wilmhurst. McClelland& Stewart, $19.95.Along the Shore, the second collection<strong>of</strong> Montgomery work to be rescued from155
BOOKS IN REVIEWobscurity by editor Rea Wilmshurst, conta<strong>in</strong>s16 short stories l<strong>in</strong>ked thematicallyby the sea. With one exception, thesestories were written before 1908, that is,dur<strong>in</strong>g Montgomery's apprentice years,when she was learn<strong>in</strong>g how to deal withweaknesses <strong>in</strong> her writ<strong>in</strong>g and build onstrengths. In order to develop as a writerMontgomery had to rise above limitationsimposed by the literary fashions <strong>of</strong> herday and by the restrictions <strong>of</strong> the facts <strong>of</strong>her life.The stories <strong>in</strong> Along the Shore catchher at a time <strong>in</strong> her career when she wasstart<strong>in</strong>g to realize her ambition. In the firstplace, the stories reflect Montgomery'smarkets — children's periodicals andhomemaker magaz<strong>in</strong>es, publicationswhich demand superficial treatment <strong>of</strong>the subject, one-dimensional charactersand happy end<strong>in</strong>gs. Not surpris<strong>in</strong>gly then,the stories are populated with beautifulproud women, handsome noble men,faithful children and dogs. For the mostpart, theme is obscure, story l<strong>in</strong>e predictable,although the writ<strong>in</strong>g is deftenough.But it is when romance gives way topassion, sentimentality to emotion andstereotype to character, that the gameturns excit<strong>in</strong>g. "A Strayed Allegiance"beg<strong>in</strong>s with the ma<strong>in</strong> character, EasterbrookElliott, a cold fish if ever there wasone, engaged to beautiful and wealthyMarian Lesley. Then he sets eyes on themagnificent, Magdalen Crawford, an unspoiledgirl from the cove, and is sweptaway. While there is still a lot <strong>of</strong> melodramago<strong>in</strong>g on here, the characters areable to rise above it. They are real peoplewho feel deeply and, because <strong>of</strong> theirfeel<strong>in</strong>gs, make decisions which change theoutcome <strong>of</strong> the story and <strong>of</strong> their lives.It is evident <strong>in</strong> the writ<strong>in</strong>g itself thatMontgomery struggled with her writ<strong>in</strong>g."A Strayed Allegiance" (1897) conta<strong>in</strong>sthe two follow<strong>in</strong>g descriptions : "The sun,red as a smoulder<strong>in</strong>g ember, was halfburied <strong>in</strong> the silken violet rim <strong>of</strong> the sea;the west was a vast lake <strong>of</strong> saffron androse and ethereal green, through whichfloated the curved shallop <strong>of</strong> a th<strong>in</strong> newmoon, slowly deepen<strong>in</strong>g from lustrelesswhite, through gleam<strong>in</strong>g silver, <strong>in</strong>to burnishedgold, and attended by one solitary,pearl-white star" ; "The houses ... seemedlike .. . larger shells washed up by thesea, so grey and bleached were they fromlong exposure to sea w<strong>in</strong>ds and spray."Clearly, her penchant for purple prosewas be<strong>in</strong>g brought under artistic control<strong>in</strong> the concise, apt simile, and this controlhappens only with the extended effort <strong>of</strong>artist. Character descriptions, too, <strong>in</strong>dicatethat Montgomery worked toward anawareness that specific details br<strong>in</strong>g acharacter to life and general terms createstereotypes.Long before 1930, when "A HouseDivided Aga<strong>in</strong>st Itself," the last story <strong>in</strong>this collection, was written, Montgomeryhad learned to reach for the particularthat makes the difference, but <strong>in</strong> the bookunder review, this story is our strongestevidence <strong>of</strong> her achievement. Here, shegives us two crusty old fishermen cous<strong>in</strong>s,Big George and Little George, who, afterliv<strong>in</strong>g together for thirty years, have aserious fall<strong>in</strong>g out over a naked woman.Big George is five foot one ; he knits socksand writes poetry and has anchors tattooedon the backs <strong>of</strong> his hands : "He wasa Liberal <strong>in</strong> politics and has Laurier's picturehang<strong>in</strong>g over his bed." Little Georgeis six foot two ; he cooks up pea soups andclam chowders and his picture <strong>of</strong> Sir JohnMacdonald hangs over the clock shelf:"He had a harmless hobby <strong>of</strong> collect<strong>in</strong>gskulls from the old Indian graveyard."Montgomery's voice speaks a lilt<strong>in</strong>g,lyrical sea. Her characters' dialogue is, forthe most part, gentle. Her horizon is gracious,her hills swell s<strong>of</strong>tly, her sea issparkl<strong>in</strong>g, her gales are seldom more thanbrac<strong>in</strong>g. Storms and drown<strong>in</strong>gs occur, tobe sure, but not with the onorous dark156
BOOKS IN REVIEWquality which is always present <strong>in</strong> thewrit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>, say, another Maritimer, AlistairMacLeod.The greater threat <strong>of</strong> the sea <strong>in</strong> Montgomery'swork (a threat presented metaphorically<strong>in</strong> several scenes where unawarecharacters become caught <strong>in</strong> cavesand coves by tides) is the manner <strong>in</strong> whichit traps and holds those born and bred toit, so that they can never leave, not evenif they try. In "The Magical Bond <strong>of</strong> theSea," the first story <strong>in</strong> the collection, NoraShelley tries to leave by lett<strong>in</strong>g herself beadopted and educated by a rich couple.Her return at the end <strong>of</strong> the story appearsto be a happy end<strong>in</strong>g. However, thewrit<strong>in</strong>g at this po<strong>in</strong>t takes on a disquiet<strong>in</strong>gtone which suggests that Nora has chosenthe easy way out, that the more difficultchoice <strong>of</strong> stay<strong>in</strong>g out there would haveallowed her greater freedom <strong>of</strong> growth.After her marriage, Montgomery returnedto Pr<strong>in</strong>ce Edward Island only tovisit. Perhaps she knew that she had tokeep her distance <strong>in</strong> order to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>perspective and objectivity. Perhaps, too,she knew that to seek discomfort is tosharpen self-knowledge and self-confidencewhich, <strong>in</strong> turn, allows full selfexpression.CECELIA FREYUN PAYS INCONNUYVES BEAUCHEMIN, Du sommet d'un arbre.Québec/Amérique, $9.95.ANDRE BROCHU, La Visée critique. Boréal, n.p.Du sommet d'un arbre: journal is a collection<strong>of</strong> four texts broadcast on Radio-Canada between 1979 and 1985. Selfreflexiveand impressionistic, these diariesprovide glimpses <strong>of</strong> the life and times <strong>of</strong>Yves Beauchem<strong>in</strong>, their first-person narratorand chief character, from his earlychildhood <strong>in</strong> the 1940s <strong>in</strong> Glova, Abitibi,to his adulthood <strong>in</strong> Montréal <strong>in</strong> the 1980s."Mon père travaillait pour les América<strong>in</strong>s,"and "Je fus le premier de maclasse à utiliser dans une composition l'expression'ruban d'argent' pour désignerune rivière. Le choc que cela causa dépassetoute description," the sentencesthat beg<strong>in</strong> and end the first section <strong>of</strong>"Enfance," the open<strong>in</strong>g journal, <strong>in</strong>troduceimportant themes <strong>of</strong> "cette autopsychanalysepour diffusion publique."Born <strong>in</strong> 1941 <strong>in</strong> Noranda, the youngchild, who already wore "des lunettes auxverres épais," moved to Clova <strong>in</strong> 1946,where his father worked for "une filialede VInternational Paper de New York."In this isolated company town, the doctor,the general manager <strong>of</strong> the company,and the priest were the "trois piliers" <strong>of</strong>society; the arrival <strong>of</strong> the tra<strong>in</strong> was "legrand événement de la journée"; andforest fires, especially the "grand feu" <strong>of</strong>1953, were objects <strong>of</strong> both fasc<strong>in</strong>ation andterror. Beauchem<strong>in</strong> enjoyed these surround<strong>in</strong>gs,yet his bad eyesight and poorphysical co-ord<strong>in</strong>ation led him to the <strong>in</strong>tellectualpursuits <strong>of</strong> books, films, music,and, ultimately, his own verbal compositions.These pleasures, <strong>in</strong>troduced to himby his mother, who <strong>in</strong>oculated him with"le virus de la lecture," and encouragedby his grandfather, who "lisait comme unenragé," became even more available <strong>in</strong>Joliette, where the family moved whenBeauchem<strong>in</strong> was thirteen, and <strong>in</strong> Montréal,where he moved <strong>in</strong> 1962 to attenduniversity.References to books and music helpboth the content and form <strong>of</strong> the threediaries set <strong>in</strong> Montréal that comprise thebulk <strong>of</strong> Du sommet d'un arbre. Balzac,Jules Roma<strong>in</strong>, and Proust mark stages <strong>of</strong>Beauchem<strong>in</strong>'s read<strong>in</strong>g — and writ<strong>in</strong>g.The source <strong>of</strong> his most pr<strong>of</strong>ound happ<strong>in</strong>ess,and, <strong>in</strong> some ways, <strong>of</strong> his best esthetic<strong>in</strong>spirations, however, is still his family.This collection <strong>of</strong> diaries is most importantlya series <strong>of</strong> illum<strong>in</strong>ations about YvesBeauchem<strong>in</strong> as son, husband, and father,157
BOOKS IN REVIEWand as lover and creator <strong>of</strong> aural andverbal artifacts.For the anglophone reader, however,perhaps Beauchem<strong>in</strong>'s observations abouthis role <strong>in</strong> Quebec society are even more<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g. Introduced <strong>in</strong> the description<strong>of</strong> his father as work<strong>in</strong>g "pour les América<strong>in</strong>s,"the theme <strong>of</strong> cultural alienationcont<strong>in</strong>ues <strong>in</strong> his designation <strong>of</strong> Montréalas becom<strong>in</strong>g, because <strong>of</strong> the new construction<strong>of</strong> the 1960s and 1970s, "un m<strong>in</strong>ablesuccédané de New York." It was Montréal,nevertheless, that made Beauchem<strong>in</strong>discover that he was "québécois," and the1970s that gave him hope, with the rise<strong>of</strong> René Lévesque and the PQ victory <strong>in</strong>1976, <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>dependent Québec. InMarch 1985, when Du sommet d'un arbreconcludes, Beauchem<strong>in</strong> still admires Lévesque.Yet he worries pr<strong>of</strong>oundly aboutthe good faith <strong>of</strong> Mulroney as he negotiatesa new deal for Québec withLévesque and the "tendance aveugle" <strong>of</strong>Québec "à l'autodestruction développéepar trois siècles de colonisation." Becauseit is fundamentally a series <strong>of</strong> autobiographicalsnapshots, Beauchem<strong>in</strong>'sjournal does not place these politicalobservations <strong>in</strong> a fully-developed context.That is done deliberately, and for ananglophone Canadian, with much moresober<strong>in</strong>g effect, <strong>in</strong> La visée critique.La visée critique: essais autobiographiqueset littéraires is a collection <strong>of</strong> twentyarticles, all but three previously published,prepared by André Brochu between 1974and 1987. For their new appearance,Brochu has organized them <strong>in</strong>to fourparts — "Autobiographies" (3), "Circonstances"(5), "Positions" (5), and"Lectures" (7) —and added an "Avantpropos."In this he expla<strong>in</strong>s that "L'ordonnancedes matières reproduit le mouvementd'une visée : de l'alpha, qui est lasubjectivité critique, à l'oméga — l'oeuvre,le texte, l'<strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>i des mots — par le jeudes circonstances et des positions qui confortentle sujet et l'objet." In "Autobiographies"Brochu rem<strong>in</strong>isces about hischildhood <strong>in</strong> Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Eustache, describesthe writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> his first novel, Adéodat, asa k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> therapy for a serious bout <strong>of</strong> hischronic manic depression, and records hisdiscovery <strong>in</strong> 1961 <strong>of</strong> "la littérature canadienne-française"through his read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>Gérard Bessette's Le libraire."Autobiocritique," written <strong>in</strong> 1986 —his review <strong>of</strong> his career as a critic <strong>of</strong>French and Québec literature from the1960s to the present — moves from <strong>in</strong>nocenceto experience, from joy to melancholy,and from agitation to resignation.Transition structures many <strong>of</strong> the essays,each part, and the entire work. S<strong>in</strong>cethe cultural "circonstances" condition thecritic's "autobiographies," def<strong>in</strong>e his "positions,"and pervade his "lectures," it ismoreover both a personal pattern forBrochu as writer and critic and a publicpattern for Brochu as a Québécois. Thus,although these essays discuss many subjects,their central preoccupation is thefact, and fate, <strong>of</strong> Brochu as a Québécoiswho shares a culture with France and acont<strong>in</strong>ent with the United States and whois dom<strong>in</strong>ated by both.In the essays this preoccupation takesvarious shapes. In "Le mimétisme culturelau Québec" (1975) Brochu presentshis "conception marxiste" that Québechas gone from a pre-<strong>in</strong>dustrial societyprovid<strong>in</strong>g raw material for export to apost-<strong>in</strong>dustrial society consum<strong>in</strong>g imports,and that Quebeckers must f<strong>in</strong>d themeans to become productive and participatedirectly <strong>in</strong> the development <strong>of</strong> themeans <strong>of</strong> production if they are to achievean autonomous culture, "orig<strong>in</strong>ale et accordéeà notre époque." In "Le nouveauconsensus," written <strong>in</strong> April 1977, Brochusuggests that the victory <strong>of</strong> René Lévesque<strong>in</strong> November 1976 allows for such a possibility.In "Littérature Québec," however,written <strong>in</strong> 1984 but not publisheduntil 1987, the bright hopes <strong>of</strong> the 1970s,through a comb<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> factors that158
BOOKS IN REVIEWhave to do with such matters as changes<strong>in</strong> education and read<strong>in</strong>g habits, the development<strong>of</strong> computer technology, andthe vogue <strong>of</strong> theory <strong>in</strong> the teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>literature, have darkened <strong>in</strong>to the sombrereality <strong>of</strong> a Québec culture that seemsstrong but is actually "comme une métaphoreen l'air à laquelle l'oxygène risquefort de venir à manquer".And can the destruction implied <strong>in</strong>these images be averted? Both Beauchem<strong>in</strong>and Brochu would probably reply"non!" Yet for an anglophone Canadianthe Québécois position seems far fromfutile, especially when it is compared withthat <strong>of</strong> the rest <strong>of</strong> Canada. For althoughFrance and the United States may <strong>in</strong>fluenceQuébec, its geographical distancefrom the first and its l<strong>in</strong>guistic differencefrom the second protect it from totaldom<strong>in</strong>ation. In that way the "circonstances"and "positions" <strong>of</strong> Québec giveit both a unique position with<strong>in</strong> NorthAmerica and a special status with<strong>in</strong>Canada. Yet, although we anglophoneCanadians also grew up <strong>in</strong> small "American"towns, read "foreign literature" beforewe discovered our own, and sufferedvarious k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> cultural alienation, neitherBeauchem<strong>in</strong> nor Brochu appears toknow. And that is too bad. For, because<strong>of</strong> their self-imposed isolation from otherCanadians, these Québécois have failedto learn the biographies, circumstances,positions, and read<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> the "pays <strong>in</strong>connu"<strong>of</strong> Canada, a "viseé critique" <strong>in</strong>which they would discover certa<strong>in</strong>ly asource <strong>of</strong> comparison, probably severalmatters <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest, and possibly even ameasure <strong>of</strong> hope.MARY JANE EDWARDSDIFFICULT PASSAGEJEAN DELisLE, Translation: An InterpretiveApproach. Univ. <strong>of</strong> Ottawa Press, trans. P.Logan and M. Creery, $14.95.GERARD BESSETTE, The Cycle. Exile Editions,$14.95. (Trans. A. D. Mart<strong>in</strong>-Sperry. )jovETTE MARCHESSAULT, Like a Child <strong>of</strong> theEarth. Talonbooks, $11.95.THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa Press collection<strong>of</strong> Translation Studies (Cahiers detraductologie) is a much-needed forumfor research <strong>in</strong> the field. Translation is thetranslation <strong>of</strong> the first part <strong>of</strong> no. 4, JeanDelisle's L'Analyse du discours commeméthode de traduction: théorie et pratique( 1980). Patricia Logan and MonicaCreery are to be complimented on theirexcellent work <strong>in</strong> translat<strong>in</strong>g this work ontranslation.Delisle's approach to translation issummed up <strong>in</strong> the prelim<strong>in</strong>ary statement:"The translation <strong>of</strong> pragmatic texts is anart <strong>of</strong> re-expression based on writ<strong>in</strong>g techniques."The statement may seem simple,but the importance <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g has beenunder-emphasized by l<strong>in</strong>guistic theoriesconcentrat<strong>in</strong>g on code and competencerather than text and performance <strong>in</strong> describ<strong>in</strong>glanguage transfers. Discourse analysis(the French title <strong>of</strong> his book is moreexplicit about Delisle's method) deciphersmean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a particular text and determ<strong>in</strong>esthe appropriate manipulation <strong>of</strong>language. The exercise, which I dislikecall<strong>in</strong>g a set <strong>of</strong> techniques, is applied to"pragmatic texts" which Delisle describes,though not without some necessary ambiguities,as tend<strong>in</strong>g to be denotative,objective, contextualized, didactic andpossibly codified. Although an effectivedescription <strong>of</strong> literary texts is <strong>of</strong>fered,literary texts are excluded from study forpragmatic and pedagogical reasons, becausethe language used <strong>in</strong> them has"little <strong>in</strong> common with ord<strong>in</strong>ary languageand writ<strong>in</strong>g" and is the most difficult totranslate.159
BOOKS IN REVIEWThrough Delisle's method, languageskills are directed from the level <strong>of</strong> competenceto performance. In the chapteron the theoretical foundations <strong>of</strong> themethod, Deslisle describes the stages <strong>of</strong>comprehension, reformulation and verification<strong>in</strong> an illustrative text. The discussionwhich follows, on the differencesbetween his method and the comparativeapproach <strong>of</strong> Darbelnet and V<strong>in</strong>ay, wouldhave found a better place <strong>in</strong> the unfortunatelybrief summary <strong>of</strong> "Theories <strong>of</strong>Translation" earlier <strong>in</strong> the chapter. Thethird chapter, on the "Levels <strong>of</strong> LanguageManipulation," adds details about theanalysis and reformulation <strong>of</strong> discoursewhich are the "proper focus" <strong>of</strong> hismethod. This order<strong>in</strong>g makes the development<strong>of</strong> the text, from theory to method,a little <strong>in</strong>consistent. However, the onlyreal drawback <strong>of</strong> the book is that it reproducesonly the first part <strong>of</strong> the Frenchversion. Teachers <strong>of</strong> translation, Delislehopes, will be able to develop their ownexercises out <strong>of</strong> the particular problemsraised by language comb<strong>in</strong>ations and directions<strong>of</strong> translation.Kle<strong>in</strong> and Mart<strong>in</strong>-Sperry enthusiasticallymeet the challenge <strong>of</strong> translat<strong>in</strong>g Lecrachat solaire, the first version <strong>of</strong> Marchessault'strilogy, and Bessette's Le cycle.In both examples, readability <strong>in</strong> the targetlanguage is problematic, not because <strong>of</strong>the work's contextualization and the difficulty<strong>of</strong> directly transferr<strong>in</strong>g cultural relanguageis problematic, not because <strong>of</strong>the anti-conventional use <strong>of</strong> language.Marchessault's translator chose to replicatethe source text <strong>in</strong> a rather literal version<strong>of</strong> it. Her l<strong>in</strong>guistic choices highlightMarchessault's idiom, which is sometimes"far-fetched," that is, drawn from a vastand rich space approached from manydirections at once. Marchessault delights<strong>in</strong> list<strong>in</strong>g sometimes <strong>in</strong>congruent objectsand contort<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>ear def<strong>in</strong>itions <strong>of</strong> spaceand time, for <strong>in</strong>stance <strong>in</strong> "the NativeAmerican land"conceived for giants, for weavers, for potters,for farmers, for nomads, for architects, formusicians, for jaguars, for Mothers, forsnakes, for bison, for American elks or treeeaters,for white, black, and brown bears,for scribes.The translator has reproduced as preciselyas possible these disparate elementsrather than forc<strong>in</strong>g them <strong>in</strong>to more habituallexical and semantic structures.Some <strong>of</strong> the more obvious gallicisms, suchas "dental caries" and "Javel water" seemunnecessary. However, the translationstrategies chosen are a consistent and usefulrem<strong>in</strong>der that this is a translation.Mart<strong>in</strong>-Sperry has been successful <strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g the "seven streams <strong>of</strong> semiconsciousness,"an exercise which mightbe compared to keep<strong>in</strong>g track <strong>of</strong> sevenmelodies at a time. The characters' rum<strong>in</strong>ations<strong>in</strong>clude <strong>in</strong>teractions and a commonsituation, mak<strong>in</strong>g the walls betweenthem, through which we listen with aswell as to them, very th<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed. Theirvoices, <strong>in</strong> translation, reta<strong>in</strong> their dist<strong>in</strong>ctions<strong>of</strong> age, sex, family relation and character,although some tonalities are moreeasily heard than others. Perhaps this hasto do with how the translator and thereaders listen. My preference goes toJacky, who starts the book by say<strong>in</strong>g:Grandpa's ly<strong>in</strong>g there <strong>in</strong> the big brown boxhe's not mov<strong>in</strong>g any more Mama said"Your grandfather's dead" her eyes were allred she looked ugly When you're deadyou don't move any more you stay <strong>in</strong> a bigbox all the time all alone . . .and whose affection for his grandfather,confused sense <strong>of</strong> loss, and urgent need t<strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>d someone to take him downstairs susta<strong>in</strong>a tension. On his way to the bathroom,little Jack <strong>in</strong>troduces us to thecharacters who provide the focus <strong>of</strong> otherchapters and whose idiolects are wellserved by the translation.The passage from signifier to signifiedand referent is never smooth, and it ishard to say where Marchessault's grey-160
BOOKS IN REVIEWhound is lead<strong>in</strong>g us, or whether, <strong>in</strong> Bessette'suniverse, life goes on or simplyaround.JO-ANNE ELDERPRAIRIE WOMENLINDA GHAN, A Gift <strong>of</strong> Sky. Western ProducerPrairie Books, $22.95.BRENDA RICHES, Rites. The Porcup<strong>in</strong>e's Quill,$8.95.WRITING WITHIN THE tradition <strong>of</strong> prairiewomen's fiction, L<strong>in</strong>da Ghan focuses on aspecific place ; a new community <strong>of</strong> immigrantsa few miles from Estevan, southeasternSaskatchewan, and the life <strong>of</strong> ayoung girl grow<strong>in</strong>g up on a prairie farmdur<strong>in</strong>g the 1920s and 1930s. BrendaRiches, on the other hand, avoids all referencesto time and place <strong>in</strong> Rites, herfirst collection <strong>of</strong> short stories, and wouldargue that authenticity <strong>in</strong> fiction need notrely on geography. Saskatchewan, however,has been her home s<strong>in</strong>ce she leftEngland <strong>in</strong> 1974 and she has played a significantrole <strong>in</strong> Saskatchewan's literarylife as fiction editor and then editor-<strong>in</strong>chieffor Gra<strong>in</strong>. In an <strong>in</strong>terview published<strong>in</strong> Voices and Visions: Interviews withSaskatchewan Writers (1985), she saysthat the prairies have exerted a strong <strong>in</strong>fluenceon her work: "So <strong>of</strong>ten the happen<strong>in</strong>gson the prairies that make theprairies so alive — the germ<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g seed,the grow<strong>in</strong>g gra<strong>in</strong> — are secret processeswhich take place underground or <strong>in</strong> hiddenways."Riches explores these secret processes <strong>in</strong>the fourteen stories collected <strong>in</strong> Rites,stories rang<strong>in</strong>g from realistic to magicrealism to fairy tale. The collection openswith a story about a beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g — a newday, a newly hatched bird, a book opento the first page; it ends with a woman'srambl<strong>in</strong>g monologue on death, but shekeeps the focus on the important rituals<strong>of</strong> her everyday life. As the title <strong>of</strong> thecollection suggests, rituals shape thestories, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the rituals <strong>of</strong> the playgroundand a girl's sexual <strong>in</strong>itiation <strong>in</strong>"Leav<strong>in</strong>gs" ; the w<strong>in</strong>e-and-writ<strong>in</strong>g regime<strong>of</strong> a woman <strong>in</strong> "Hannah's Day" ; the deathby fire <strong>of</strong> the mother <strong>in</strong> "When HelenWakes."Plot is subord<strong>in</strong>ated to image, metaphor,and wit. One story ends with thepowerful image <strong>of</strong> a woman enter<strong>in</strong>g herhouse "Like a nail <strong>in</strong>to knotted wood."In "Breed<strong>in</strong>g Ground" a man f<strong>in</strong>allyaccepts the end <strong>of</strong> his marriage as hepours hot water on the maggots <strong>in</strong> thegarbage, a disturb<strong>in</strong>g but suitable metaphor.In "Leav<strong>in</strong>gs" the narrator's description<strong>of</strong> seesaw<strong>in</strong>g thrusts the readerback <strong>in</strong>to childhood as the narratorrecalls that "The best part was when Iwas on the high end because I was thrown<strong>in</strong>to the air a little way, and the com<strong>in</strong>gdown was spongy, then hard." Riches' use<strong>of</strong> image and language can be powerful,as <strong>in</strong> a passage where a woman wants tohelp her husband, "to take him out wherethe black sea broke <strong>in</strong> white pieces aga<strong>in</strong>and aga<strong>in</strong>, show him how the sea went onanyway, and walk him beside its suck andsw<strong>in</strong>g" ("Fall"). The use <strong>of</strong> wit, however,is sometimes jarr<strong>in</strong>g. For example, <strong>in</strong>"The Maid" an angel falls <strong>in</strong> love with aragpicker, and her maid observes thatsome are "fortified by purity; others f<strong>in</strong>dstrength <strong>in</strong> martyrdom," but "many usecrotches for crutches."Ghan, too, explores the secret process<strong>of</strong> her narrator's life — Sara's shift<strong>in</strong>gstates as victim or victimizer, outsider or<strong>in</strong>sider, powerless or powerful. One specific<strong>in</strong>cident that takes place when Sara isn<strong>in</strong>e prefigures the adult she will become.She takes the tra<strong>in</strong> to Estevan, byherself, to go to the dentist. As she sits <strong>in</strong>the chair, Dr. Lyons says, as he had on aprevious occasion when drill<strong>in</strong>g her tooth,"I hear they're go<strong>in</strong>g to get that Jew."But Sara is ready for him:161
BOOKS IN REVIEWThis time, I pushed his hand away."I'm Jewish, too, you know.""Oh, I didn't mean — ""You did. You did mean it."I left his green <strong>of</strong>fice. (32)She had turned a humiliation <strong>in</strong>to a smallvictory. This scene is one <strong>of</strong> many <strong>in</strong>which Ghan focuses on a s<strong>in</strong>gle eventwhich, though describ<strong>in</strong>g external events,nevertheless enables the reader to <strong>in</strong>terpretthe secret processes beh<strong>in</strong>d theaction.Sara's "be<strong>in</strong>g" is <strong>in</strong>separable from theprairie landscape that she loves, but theprairie and nature are not represented <strong>in</strong>sentimental terms. As her mother notedbefore the hail storm, "The sky is sobeautiful. And so deadly." In choos<strong>in</strong>g thetitle, A Gift <strong>of</strong> Sky, Ghan emphasizes thepositive aspects. Douglas ThielPs coverpa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, Island <strong>in</strong> a Timestream, providesa complementary message: a girlwith arms outstretched to each side balanceswith ease and confidence on therail that slices through the prairie landscape.Both writers have been shaped bythe prairies. L<strong>in</strong>da Ghan has lived andworked <strong>in</strong> Jamaica and presently lives <strong>in</strong>Montreal where she writes drama andfiction <strong>in</strong> addition to teach<strong>in</strong>g writ<strong>in</strong>g;however, her novel demonstrates that theSaskatchewan prairie where she lived herfirst ten years is still very much alive <strong>in</strong>her creative m<strong>in</strong>d. As a result, she hasmade a major contribution to the tradition<strong>of</strong> prairie women's literature.CAROL FAIRBANKSMAUDITSJEAN-PAUL MARCHAND, Maudits Anglais! lettreouverte aux Québécois d'un Franco-Ontarien<strong>in</strong>digné. Stanké, $13.95.JACQUES LECLERC, La guerre des langues dansl'affichage. VLB, $27.95.JACQUES SAMSON ET ANDRÉ CARPENTIER (eds),Actes. Premier colloque de bande dess<strong>in</strong>éede Montréal. Analogon, n.p.MAUDITS ANGLAIS! est au phénomènefranco-canadien ce que, dans les années60, l'essai de George Grant Lament for aNation fut au phénomène canadien luimême.Gomme son illustre prédécesseur,il procède à partir d'une hypothèse extrêmementpessimiste — le progressif phagocytagede la culture et de la populationfrancophones du Canada par la sphèreéconomico-politique anglophone que symbolisentl'Ontario et les prov<strong>in</strong>ces del'ouest — et aboutit à une dénonciationdu bil<strong>in</strong>guisme et de la complaisance dugouvernement du Québec à l'égard desAnglo-Québécois.Les quatre premiers chapitres retracentles grandes étapes des politiques fédéraleset prov<strong>in</strong>ciales concernant les francophoneshors-Québec, notamment dans lesdoma<strong>in</strong>es scolaire et juridique. Faisant enguise de transition une comparaison entrela situation l<strong>in</strong>guistique respective desFranco-Ontariens et des Anglo-Québecois,l'auteur stigmatise ensuite la politique,selon lui anglophile, de RobertBourassa et particulièrement la loi 178sur l'affichage en anglais à l'<strong>in</strong>térieur descommerces <strong>in</strong>troduite en réponse à la décisionde la Cour Suprême sur l'<strong>in</strong>constitutionnalitéde la loi 101. Démontrantenf<strong>in</strong> comment le bil<strong>in</strong>guisme, en tantqu'argument politique, vise davantage àl'assimilation qu'à l'égalité l<strong>in</strong>guistique, ildénonce la propagande de l'organisationanglophone Alliance Québec et préconiseune application <strong>in</strong>transigeante de laCharte de la langue française af<strong>in</strong> que,f<strong>in</strong>alement libéré de la menace d'assimila-162
BOOKS IN REVIEWtion anglaise, le peuple québécois deviennele partenaire authentiquementégal des Anglo-Canadiens.Idéalisme et prosélytisme sont <strong>in</strong>évitablesdans ce genre d'essai. L'argument développén'en reste pas mo<strong>in</strong>s conva<strong>in</strong>cantet quoiqu'il y ait lieu de questionner lerejet en bloc du bil<strong>in</strong>guisme comme politiquede compromis, l'ouvrage de Jean-Paul Marchand constitue très certa<strong>in</strong>ementune étape dans l'<strong>in</strong>terprétation politiquedu fait francophone au Canada.Ouvrage de sociol<strong>in</strong>guistique où légisteset politologues trouveront leur compte,l'essai de Jacques Leclerc présente unpanorama synchronique portant sur centquatre-v<strong>in</strong>gt un Etats souvera<strong>in</strong>s et régionaux(i.e. prov<strong>in</strong>ces canadiennes, cantonssuisses, Etats américa<strong>in</strong>s, etc.) deslois et usages l<strong>in</strong>guistiques dans le doma<strong>in</strong>ede l'affichage, au sens le plus largedu terme. Le livre est divisé en troissections.La première présente "une typologiedes politiques l<strong>in</strong>guistiques en matièred'affichage." L'auteur y exam<strong>in</strong>e d'abordles Etats avec législations sur l'affichage etl'application de celles-ci, puis les Etatssans législation. Après avoir exposé dansle premier segment tous les aspects del'<strong>in</strong>terventionnisme étatique en matièrel<strong>in</strong>guistique, il bat en brèche l'idée que lanon-<strong>in</strong>tervention soit toujours synonymede respect des m<strong>in</strong>orités. Adoptant dansles deux chapitres suivants une perspectiverésolument tournée vers le politique,il déf<strong>in</strong>it les raisons poussant les pouvoirscentraux et locaux à légiférer ou non dansle doma<strong>in</strong>e de l'affichage : en fait de motifséthiques, il faut plutôt voir dans l'attitudedes Etats envers les langues un désir, pourles m<strong>in</strong>orités, de ma<strong>in</strong>tenir le statu quo,et pour les majorités, d'exclure les idiomesconcurrents; parallèlement, l'auteur stigmatisele discours sécurisant sur les loisl<strong>in</strong>guistiques propre aux démocraties occidentalesen démontrant combien peutêtre important l'écart entre les dispositionsjuridiques et leur application sur leterra<strong>in</strong>. Allant jusqu'au bout de sa problématiqueréaliste, il établit f<strong>in</strong>alement qu'ilest impossible de trouver une corrélationentre types de régime politique et loisl<strong>in</strong>guistiques.Les deux sections suivantes, en faitd'imposantes annexes, présentent l'une lasituation actuelle de chaque pays et Etatétudiés au regard des politiques l<strong>in</strong>guistiquesen matière d'affichage, l'autre lestextes législatifs illustrant chaque cas.Avec ce livre <strong>in</strong>telligent aux illustrationssouvent ironiques, Jacques Leclerc,en plus d'exposer l'hétérogénéité des législationsl<strong>in</strong>guistiques de par le monde, témoignede l'<strong>in</strong>quiétude d'un universitairequébécois pour l'avenir de sa langue,m<strong>in</strong>oritaire dans son propre pays. C'estpourquoi on ne peut que louer la luciditéet l'objectivité qui font la force decette étude.Actes: premier colloque de bande dess<strong>in</strong>éerecueille l'essentiel des communicationsdu colloque organisé à l'UQAM sousl'égide de la "Société québécoise de recherchesur la bande dess<strong>in</strong>ée" au pr<strong>in</strong>temps1985. Cette manifestation reçut àl'époque un écho favorable, ses deux axesthématiques, Québec et bande dess<strong>in</strong>ée,ayant été très <strong>in</strong>telligemment exploités.Le recueil est divisé en trois parties:"Bande dess<strong>in</strong>ée québécoise," "Enseignementet BD" et "Etudes diverses." L'hétérogénéitédes thèmes, reflet du désir desorganisateurs d'attirer un maximum d'<strong>in</strong>tervenantspour un premier colloque, nenuit en rien à la qualité propre de chaquetexte. En fait, il y a lieu de se réjouir queles différents aspects abordés au cours dela conférence aient été a posteriori si judicieusementcompartimentés : l'exploitationde l'ouvrage n'en est que facilitée.En matière de contenu, les deux dernièresparties n'apportent pas vraimentd'éléments nouveaux à la compréhensiongénérale du medium: bande dess<strong>in</strong>ée etenseignement ont donné lieu à ma<strong>in</strong>ts163
BOOKS IN REVIEWouvrages depuis les années 60 ; quant aux"Etudes diverses," à l'exception du textede Christiane Ghassay sur le regard dansla bande dess<strong>in</strong>ée érotico-pornographique("L'homme au foyer"), on ne peuts'empêcher d'éprouver à leur lecture lasensation que, bien trop souvent, la bandedess<strong>in</strong>ée est prétexte à des exercices universitairesde ce type où la complexité dupropos le dispute à une certa<strong>in</strong>e gratuitéde la problématique.C'est f<strong>in</strong>alement grâce à sa premièrepartie que l'ouvrage mérite le plus d'éloges.Toutes les contributions de cettesection apportent éléments <strong>in</strong>édits etéclaircissements sur le doma<strong>in</strong>e encoretrès mal exploré des "comics" québécois.Rétrospectives historiques, analyses debandes et entrevues avec des créateursconcourent à mettre en évidence une idéeforce:medium m<strong>in</strong>oritaire chez une m<strong>in</strong>oriténord-américa<strong>in</strong>e, la bande dess<strong>in</strong>éeau Québec s'avère être un des aspects dela difficile résistance francophone à lapénétration culturelle des Etats-Unis.En en dégageant certa<strong>in</strong>s traits particuliers,cet ouvrage présente aux canadianistesun aspect ignoré de la culture demasse au Québec qu'il serait malencontreuxde négliger dans la perspectived'une déf<strong>in</strong>ition globale du fait francophoneen Amérique du nord.FIXED SMILEJEAN-PAUL GABILLIETMARY MCALPiNE, The Other Side <strong>of</strong> Silence:A Life <strong>of</strong> Ethel Wilson. Harbour, $26.95.LIKE ETHEL WILSON'S FICTION, the story <strong>of</strong>her life as told <strong>in</strong> Mary McAlp<strong>in</strong>e's biographyThe Other Side <strong>of</strong> Silence is appeal<strong>in</strong>g,its tone conversational, its styleeasy, and its material <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g. Thebiography beg<strong>in</strong>s with Ethel Wilson's beguil<strong>in</strong>gaccount <strong>of</strong> a smil<strong>in</strong>g doll that hadassociations with loss and bereavement.Its owner, a tailor, had lost his wife andwas about to lose his m<strong>in</strong>ister, youngRobert Bryant. Newly outfitted by thetailor <strong>in</strong> exquisitely sewn clothes, the dollwas to be a farewell gift for the m<strong>in</strong>ister'sdaughter, Ethel Bryant, still a baby whenher mother died and her father decidedto leave his post <strong>in</strong> the African town <strong>of</strong>Port Elizabeth. "Smil<strong>in</strong>g radiantly andsweetly," the doll was the child's companionthrough her few happy years <strong>in</strong>England and through her bereavementwhen Robert Bryant died. Young Ethelwas passed among her "well-manneredrelatives" until she was retrieved by hermaternal grandmother, Annie Malk<strong>in</strong>, agentle but adventurous woman who at theage <strong>of</strong> sixty-three had emigrated to Canadato jo<strong>in</strong> her sons <strong>in</strong> Vancouver. Shehad brought with her two maiden daughtersand a young son ; she returned to Englandto br<strong>in</strong>g back her granddaughterEthel. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the years <strong>of</strong> dislocation,bereavement, and change that broughtthe young orphan to <strong>British</strong> <strong>Columbia</strong> —the famous locale <strong>of</strong> Wilson's fiction —the doll kept its "enchant<strong>in</strong>g" smile,though its delicate handsewn clothes becamefrayed and its features pale andnearly obliterated.Read<strong>in</strong>g McAlp<strong>in</strong>e's biography, I beg<strong>in</strong>to see this fixed smile as emblematic <strong>of</strong>Wilson's persona as she passed throughthe stages <strong>of</strong> her life, from cherished child,to orphan, to émigré, schoolgirl, teacher,and wife <strong>of</strong> a highly successful doctor.Dur<strong>in</strong>g pr<strong>of</strong>essionally required social occasions,Wilson's smile would rema<strong>in</strong>bright, though, McAlp<strong>in</strong>e writes, it mayhave felt "as if it would crack <strong>in</strong>to a thousandpieces and clatter to the floor." Despiteher smile, her gush<strong>in</strong>g talk, and herlaughter, Wilson seemed alo<strong>of</strong>; for shewas conceal<strong>in</strong>g beh<strong>in</strong>d her amiable andelegant social façade a secret persona —"the writer" who was observ<strong>in</strong>g and stor<strong>in</strong>gmaterial for her stories. How she beganto fit writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to her marriage to Dr.164
BOOKS IN REVIEWWallace Wilson may be suggested by adescription <strong>of</strong> her sitt<strong>in</strong>g alone at night<strong>in</strong> a car, wait<strong>in</strong>g for her husband who wasvisit<strong>in</strong>g a patient. Meanwhile, alone and<strong>in</strong> the dark, she wrote. She may have beenwrit<strong>in</strong>g for years, but if so, she kept heractivity <strong>in</strong> the dark. The visible aspects<strong>of</strong> her life were identified with her roleas wife.By all accounts, Wilson's marriage wasremarkably happy, and her fiction capturesa sense <strong>of</strong> quiet married happ<strong>in</strong>essthat is rare <strong>in</strong> modern literature. Theanxieties <strong>in</strong>separable from a lov<strong>in</strong>g relationshipare reflected <strong>in</strong> the short storiesrevolv<strong>in</strong>g about Mrs. Forrester, an autobiographicalcharacter; the biography depictsWilson's suffer<strong>in</strong>g over Dr. Wilson'smysterious ailments and the heart attacksthat f<strong>in</strong>ally proved fatal. Sadly, her husband'sdeath seemed to end Wilson's writ<strong>in</strong>gcareer.To ask why Wilson gave up writ<strong>in</strong>gmay be as fruitless as to wonder why shebegan. Wilson was secretive about herbeg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gs as a writer and modest abouther accomplishments. However, her lettersto editors show her discreetly promot<strong>in</strong>gher career. In her essays, she expressedthe hope (and belief) that herwrit<strong>in</strong>g transcended the regionalism <strong>of</strong> itsCanadian sett<strong>in</strong>g to achieve universal appeal.She may have been imply<strong>in</strong>g that italso transcended the boundaries <strong>of</strong> genderwhich she carefully observed <strong>in</strong> her personallife. As a well-brought-up woman,she preferred illness to confrontation as away <strong>of</strong> express<strong>in</strong>g disagreement or defiance.She took to her bed when she feltoverwhelmed by her mother-<strong>in</strong>-law, cam<strong>of</strong>lag<strong>in</strong>gher anger aga<strong>in</strong>st the older womanas physical weakness: "She did notrage. She became silent. Her smile becamea little stiff, . . . She took to her bedquite <strong>of</strong>ten." As "a smart orphan who hadbeen properly brought up," Wilson hadlearned that the way to deal with problemswas to have "a little breakdown";health returned "when the problem wascleared up."Whether she had learned the lesson <strong>of</strong>"a smart orphan" too well is a questionthe biographer might well have raised.For some problems, like widowhood, nevercleared up for Wilson, and she spent many<strong>of</strong> her long f<strong>in</strong>al years <strong>in</strong> bed. She wasarthritic, but also bereaved and "enraged":"It enrages me [she wrote Mc-Alp<strong>in</strong>e] that now that I have more sparetime than ever <strong>in</strong> my life, I have no desireto 'write' ... A bare desert, & noth<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> it, not a weed, nor a flower." Perhapsher feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> aridity can be traced backto the way she had learned to repress rage,especially her rage over loss, a traumaticexperience <strong>of</strong> the child and the womanand wife. I wish McAlp<strong>in</strong>e had givenserious consideration to Wilson's rage, butshe excuses herself from prob<strong>in</strong>g analysisby say<strong>in</strong>g that though she knew Wilsonfor over thirty years, she can <strong>of</strong>fer thereader only "glimpses" <strong>of</strong> a life ratherthan "the truth." The Other Side <strong>of</strong> Silenceis an amiable collection <strong>of</strong> glimpsesgathered from letters, photographs, rem<strong>in</strong>iscences,verifiable facts, and the fiction."Truth is so hard to know," Wilson hadwritten <strong>in</strong> her story "Truth and Mrs. Forrester."If we cannot have truth, we doexpect <strong>in</strong>terpretation and critical <strong>in</strong>sight,both made possible by, but constitut<strong>in</strong>gmore than, a collation <strong>of</strong> quotations andglimpses. What lay hidden beh<strong>in</strong>d Wilson'scarefully constructed brilliant surface?,we might ask. What <strong>of</strong> the rageconta<strong>in</strong>ed by the radiant smile? Was itenergiz<strong>in</strong>g as well as deplet<strong>in</strong>g? Did itfigure <strong>in</strong> Ethel Wilson's art as well as <strong>in</strong>her despair?BLANCHE H. GELFANT165
BOOKS IN REVIEWMYSTERIESWILLIAM DEVERELL, Dance <strong>of</strong> Shiva. BantamBks now O-U-S, n.p.WILLIAM DEVERELL, Plat<strong>in</strong>um Blues. McClelland& Stewart, n.p.HOWARD ENGEL, A Victim Must be Found.Vik<strong>in</strong>g, $22.95.MAUREEN MOORE, Field Work. Women's Press,$8.95.ERIC WRIOHT. A Question <strong>of</strong> Murder. Coll<strong>in</strong>s.IN JULY 1989, Greg Gatenby, the perspicaciousdirector <strong>of</strong> Harbourfront, scheduleda week <strong>of</strong> "mystery read<strong>in</strong>gs." Forfour nights, Canadian authors <strong>of</strong> whodunnits,thrillers and suspense novels readto full houses. It was an unusual event,<strong>in</strong> that Harbourfront, which has hostedmany <strong>of</strong> the prom<strong>in</strong>ent liv<strong>in</strong>g writers,rarely if ever recognizes genre fiction.Gatenby, perhaps the first literary impresario,scheduled the event because he believedsometh<strong>in</strong>g important is happen<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> Canadian writ<strong>in</strong>g, someth<strong>in</strong>g whichought to be taken note <strong>of</strong> by people whocare about Canadian writ<strong>in</strong>g.Ten years ago there was very little mysteryfiction be<strong>in</strong>g written <strong>in</strong> Canada; publishersbelieved that the form, rooted as itso <strong>of</strong>ten is <strong>in</strong> its place, and knitted as it so<strong>of</strong>ten is <strong>in</strong>to the sociology <strong>of</strong> crime andpunishment, could not take hold <strong>in</strong> ourbland sett<strong>in</strong>gs and our respectable communities.Writers who tried to publishbooks set <strong>in</strong> Canada were usually rejected<strong>in</strong> Canada and, when submitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> theUS, told to change their sett<strong>in</strong>gs.But over the past ten years the formhas changed, publish<strong>in</strong>g has changed andCanada has changed. The result is thatCanadian mystery writers have found aplace. Some have succeeded <strong>in</strong> the timehonouredCanadian way; they have writtencrime fiction <strong>in</strong>dist<strong>in</strong>guishable fromAmerican or <strong>British</strong>, sett<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> American,English or Scottish scenes and peopl<strong>in</strong>git with the stock characters <strong>of</strong> thegenre that mystery readers enjoy rediscover<strong>in</strong>g.Others have played with theform, expand<strong>in</strong>g it, mak<strong>in</strong>g someth<strong>in</strong>gthat throws a peculiar and <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>glight on how Canadian writers are adapt<strong>in</strong>gto the <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly global competition<strong>in</strong> the publish<strong>in</strong>g world and still manag<strong>in</strong>gto hang onto their souls.The year 1989 saw new books by most<strong>of</strong> Canada's most successful mysterywriters: Bill Deverell, Howard Engel,Laurence Gough, John Reeves, EricWright, and L. R. Wright. As well newpractitioners have appeared who are wellworth follow<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Ron Base, JackBatten, Alison Gordon and MaureenMoore. The most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> these —for different reasons — are Deverell,Engel, Eric Wright and Moore.Each <strong>of</strong> Bill Deverell's five thriller/mysteries has been <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> differentways. Each has expanded his range andshown development <strong>of</strong> his powers as awriter. His Dance <strong>of</strong> Shiva is the bestmodern mystery ever, perhaps the bestmystery ever. It <strong>in</strong>cludes, among otherastonish<strong>in</strong>g accomplishments: a brilliantplot, constant surprises, excellent pac<strong>in</strong>gand creation <strong>of</strong> suspense, beautiful evocation<strong>of</strong> place and perceptive illum<strong>in</strong>ation<strong>of</strong> the power and ambivalence <strong>of</strong>unalloyed good. This would be enough tomake the book important. But what ismost astonish<strong>in</strong>g is that Deverell succeeds<strong>in</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g the character <strong>of</strong> a murdererthrough the development <strong>of</strong> the plot. Asa result, when the murderer is unmaskedwe realize that we ought to have knownwho it was by the character developmentalone, but we did not. That is, the craftilyplaced clues were clues <strong>of</strong> character, notf<strong>in</strong>gerpr<strong>in</strong>ts or deceptive alibis. This is thehardest th<strong>in</strong>g to do <strong>in</strong> a mystery and, <strong>in</strong>my view, the th<strong>in</strong>g most worth do<strong>in</strong>g.In his most recent book Plat<strong>in</strong>um BluesDeverell sets his story on the Californianorth coast, a sett<strong>in</strong>g which is a disappo<strong>in</strong>tmentto his Canadian readers whotreasured his development <strong>of</strong> the ВС coast166
BOOKS IN REVIEW<strong>in</strong> Shiva. His ma<strong>in</strong> characters are a smalltownlawyer and a clutch <strong>of</strong> rock musicians.The plot is clever, the courtroomdrama — always well done by Deverellwho is a lawyer — is excellent. The conflictscreated when artistic creativity,greed and amorality clash with the "smalltown values" <strong>of</strong> family love and loyaltyand straight deal<strong>in</strong>g make for an enterta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gwork. In the character or the hero,Oliver Gulliver (a peculiar name, onecould hardly believe any parent couldhave a ear t<strong>in</strong>ny enough to <strong>in</strong>flict it)Deverell gives us a version <strong>of</strong> the Canadianhero, who, characterized by his naturalunaffected goodness, struggles to geta purchase <strong>in</strong> the corrupt world wheremurders are committed. Of course, Gulliveris not Canadian. Perhaps, s<strong>in</strong>ce Deverellis deal<strong>in</strong>g with genre fiction, whereclichés can be used as archetypes, or viceversa, the book would have worked betterif he had been.The qu<strong>in</strong>tessential Canadian fictionalgood guy is Howard Engel's Benny Cooperman.Cooperman is a fictional phenomenon:the nebbish as hero. A manwho has no passions, no fears, no ego. Heis simply a nice guy shlump<strong>in</strong>g along try<strong>in</strong>gto make it <strong>in</strong> a tough pr<strong>of</strong>ession. Andthis character, whose Jewish motherwould rather watch television than havehim over for d<strong>in</strong>ner, whose idea <strong>of</strong> a stressreliev<strong>in</strong>gtipple is a glass <strong>of</strong> milk, has succeeded<strong>in</strong> break<strong>in</strong>g open the competitiveUS mystery market for other Canadianwriters. Benny Cooperman, a southernOntario wimp, can be found <strong>in</strong> stacks onthe mass markets racks all over the US.Why? It isn't Engel's writ<strong>in</strong>g. He rarelyventures beyond a compound sentenceand the world seen through Benny's eyesis extremely two-dimensional. It isn't hisplots which rarely <strong>of</strong>fer a surprise twistor an <strong>in</strong>genious complexity to keep thereader on his toes. Perhaps Benny's successderives from his extraord<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>nocence,and the satisfaction we get from its triumph.He took the nice-guy bland Canadian,put him <strong>in</strong>to the world <strong>of</strong> meanstreets and a "man's gotta do what aman's gotta do" ethic that is the hardboileddetective story and let us enjoywatch<strong>in</strong>g him schmooze the s<strong>in</strong> and corruptionright out <strong>of</strong> the detective story.In Engel's most recent Cooperman novel,A Victim Must be Found, Benny gets<strong>in</strong>volved with upper-class rich people,bus<strong>in</strong>ess people, art galleries and even adrunken and rather unpleasant artist.Benny can barely understand these to-himexotic people. In fact, he solves this mysteryby nagg<strong>in</strong>g the suspects until theyf<strong>in</strong>d him so annoy<strong>in</strong>g that they let theirsecrets out just to get rid <strong>of</strong> him. It is atypical Benny triumph and we just haveto love him for it.While Engel is writ<strong>in</strong>g what seem to besly spo<strong>of</strong>s on the American hardboiled detectivenovel, the Toronto writer, EricWright, takes another form, the policeprocedural, plays it straight and does agood job <strong>of</strong> it. Wright's hero is a Torontopoliceman Charlie Salter who f<strong>in</strong>ds himself<strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> homicides no one elsewants. In the Salter mysteries we get slices<strong>of</strong> Canadian life, usually Toronto and alook at the Canadian class system as itplays itself out between the families <strong>of</strong> thework<strong>in</strong>g-class Salter and his upper-middleclass wife. The police procedural is avenerable form. In England it has a longhistory where readers watch ScotlandYard detectives tediously unravel clues <strong>in</strong>the works <strong>of</strong> authors as diverse as FreeWill Cr<strong>of</strong>ts and P. D. James' Daglieshnovels. Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo usedit to show the despair and anomie <strong>of</strong>Swedish Socialism while Simenon's mysteriescan be seen as studies <strong>of</strong> Frenchsociety's ability to gr<strong>in</strong>d down the <strong>in</strong>dividualFrenchman.Not surpris<strong>in</strong>gly, the form <strong>in</strong> the UShas been exploited <strong>in</strong> a violent, dark andsometimes corrupt way. Police work <strong>in</strong> theUS appears <strong>in</strong> these novels to be a descent167
BOOKS IN REVIEW<strong>in</strong>to the hell <strong>of</strong> American cities, <strong>in</strong>to them<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> psychopaths and <strong>in</strong>to the morallycorrupt, repressive brutal police forcesthemselves. Sometimes the authors explorethis world, <strong>of</strong>ten they appear toglorify <strong>in</strong> it.Looked at this way Salter is to the policeprocedural what Cooperman is to thehardboiled. He is a gentle unassum<strong>in</strong>gfellow who rarely experiences corruptionor evil; his personal life is upright, hisfamily relationships wholesome, his city,though far from perfect, is livable and themoral order he is polic<strong>in</strong>g is worth defend<strong>in</strong>g.Spend<strong>in</strong>g a few hours with anEric Wright book, unlike those <strong>of</strong> his UScounterparts, rarely gives one the <strong>in</strong>tensedesire to take a shower.In his most recent, A Question <strong>of</strong> Murder,Wright's Toronto policeman, Salter,is <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> prevent<strong>in</strong>g what seems tobe a terrorist act. This book is a def<strong>in</strong>itefall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>f for Wright. The plot is confus<strong>in</strong>gand the cont<strong>in</strong>ual character development<strong>of</strong> Salter we have been watch<strong>in</strong>gfrom book to book doesn't quite work.Worst <strong>of</strong> all is Wright's adopt<strong>in</strong>g a secondpo<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> view — the po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> view <strong>of</strong> one<strong>of</strong> the perpetrators. This is a device which,if not handled perfectly, can be very annoy<strong>in</strong>g.In this book it is annoy<strong>in</strong>g.Deverell, Engel and Wright are all establishedpopular writers with loyal follow<strong>in</strong>gs.Maureen Moore, however, is anewcomer to the mystery genre. Her book,Fieldwork, belongs <strong>in</strong> the newly emerg<strong>in</strong>gcategory <strong>of</strong> fem<strong>in</strong>ist murder mysteries.Most fem<strong>in</strong>ist whodunnits are American.In some cases they take the hardboiledgenre and bend it by creat<strong>in</strong>g a toughdetective, <strong>of</strong> the k<strong>in</strong>d the Sunday TimesLiterary Supplement recently called a"bulldyke Drummond." A good Canadianexample <strong>of</strong> this approach are the HelenKeremeos books by the Vancouver authorEve Zaremba. A more commercially successfulauthor, the Ghicagoan Sara Peretsky,has created a woman detective whodr<strong>in</strong>ks, hangs out <strong>in</strong> a sleazy <strong>of</strong>fice andeven tangles physically with stylized Americanhoodlum baddies. Mak<strong>in</strong>g such womencharacters believable is a difficultfeat and both Zaremba and Paretskystruggle to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> the suspended disbeliefupon which their chosen form relies.Maureen Moore has taken the wisercourse. She has written a standard whodunnitpolice procedural with a limited set<strong>of</strong> suspects and a believable fem<strong>in</strong>ist hero,Marsha Lewis, a crim<strong>in</strong>ology student.Marsha's position allows her to help thepolice yet reta<strong>in</strong> her detachment fromtheir po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>of</strong> view. Moore has thus solvedthe fem<strong>in</strong>ist conundrum <strong>of</strong> giv<strong>in</strong>g awoman an active yet believable role <strong>in</strong>solv<strong>in</strong>g crime.Fieldwork does other th<strong>in</strong>gs nicely aswell. There are lots <strong>of</strong> the detailed slices<strong>of</strong> life which mystery readers enjoy: thepersuasively realized Vancouver scene,the struggles <strong>of</strong> the fem<strong>in</strong>ist movement,and the <strong>in</strong>ner conflicts <strong>of</strong> a young, vulnerablewoman cop<strong>in</strong>g with a child on herown. Best <strong>of</strong> all, Moore pulls <strong>of</strong>f the trickychallenge <strong>of</strong> the contemporary whodunnit;she manages to balance the moralissues and right the moral order <strong>in</strong> theend. As readers we may be disappo<strong>in</strong>tedthat we never got to know the villa<strong>in</strong> aswell as we did some <strong>of</strong> the other suspects,nor to understand his motives <strong>in</strong> any butthe most superficial sense. Yet the booksatisfies at the moral level where murdermysteries must work to be true to whatis most important <strong>in</strong> the form.Watch<strong>in</strong>g what happens to the Canadianmystery <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g years is go<strong>in</strong>gto be very <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g. Our best writersseem to be subvert<strong>in</strong>g the form as it ispractised <strong>in</strong> America and Brita<strong>in</strong>. In itsplace they are giv<strong>in</strong>g us a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> crimefiction which reflects some <strong>of</strong> the ways <strong>in</strong>which Canada is different. And they aregiv<strong>in</strong>g us Canadian heros with the power168
BOOKS IN REVIEWto amuse, to enterta<strong>in</strong> and possibly toenlighten.ELLEN GODFREYBACKTRACKINGANNE CAMPBELL, Red Earth, Yellow Stone.Thistledown, $9.95.ANDREW WREGGITT, Mak<strong>in</strong>g Movies. Thistledown,$9.95.PERHAPSTHERE IS SOMETHING to belearned about men's and women's writ<strong>in</strong>gfrom two new books <strong>of</strong> poetry publishedby Thistledown this year. Andrew Wreggitt'sMak<strong>in</strong>g Movies and Anne Campbell'sRed Earth, Yellow Stone provide,when compared, a curious difference : notjust <strong>in</strong> poetics, but <strong>in</strong> sensibility. Entirelydifferent ways <strong>of</strong> process<strong>in</strong>g experienceare portrayed. This difference becomesconspicuous when time is compared, asused and perceived by the two authors.Time <strong>in</strong> Mak<strong>in</strong>g Movies moves so fast thewords themselves seem to beg<strong>in</strong> to crumbledur<strong>in</strong>g read<strong>in</strong>g, while <strong>in</strong> Red Earth,Yellow Stone time appears to be so stillthat an eternity might be encased betweenwords dropped onto the page as if theylanded there accidentally : as if the writerhad passed by a sheet <strong>of</strong> paper hold<strong>in</strong>g asubstance from which drops un<strong>in</strong>tentionallyspilled. The difference <strong>in</strong> the read<strong>in</strong>gexperience between these two books islargely one <strong>of</strong> speed and stillness; noiseand silence; images and a curious cessation<strong>of</strong> images.Because Andrew Wreggitt writes a number<strong>of</strong> poems about his childhood, thereis a strong flavour <strong>of</strong> the fifties <strong>in</strong> his book(he was born <strong>in</strong> 1955). There are vaguememories that turn out to be surpris<strong>in</strong>glyclear about be<strong>in</strong>g a young boy fall<strong>in</strong>gasleep while a box<strong>in</strong>g match with SonnyListon is on the radio; <strong>of</strong> burrow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stiff grasses not much taller than he; <strong>of</strong>youngsters play<strong>in</strong>g at mak<strong>in</strong>g movies andshow<strong>in</strong>g them to each other; <strong>of</strong> cars <strong>in</strong>front <strong>of</strong> the house, "a different car everyweek." He writes <strong>of</strong> his father as a memory,a presence, which rema<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> the form<strong>of</strong> very substantial images. The cars areone; the burn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the deceased father'sclothes another; the memory <strong>of</strong> see<strong>in</strong>gsometh<strong>in</strong>g like a Sasquatch while hunt<strong>in</strong>gwith his father yet another. Perhaps thedecade <strong>in</strong> which we were born stamps us :it would seem so with Wreggitt. Memoriesare turned <strong>in</strong>to sett<strong>in</strong>gs that are as vividas if they were on the screen. Photography,and mov<strong>in</strong>g photography especially, marksthe nature <strong>of</strong> this collection. And it doesso as if the image on the screen were morereal than the memory. There is a sensethat what is replayed has more value thanwhat was lived <strong>in</strong> the first place. In thefifties, <strong>in</strong> any case, movies were someth<strong>in</strong>grare and special.The same sensibility and treatment <strong>of</strong>experience comes through <strong>in</strong> the secondsection <strong>of</strong> the book, "Gross<strong>in</strong>g the Datel<strong>in</strong>e";only here the author deals with thepresent. He travels through Japan and recordshis impressions. The effect is muchlike a movie, aga<strong>in</strong>. There is even an aura<strong>of</strong> the screenplay about Wreggitt's poetry :a writ<strong>in</strong>g that focuses on description <strong>of</strong> ascene. Sometimes the result is very pleasant,such as this sett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Japan outside"Time Time Cafe" :Ra<strong>in</strong> hammers outside aga<strong>in</strong>stwide awn<strong>in</strong>gs,tangles <strong>of</strong> bicycles on the sidewalk,ra<strong>in</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g through them,crazy tablature up and down the streetCymbal brush <strong>of</strong> tires. . . .There is Mika, the bl<strong>in</strong>d girl, who massagesthe narrator's back as he attemptsto describe America to her. This is anotherreplay<strong>in</strong>g motif, as if the author's description<strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs would make them more realto the (bl<strong>in</strong>d) reader. There is an assumption<strong>in</strong> this sort <strong>of</strong> poetics that only writ<strong>in</strong>g— the word on the page — can endowreality with its own be<strong>in</strong>g. Perhaps this isa literal extension <strong>of</strong> the idea that <strong>in</strong> the169
BOOKS IN REVIEWbeg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g was the word. Whatever it is,the implication comments on the writ<strong>in</strong>gexperience <strong>in</strong> general — and perhaps themovie maker's as well.In section three, "The Liv<strong>in</strong>g," Wreggittgoes back even further, to the decadesbefore the 1950s. Here lurk the Depressionand the Second World War. The poemsreflect the scars that are left by thosetimes. Characters emerge who have sufferedand memories confound the author/narrator with their perpetual presence:"Some th<strong>in</strong>gs that end / just go on end<strong>in</strong>g,year after year. . . ." And a senseemerges that life somehow goes on withoutresolution, as <strong>in</strong> "Dolomite Pass" <strong>in</strong>which the narrator is mounta<strong>in</strong>-climb<strong>in</strong>gwith his friend and says :You and I have been climb<strong>in</strong>g a long time,years, I th<strong>in</strong>k,pull<strong>in</strong>g ourselves over the stubborn shoulders<strong>of</strong> our lives. . . .The clos<strong>in</strong>g poem, "The Liv<strong>in</strong>g," is abeautiful display <strong>of</strong> an old man's fad<strong>in</strong>gmental presence: he is ill, has to takemany pills, and keeps los<strong>in</strong>g his focus asif he were ly<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> "a perfectly still pool /with himself at the centre."Time, <strong>in</strong> all these poems, passes at whatseems like breakneck speed. Time is alsoa confus<strong>in</strong>g element, as <strong>in</strong> "Cross<strong>in</strong>g theDatel<strong>in</strong>e" where the plane the narrator isfly<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> seems to rema<strong>in</strong> on the datel<strong>in</strong>ewithout committ<strong>in</strong>g itself to either side —either day. The past and present, memoryand current experience, are mixed to apo<strong>in</strong>t where chronology does not matteras much as the replay<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the event does,c<strong>in</strong>ematically. There is also a strong focuson the scene : this is not so much a focuson the image as on the sett<strong>in</strong>g where anevent is to occur. The sett<strong>in</strong>g, as it turnsout, tends to be full <strong>of</strong> images the narratoruses, so there is perhaps a crowd<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>images. But even so, images are not obtrusiveor overpower<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> this book. Theyare simply there: they cannot help be<strong>in</strong>gthere any more than a photograph canhelp show<strong>in</strong>g what was <strong>in</strong> the scene.Anne Campbell's Red Earth, YellowStone is an altogether different, moretransparent, read<strong>in</strong>g experience. This isa short book and the poems <strong>in</strong> it are brief.Every word seems weighed for its owntrue weight — nuances, implications, <strong>in</strong>herentassumptions, sound, feel<strong>in</strong>g, sothere is a much stronger sense <strong>of</strong> uncerta<strong>in</strong>tyabout language than <strong>in</strong> Wreggitt'sbook. Often the author/narrator has toresort to the dictionary <strong>in</strong> her uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty,only to f<strong>in</strong>d that obscurity deepens, andpoetry opens up more avenues <strong>of</strong> verbalexperience. Sense and logic are confounded,and as a result, the narrator's truefeel<strong>in</strong>gs become uncerta<strong>in</strong>, as do her memories<strong>of</strong> what is actually occurr<strong>in</strong>g. Whilewith Wreggitt we seem to have a veryfirm grasp <strong>of</strong> what world we are <strong>in</strong> andwhat function the author/narrator/filmmakerhas <strong>in</strong> that world, with Campbellwe are <strong>in</strong>vited <strong>in</strong>to a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> cloud <strong>of</strong>unknow<strong>in</strong>g.In many ways Red Earth, Yellow Stoneis a candid book. The narrator displaysher emotional life: her feel<strong>in</strong>gs aboutdomesticity; long-term relationships; herown body; the physical world and thespiritual; love; friendship. The narratorf<strong>in</strong>ds herself <strong>in</strong> a relationship she likes andapparently needs. But she also likes andneeds her own solitude. Whatever conflictemerges is treated with doubt. Thenarrator hesitates, backtracks, reth<strong>in</strong>ksstatements, as if it were hard to keepth<strong>in</strong>gs straight:This is gett<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>of</strong> handthat is to saywhile I (the person I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> as me)decide to keep open to youwonderwho you are what Jungianpart you're play<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> my life this body soarswith other ideas to put it pla<strong>in</strong>lywants youand not only that. . . .170
BOOKS IN REVIEWNoth<strong>in</strong>g can be taken for granted <strong>in</strong> suchself-stopp<strong>in</strong>g writ<strong>in</strong>g. In an unusual way,Campbell manages to unite the lyric withspeech. We sense there is a woman talk<strong>in</strong>g,yet it is also a ref<strong>in</strong>ed lyric. The resultis a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> poetic candour. The narratorhas a poetic sensibility, but will not drumup poetry per se, to use as a vessel for herideas or thoughts. Her ideas and thoughtsare the poetry.There is a real identity question <strong>in</strong>Campbell's book. The problem with liv<strong>in</strong>gwith another on an <strong>in</strong>timate basis is anidentity problem. Two people merge <strong>in</strong>more ways than was perhaps sought for.The poem "From One to Two" shows upthe conflict, which riddles the whole book :. . . but I digressbeg<strong>in</strong> aga<strong>in</strong>com<strong>in</strong>g from my body<strong>in</strong> my m<strong>in</strong>dthe notion <strong>of</strong> becom<strong>in</strong>gonewith another oneknow<strong>in</strong>gthere is a difference<strong>in</strong> this frombe<strong>in</strong>g onetouch<strong>in</strong>g everyth<strong>in</strong>g(all the other ones)all the timefrom herealonecoupl<strong>in</strong>g doeschange th<strong>in</strong>gs you knowmakes you th<strong>in</strong>kbefore you act(the you I am speak<strong>in</strong>g about is me). . . .Here Campbell is us<strong>in</strong>g her words with allthe implications they conta<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tact. Theground is swept away from under us: wecannot be sure we know what is pass<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>the brief l<strong>in</strong>es and s<strong>in</strong>gle words. As a result,we do not know who the narrator isany more, or who the "other" is. Ultimately,perhaps, Campbell is writ<strong>in</strong>g aboutthat "moment <strong>of</strong> giv<strong>in</strong>g self over. . . ."Because this book seems to be <strong>in</strong> search<strong>of</strong> a "moment" and its mean<strong>in</strong>g(s), thesense <strong>of</strong> time is markedly different fromWreggitt's collection. Campbell attemptsto reach the centre <strong>of</strong> a circle <strong>of</strong> sorts;the stillness <strong>in</strong>side a hurricane. It is aspiritual search for transcendence <strong>of</strong> asort, peace <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, a cessation <strong>of</strong> metaphoricalstorm. Red Earth, Yellow Stoneis not a book to be read quickly: if youdo, you will miss it. There is a great deal<strong>of</strong> thought beh<strong>in</strong>d every l<strong>in</strong>e and wordand read<strong>in</strong>g may possibly be as hard aswrit<strong>in</strong>g when it comes to this k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>poetry. There is a veneer <strong>of</strong> simplicity butyou have to pay, so to speak, to get thegoods that are underneath. Wreggitt'sc<strong>in</strong>ematically portrayed passages rem<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gus <strong>of</strong> fleet<strong>in</strong>g time, passions that comeand go, the tragedy <strong>of</strong> life and death andduty, may be more appeal<strong>in</strong>g read<strong>in</strong>g. ButCampbell's candid doubt-<strong>in</strong>duc<strong>in</strong>g lyricsthat backtrack on themselves and thatclaim and declaim <strong>in</strong> succession, may takeus (the readers) further <strong>in</strong>to our ownlives and illusions.LANDSCAPEOR LANGUAGEKRISTJANA GUNNARSROBERT THACKER, The Great Prairie Fact andLiterary Imag<strong>in</strong>ation. <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> NewMexico Press, $32.50 (U.S.).KENNETH G. ROBERT, ed., Writ<strong>in</strong>g Saskatchewan:20 Critical Essays. Canadian Pla<strong>in</strong>sResearch Center, $12.50.The Great Prairie Fact and Literary Imag<strong>in</strong>ationand Writ<strong>in</strong>g Saskatchewan illustratea classic opposition <strong>in</strong> perceptions<strong>of</strong> how literature is conditioned by place.Thacker pursues the thesis that prairielandscape has been the prime <strong>in</strong>fluence onthe literary imag<strong>in</strong>ation : "the land speakslouder than the people." The essays <strong>in</strong>Writ<strong>in</strong>g Saskatchewan seek the dist<strong>in</strong>ctiveness<strong>of</strong> Saskatchewan writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> cul-171
BOOKS IN REVIEWtural rather than natural <strong>in</strong>fluences. One<strong>of</strong> the few consistent impressions to begathered from the collection is that languagespeaks louder than the land.Any comparison must, <strong>of</strong> course, take<strong>in</strong>to account the different scope and <strong>in</strong>tentions<strong>of</strong> the two books. Thacker surveysresponses to the North Americanpla<strong>in</strong>s environment from the earliestEuropean visits to the present. He <strong>of</strong>fersthe most comprehensive exam<strong>in</strong>ation todate <strong>of</strong> accounts by explorers, traders andtravellers, from Pedro to Gastaneda withthe Coronado expedition <strong>of</strong> 1540 to themore familiar figures <strong>of</strong> Henry Kelsey,Anthony Henday, David Thompson,Lewis and Clark, W. F. Butler, ZebulonPike, Edw<strong>in</strong> James, and Josiah Gregg. Hereviews, with illustrations, the pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>of</strong> George Catl<strong>in</strong>, Paul Kane, Carl Bodmerand Alfred Jacob Miller and thewrit<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> Wash<strong>in</strong>gton Irv<strong>in</strong>g, MargaretFuller and Francis Parkman. In theseearly accounts, Thacker f<strong>in</strong>ds consistentfeatures that will be basic to later literaryresponses to the pla<strong>in</strong>s: wonder, a sense<strong>of</strong> illusion, ambivalence <strong>in</strong>stilled by theprairies' promise <strong>of</strong> freedom and threat topersonal identity, a need to assimilate thenew experience to a known world, as <strong>in</strong>the ubiquitous sea metaphor, and a struggleto adapt forms <strong>of</strong> expression to the<strong>in</strong>sistent demands <strong>of</strong> the new experience.He sees <strong>in</strong> the differences between f<strong>in</strong>ishedwork and the artists' sketches andjournals "a confrontation between their<strong>in</strong>culcated European aesthetic and theprairie."Thacker f<strong>in</strong>ds a version <strong>of</strong> this confrontation<strong>in</strong> the pioneer fiction, where then<strong>in</strong>eteenth- and early twentieth-centuryliterary landscape becomes a battlegroundfor romance and realism. He focuses firston Haml<strong>in</strong> Garland and especially onJames Fenimore Cooper, credited as thefirst to present "a prairie landscapethrough its own terms." While acknowledg<strong>in</strong>gthat Cooper worked not fromexperience but from Edw<strong>in</strong> James's Account<strong>of</strong> an Expedition, Thacker ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>sthat Cooper transformed an actualexperiential landscape <strong>in</strong>to "a symbolic,mythic one." Garland worked from personalexperience but rendered an essentiallyromantic landscape, while the later pioneerfiction <strong>of</strong> Willa Cather, F. P. Grove,Ole Rolvaag and Wallace Stegner movesuncerta<strong>in</strong>ly toward realism. Thacker devotesmore attention to Cather's prairiefiction than to any other author, trac<strong>in</strong>gher development from early tales <strong>of</strong> bitteralienation to the more accomplished ОPioneers! and My Antonio,. In the process,her fiction is said to move, like Cooper's,"away from the literal prairie toward asymbolic one," her writ<strong>in</strong>gs def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g "apattern <strong>of</strong> the ways <strong>in</strong> which landscapeforces literary adaptation."Thacker's f<strong>in</strong>al section, "Inhabitants,"surveys briefly a range <strong>of</strong> post-pioneer<strong>in</strong>gwriters, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Martha Ostenso, ConradRichter, S<strong>in</strong>clair Ross, W. O. Mitchell,Wright Morris, Margaret Laurenceand Robert Kroetsch, for whom the humanproblem is how to live on the prairieonce it is no longer new. In this contextthe prairie's challenge to personal identityemerges <strong>in</strong> images <strong>of</strong> traps and mirrors,and the writers work more self-consciouslythan their predecessors to devise "strategiesto enclose prairie space, somehow,with<strong>in</strong> the covers <strong>of</strong> a book." The landrema<strong>in</strong>s the prime determ<strong>in</strong>ant; asThacker says, <strong>in</strong> a statement that couldstand further explanation, "Laurence'sromanticism is, <strong>of</strong> course, derived fromthe landscape itself."What Thacker's survey demonstratesmost conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>gly is that the prairie landscapehas made a powerful impression onboth travellers and <strong>in</strong>habitants, thatwriters have found it challeng<strong>in</strong>g to represent,and that it has served not only assett<strong>in</strong>g but as theme and as a potentsource <strong>of</strong> imagery <strong>in</strong> much fiction.172
BOOKS IN REVIEWLess conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g is his thesis that theland "dictated the terms <strong>of</strong> its usage asliterary sett<strong>in</strong>g." This does not seem todescribe the process by which Coopertook an already written landscape and appropriatedit to a symbolic system designedto articulate his New York view <strong>of</strong>the mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> America. Similarly, whenCather takes a prairie seen <strong>in</strong> her earlystories as a place where Danes are to befound sw<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g from their own w<strong>in</strong>dmilltowers and most <strong>of</strong> the Poles, "too carelessand discouraged to shave themselves keeptheir razors to cut their own throats with"and transforms it <strong>in</strong>to a "retouchedmythic garden," the terms <strong>of</strong> its usage areaga<strong>in</strong> dictated less by the land than bywestern ideologies. What rema<strong>in</strong>s mostdifficult to expla<strong>in</strong> is how a land coulddictate such contrary uses as those <strong>of</strong>Cather and S<strong>in</strong>clair Ross. The determ<strong>in</strong>istthesis splits on the rocks <strong>of</strong> its ownenvironment, as though Thacker hadfailed to learn the lesson <strong>of</strong> his own firstchapters so aptly restated <strong>in</strong> a passage hequotes from G. B. Crump:In the n<strong>in</strong>eteenth century, the pioneer projectedon the pla<strong>in</strong>s his version <strong>of</strong> Americanpromise; <strong>in</strong> the twentieth, they became thewasteland where the dream turned to dust.On a metaphysical level, their empty expansessuggest the void <strong>of</strong> reality before ithas been processed and given shape by theconsciousness <strong>of</strong> the perceiver.Thacker's absorption <strong>in</strong> his thesis alsoleads to occasional <strong>in</strong>sensitivity to actualuses <strong>of</strong> the land <strong>in</strong> the texts under review.The ranch scenes <strong>in</strong> As For Me and MyHouse, for example, he situates <strong>in</strong> thefoothills though the text specifies that themounta<strong>in</strong>s are "four or five hundred mileswest." And <strong>in</strong> Wild Geese he fails to addressthe apparent contradiction thatCaleb represents the land, while hisdaughter Judith hates Caleb as passionatelyas she loves the earth. More generally,an argument so dependent on theeffects <strong>of</strong> physical environment requiresmore careful dist<strong>in</strong>ctions between prairieand parkland, rural and town sett<strong>in</strong>gs,Ill<strong>in</strong>ois and North Dakota, and betweenthe effects <strong>of</strong> landscape itself and those<strong>of</strong> climate, solitude, deprivation anddiscomfort.In contrast to Thacker's broad survey,Writ<strong>in</strong>g Saskatchewan collects the papersfrom a 1987 symposium at Fort San devotedto contemporary writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a specificpart <strong>of</strong> the prairies. The papers are mostnotable for their variety and the <strong>in</strong>terplaybetween contrast<strong>in</strong>g approaches and contend<strong>in</strong>gviews. There are papers with atheoretical bias. The Australian criticRussell McDougall elaborates a series <strong>of</strong>read<strong>in</strong>g strategies or positions for an outsiderapproach<strong>in</strong>g Saskatchewan poetry;Dennis Cooley develops a theoretical contructfor dist<strong>in</strong>guish<strong>in</strong>g poetry <strong>of</strong> the eyefrom poetry <strong>of</strong> the ear. There are equallypractical approaches, as <strong>in</strong> Susan G<strong>in</strong>gelPsstudy <strong>of</strong> the adaptation <strong>of</strong> language toplace. There are a number <strong>of</strong> generalviews like Fred Wah's formal classifications<strong>of</strong> the poetry and Kim McCaw'sreview <strong>of</strong> trends <strong>in</strong> Saskatchewan playwrit<strong>in</strong>g,and there are a few specificstudies like Diane Bessai's analysis <strong>of</strong> thegenesis and structure <strong>of</strong> L<strong>in</strong>da Griffiths'and Marie Campbell's Jessica. Traditionalpoetics, as <strong>in</strong> Sharon Butala'sdown-to-earth defence <strong>of</strong> realism, are set<strong>of</strong>f aga<strong>in</strong>st post-realist poetics, as <strong>in</strong> Ge<strong>of</strong>fHancock's polemic for a fiction as protean<strong>in</strong> its <strong>in</strong>ventive strategies as science and asresponsive to a world <strong>of</strong> change. In additionto more conventional essays, there arealso Rudy Wiebe's stern admonition to thewriters to regard their craft and Arithavan Herk's whimsical personification <strong>of</strong>Saskatchewan. There are, <strong>in</strong>evitably, someweak papers, like Robert Currie's romantic,anti-<strong>in</strong>tellectual defence aga<strong>in</strong>st thecritics, and there are strong ones, likeSimone Vauthier's creative read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>Edna Alford's "The L<strong>in</strong>eman." Vauthier'spaper is notable for its fullness <strong>of</strong>173
BOOKS IN REVIEWimag<strong>in</strong>ative response and range <strong>of</strong> l<strong>in</strong>guistictactics. By apply<strong>in</strong>g a set <strong>of</strong> criticalconcepts with deftness and subtlety, she<strong>in</strong>vites the reader to a precise yet fluidre-engagement with the story.In the many oppositions among thepapers there is an element <strong>of</strong> dialogue.Wayne Tefs's dist<strong>in</strong>ction between realistand visionary fiction is contested by DavidWilliams and Sharon Butala; Rex Deverellresponds directly to Diane Bessai. Thestructur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the conference to promotesuch dialogue is most apparent <strong>in</strong> the lastsection, "Fear <strong>of</strong> the Novel: The L<strong>in</strong>kedSequence <strong>of</strong> Short Stories <strong>in</strong> SaskatchewanFiction," conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g short papers byDavid Carpenter, Andreas Schroeder,Guy Vanderhaeghe and Edna Alford,none <strong>of</strong> whom can agree on the properties,the significance or even the existence<strong>of</strong> such a trend <strong>in</strong> Saskatchewan fiction.The disparity <strong>of</strong> views extends to the centralquestion implicit <strong>in</strong> the topic <strong>of</strong> theconference, the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> place onliterature. Some writers assume or arguethe existence <strong>of</strong> a dist<strong>in</strong>ctive Saskatchewanliterature, while others consider thequestion premature or, as Patrick Lanecontends, irrelevant: "What is importantis not that poetry is written here, but thatit is written at all."There are, nonetheless, some <strong>in</strong>ferencesabout Saskatchewan writ<strong>in</strong>g to be drawnfrom the diversity <strong>of</strong> these essays. Thewriters see their place as marked by adist<strong>in</strong>ctive Saskatchewan experience anda vernacular that expresses it. They sharea related concern for language and formas means to either capture or transcendthat local culture. One unusual feature<strong>of</strong> that culture may be the sense <strong>of</strong> communityamong the writers, seen <strong>in</strong> acknowledgements<strong>of</strong> mutual <strong>in</strong>fluence andrespect and <strong>in</strong> frequent references to collectivecreation, the importance <strong>of</strong> theatrecompanies, the Summer School <strong>of</strong> theArts and other co-operative <strong>in</strong>stitutions.What they do not seem much concernedabout, despite the geographical def<strong>in</strong>ition<strong>of</strong> their subject, is the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> theland. Fred Wah, for example, f<strong>in</strong>ds thepoetry, "not as qualified by the landscapeas I first thought." It may be, as SharonButala says, that a generation <strong>of</strong> writersat home on the land can "turn to otherconsiderations." The contrast with Thacker'ssurvey would thus be a result <strong>of</strong> thedifferent periods exam<strong>in</strong>ed. But the contrastmay also reflect national differences.The Saskatchewan writers' preoccupationwith the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> community, cultureand form rather than landscape may betypically Canadian, while Thacker's approachthrough nature and landscape is<strong>in</strong> the tradition <strong>of</strong> western Americanstudies, <strong>in</strong> which America itself tends tobecome an environmental determ<strong>in</strong>ist'sthesis. The two volumes should makevaluable complementary read<strong>in</strong>g for thegrow<strong>in</strong>g number <strong>of</strong> scholars <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong>comparative study <strong>of</strong> the two Wests."OTHER"TREVORDICK HARRISONCLARK, Born to Lose. ECW Press,$12.00.DAVID HOMEL, Electrical Storms. RandomHouse, $21.95.STAN PERSKY, Buddy's: Meditations on Desire.New Star Books, $19.95.THOUGH THEY HAVE little <strong>in</strong> common,the characters <strong>in</strong> these three texts — gaymen, work<strong>in</strong>g-class teenagers, street peopleand eccentric academics — do sharetheir marg<strong>in</strong>ality <strong>in</strong> a society unwill<strong>in</strong>g toaccept, at times even acknowledge, elementsdifferent from itself. What a pleasureit can be, then, to hear these voices,too <strong>of</strong>ten silenced or gone unheard. Butwhat a disappo<strong>in</strong>tment, too, when theattempt is awkward and unconv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g.Trevor Clark's collection <strong>of</strong> stories,Born to Lose, is an un<strong>in</strong>spired literarytriptych meant to evoke the gritty realities174
BOOKS IN REVIEW<strong>of</strong> life close to the edge. On the streets, orat the br<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> suicide, Clark's underdogfigures more <strong>of</strong>ten than not fail to conv<strong>in</strong>ce.At moments, people and places docome to life. But too easily Clark relies onvirtually nonsensical physical descriptions:"Her face was fragile, yet the boneswere strong. It was tough but cute, primitivebut sensitive, ugly but attractive."Such passages, and there are many, areunenlighten<strong>in</strong>g, substitut<strong>in</strong>g paradox fordepth. "I've become acqua<strong>in</strong>ted with acharacter," says another <strong>of</strong> Clark's downand-outers,"This is literature." Surely theauthor is as deluded as the character whospeaks these words."Malaise," the middle story, shows amore deft hand. Written <strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> alengthy, autobiographical suicide note,the story's tone is ironic, self-mock<strong>in</strong>gand, as a result, rather more believable,even touch<strong>in</strong>g. Angela, a depressed Englishpr<strong>of</strong>essor, after ask<strong>in</strong>g herself how asensitive m<strong>in</strong>d can "do anyth<strong>in</strong>g but breakdown <strong>in</strong> a world as fraught with horrorand calamity as this one," ultimately rejectssuicide and decides <strong>in</strong>stead to fixherself another dr<strong>in</strong>k. Malaise triumphsover death <strong>in</strong> this reassur<strong>in</strong>g story.In David Homel's Electrical Stormsteenaged V<strong>in</strong>nie Rabb pr<strong>of</strong>esses to speaka different language, identify<strong>in</strong>g not onlywith life <strong>in</strong> a somnolent Chicago suburb<strong>in</strong> the 1960's, but with the universal condition<strong>of</strong> adolescence. Evok<strong>in</strong>g a moderntradition that began with Sal<strong>in</strong>ger'sCatcher <strong>in</strong> the Rye, Homel's com<strong>in</strong>g-<strong>of</strong>agestory chronicles not only the growth<strong>of</strong> V<strong>in</strong>nie, but <strong>of</strong> his entire misfit gang,the Kens<strong>in</strong>gton Krazies. The group watcha friend be<strong>in</strong>g bludgeoned, burned andthen buried alive; years later they uniteas young adults to avenge the murder.The murder, the belated act <strong>of</strong> vengeance,and a pseudo-Freudian explanation forthe killer's hostility, forsake reality forsilly contrivance. Better for Homel tohave relied less on absurd plot twists andfocused more on the lives <strong>of</strong> these teenagers,who resemble the de-sensitizedadolescents <strong>in</strong> the work <strong>of</strong> Brett EastonEllis.Stan Persky's Buddy's: Meditations onDesire, <strong>in</strong> its bold attempts to deconstructpornography and del<strong>in</strong>eate gay desire,forges a rather remarkable synthesis <strong>of</strong> thesacred and the pr<strong>of</strong>ane. Buddy's is a sensitive,and sometimes elegiac, series <strong>of</strong> personalaccounts and recollections. Alreadycelebrated by the gay press as a gutsyexploration <strong>of</strong> gay sexuality, its style and<strong>in</strong>telligent commentary will attract areadership beyond the gay community. Infact, this is precisely Persky's wish :Let it serve then as the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> thesemeditations on desire, discourse, darkness.They <strong>in</strong>voke the locales and language <strong>of</strong> thehomoerotic. But, <strong>of</strong> course, they're not <strong>in</strong>tendedsolely for those who share that particularsexual "preference" — which is, <strong>in</strong>fact, not a preference but a passion.With a broad gaze upon his environs,Persky explores gay life <strong>in</strong> all its complexity,pa<strong>in</strong>s and pleasures. Two <strong>of</strong> thepieces are especially apropos. "Gay: ATale <strong>of</strong> Faerie" traces the genealogy <strong>of</strong>the word "gay" to reveal its varied historicalmean<strong>in</strong>gs; "Personals" looks <strong>in</strong>topersonal ads as "countless testimony tothe pluralism <strong>of</strong> desire." Persky's unabashed,and <strong>of</strong>ten personal, honesty isimpressive. He unapologetically expla<strong>in</strong>sthat the gay community has not "ceaseddesir<strong>in</strong>g" as a result <strong>of</strong> AIDS, although ithas been "baffled by how to cont<strong>in</strong>uedesir<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the midst <strong>of</strong> its horror." Thetext's implicit answer is that by cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>gto desire, and to love, gay life and culturewill cont<strong>in</strong>ue to flourish.Buddy's dazzles with its dizzy<strong>in</strong>g flightsfrom the banal to the poetic, and backaga<strong>in</strong>. These breathless flights, however,are not without their rough spots. In"God" Persky sets up an absurd syllogismcompar<strong>in</strong>g his sexual partner <strong>of</strong> the momentto God. In "Eros," the author tries to175
BOOKS IN REVIEWelucidate the <strong>in</strong>herent democracy <strong>of</strong> gayrelations, but fails to see that they are asconscious <strong>of</strong> class and <strong>of</strong> age as any otherk<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> social relationship. Still, Buddy'sis an important social document thatshould <strong>in</strong>spire much debate.THOMAS HASTINGSL'APRES - "MATOU" ...YVES BEAUCHEMiN, Juliette Pomerleau. Québec/Amérique,$24.95.IL EST FACILE d'imag<strong>in</strong>er la pression quele créateur du Matou a dû ressentir, toutau long de la création de son dernierroman, Juliette Pomerleau. Que de lecteurset lectrices il avait captivés! Et qued'attentes il avait a<strong>in</strong>si créées! En effet,l'on sait que Le Matou, paru en 1981,s'est vendu à plus d'un million d'exemplaires,et qu'il a été traduit dans au mo<strong>in</strong>sc<strong>in</strong>q langues. En outre, il ne serait sansdoute pas erronné d'affirmer qu'avec LesFilles de Caleb, d'Ariette Cousture, LeMatou est à l'orig<strong>in</strong>e du courant des bestsellersquébécois amorcé au début desannées quatre-v<strong>in</strong>gt.Avec Juliette Pomerleau, Yves Beauchem<strong>in</strong>,alliant la matérialité du texte àl'aspect physique de son personnage pr<strong>in</strong>cipal,a fait paraître un énorme roman —quelque sept cents pages — , et uneénorme personnage; de plus, fidèle à samanière, l'auteur orchestre plusieurs <strong>in</strong>trigues,dont la pr<strong>in</strong>cipale sera la recherchequ'entreprend Juliette Pomerleau desa nièce Adèle Joannette, dont elle estsans nouvelles depuis neuf ans. Mais cetterecherche n'a pas été déclenchée parhasard: Juliette avait jadis fait la promesseenvers sa soeur Joséph<strong>in</strong>e, en 19763de s'occuper d'Adèle, promesse qu'ellen'avait tenue, en fait, que quelquessema<strong>in</strong>es.Mais voilà que Juliette est atte<strong>in</strong>ted'une grave maladie, et c'est presque àl'article de la mort qu'elle se rappelle cetengagement et qu'elle demande à ses amisde poursuivre cette quête à sa place. Mais,ô miracle!, Juliette sera sauvée par ... lamusique ! En effet, des concerts de son amiet vois<strong>in</strong> Bohuslav Mart<strong>in</strong>ek lui font unbien immense, pour f<strong>in</strong>alement la guérir.Elle pourra donc elle-même poursuivrecette recherche qui la conduira, on s'endoute, à travers toutes sortes de voies imprévues.Le début du roman semblera sans douteà plusieurs quelque peu laborieux. Eneffet, à la manière de la musique qu'ilsemble affectionner et à laquelle il consacreune large place, Yves Beauchem<strong>in</strong>essaie d'orchestrer divers niveaux d'<strong>in</strong>triguesavec pour résultat que quelquesfausses notes se glissent ici et là, ou encoreque l'ensemble n'arrive pas à être totalementhomogène. Il faut dire, à la déchargede l'auteur, que Pénormité de la fresquene rendait pas la tâche facile: le romancierdevait nous présenter non seulementson personnage éponyme, mais aussi tousceux qui partagent le même immeublequ'elle et qui seront de près ou de lo<strong>in</strong>liés à l'<strong>in</strong>trigue pr<strong>in</strong>cipale : Denis, le neveude Juliette; sa soeur maléfique Elv<strong>in</strong>a;l'étrange dentiste Ménard; les musiciensau dernier étage, Rachel et BohuslavMart<strong>in</strong>ek; et, enf<strong>in</strong>, Clément Fisette, quijouera un rôle important dans la recherched'Adèle.C'est d'ailleurs lors de cette rechercheet des démêlés avec un certa<strong>in</strong> Livernoche,qui occupent la partie centrale duroman, que les fans du Matou en trouverontpour leur compte. L'<strong>in</strong>trigue est iciplus serrée, plus captivante aussi.Dans une entrevue tenue au sujet duMatou, Y. Beauchem<strong>in</strong> déclarait: "Pourmoi, un romancier c'est un peu comme unami ou un vois<strong>in</strong> qui arriverait devantmoi et me dirait : 'Ecoute, il m'est arrivéune histoire absolument extraord<strong>in</strong>aire ; ilfaut que je te la raconte.'" Quêtes, déplacements,rebondissements: l'on trou-176
BOOKS IN REVIEWvera, comme dans Le Matou, un romanqui là encore ratisse large. Mais y croirat-onvraiment? Suivra-t-on la cure-miraclede Juliette ou encore les manigancesd'Elv<strong>in</strong>a sans froncer les sourcils? Est-ceque l'on parcourra cette <strong>in</strong>trigue zigzagantesans avoir l'impression que le procédél'emporte sur le naturel? Le romanpourra parfois sembler obèse: des mots,des mots, qui s'efforcent de montrer. Maisque disent-ils, au juste? A cet égard, lapatience du lecteur sera heureusement recompensée: au fur et à mesure qu'avancela lecture, le roman prend de la consistance,se raffermit, et l'on a l'impressionque l'auteur ficelle mieux cet énorme morceau.Comme l'écrivait Jean-Roch Boiv<strong>in</strong>,dans Le Devoir, ce roman est bel et bienun Titanic . .. qui flotte!SILENCESPIERRE HEBERTE. D. BLODGETT, Musical Offer<strong>in</strong>g. CoachHouse, $10.95.ANN ROSENBERG, Movement <strong>in</strong> Slow Time.Coach House, $12.95.AT THE CENTRE OF E. D. Blodgett's MusicalOffer<strong>in</strong>g the reader encounters a"Song <strong>of</strong> Silences," a sequence <strong>of</strong> n<strong>in</strong>epoems which takes as its epigraph T. W.Adorno's famous remark: ". . . afterAuschwitz, to write a poem is barbaric.. . ." This remark is <strong>of</strong> course as much achallenge as a statement <strong>of</strong> fact, and morethan a few poets have tried to answer it,some <strong>of</strong> them even mak<strong>in</strong>g answer<strong>in</strong>g ittheir life's work: the names <strong>of</strong> NellySachs, Paul Celan, and Tadeusz Roziwicz,amongst others, spr<strong>in</strong>g to m<strong>in</strong>d. BeforeMusical Offer<strong>in</strong>g, however, Blodgett wasnot one <strong>of</strong> them, except perhaps obliquely<strong>in</strong> the mythological meditations on violencefound <strong>in</strong> Beast Gate (1980), especially"salamander for nelly sachs." Notknow<strong>in</strong>g Blodgett personally, I cannot saywhy he has attempted to answer this challengeonly now, <strong>in</strong> his fifth volume <strong>of</strong>poems, some four decades after Auschwitz.Yet this much at least is clear : whateverthe reasons, he is concerned herewith matters that have always <strong>in</strong>formedhis work <strong>in</strong> some manner.Right from the first poem <strong>of</strong> his firstvolume (take away the names [1975])Blodgett has made language and its vexedrelation to whatever is not language themagnetic centre attract<strong>in</strong>g and pattern<strong>in</strong>gthe iron fil<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> his verse. For the mostpart, not-language has meant Nature,Culture, Myth (the capital letters are <strong>in</strong>tendedto suggest the level <strong>of</strong> abstractionat which Blodgett usually writes ). Notuntil his fourth volume (Arche/Elegies[1983]) did he beg<strong>in</strong> seriously to considerHistory as well, a shift marked by thevolume's epigraph from F. R. Scott:"How shall we speak <strong>of</strong> Canada, / MackenzieK<strong>in</strong>g dead?" Blodgett's answer wasanyth<strong>in</strong>g but as whimsical as Scott's question:meditate <strong>in</strong>terrogatively on personsand places, acknowledg<strong>in</strong>g all the whilethe <strong>in</strong>sufficiency <strong>of</strong> language: "And sothis book <strong>of</strong> giv<strong>in</strong>g up . . ." ("Epistre dédicatoire(epilogue)"). Giv<strong>in</strong>g up is fail<strong>in</strong>g,<strong>of</strong> course, but it is also, paradoxically,succeed<strong>in</strong>g, s<strong>in</strong>ce giv<strong>in</strong>g up can be seen asmak<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g. One pushes languageto the limit, "where fall<strong>in</strong>g is cadence"and "to s<strong>in</strong>g is flight, a figure / etchedaga<strong>in</strong>st a tomb" ("W<strong>in</strong>ter<strong>in</strong>g Over,"Musical Offer<strong>in</strong>g) ; and <strong>in</strong> do<strong>in</strong>g so, oneattempts to answer Adorno's challenge,to write poems which are — however barbaric—at once mystical, musical, philosophical,memorial, if not always memorabletherefore.The <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Blodgett's latest bookare arranged <strong>in</strong> three sections, "Preludes,""Fugues," and "Postlude," and all <strong>of</strong>them except those <strong>in</strong> "Preludes" are arrangedas sequences. Follow<strong>in</strong>g quitestrictly this musical ideal <strong>of</strong> form, Blodgettannounces his central theme <strong>in</strong> the177
BOOKS IN REVIEW"Preludes": "I do not believe <strong>in</strong> gods /that play at green. / I believe // hunterssurround us, / the music we hear counterpo<strong>in</strong>ts/ red:green" ("Colours <strong>of</strong> War").To try to fix the mean<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> these wordswould be foolish, yet the counterpo<strong>in</strong>t"red:green" clearly gestures towards thecontrasts <strong>of</strong> death and life, war and peace,tragedy and pastoral, and so on. In "Fugues"these contrasts appear over andover aga<strong>in</strong>, nearly always <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>volvedmeditations on language, music, andsilence <strong>in</strong>tended, it would seem, to exemplifythe claim that "the order / <strong>of</strong> theuniverse [is] the art / <strong>of</strong> fugue" ("FireMusic") — the absent copula perhapssuggest<strong>in</strong>g that this connection exists beyondthe realm <strong>of</strong> grammar. In the s<strong>in</strong>glepoem <strong>of</strong> the "Postlude," these musicalmeditations f<strong>in</strong>d a conclusion <strong>in</strong> an unanswerablequestion (the metaphor <strong>of</strong>"becom<strong>in</strong>g fish" occurs throughout Blodgett'sfive volumes) : "How to become /fish, wholly conta<strong>in</strong>ed // and conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g. . . / to s<strong>in</strong>g and become // s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g"("Nam<strong>in</strong>g the New Kilns").Not all <strong>of</strong> Blodgett's musical <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>gsby any means succeed <strong>in</strong> their giv<strong>in</strong>gup: the prose-poem sequence "NightThoughts on Glausewitz's On War" maybe the best /worst example, and parts <strong>of</strong>"Epigraphs," "Song <strong>of</strong> Silences," and"Nam<strong>in</strong>g the New Kiln" rival it <strong>in</strong> labouredobscurity. Even at his best — as<strong>in</strong> parts <strong>of</strong> "Leav<strong>in</strong>gs," "Cadences,""W<strong>in</strong>ter<strong>in</strong>g Over," and "Fire Music" —Blodgett is a difficult and <strong>of</strong>ten preciouspoet, and he writes <strong>in</strong> what might becalled a Mallarméan mode — possiblyderived from Celan — present<strong>in</strong>g hisreaders with the sorts <strong>of</strong> difficulty thatGeorge Ste<strong>in</strong>er has called "ontological,"<strong>in</strong> order to call <strong>in</strong>to question poetry aswe th<strong>in</strong>k we know it.Blodgett's work is not for everybody,and he can try the patience <strong>of</strong> even asympathetic reader. Yet he is attempt<strong>in</strong>gmore than many poets currently writ<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> Canada, and his "giv<strong>in</strong>gs up" aretherefore worth <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g.The same cannot necessarily be saidfor Ann Rosenberg's Movement <strong>in</strong> SlowTime, "a tribute to Dante and his nature"modelled on the Commedia and recount<strong>in</strong>gthe "author's journey through anidentified terra<strong>in</strong> [Vancouver] dur<strong>in</strong>g aspecific but untrue period <strong>of</strong> time [a s<strong>in</strong>gleday <strong>in</strong> the early 1980s] ... <strong>in</strong> which thereport<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> character-reveal<strong>in</strong>g conversationsand the expound<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> philosophy is[sic] paramount." For this verbal, graphic,and pictorial composition is with few exceptionsbor<strong>in</strong>g and banal. One quotationshould suffice to make the po<strong>in</strong>t: "OhDante, you knew more and differentth<strong>in</strong>gs than I.... But your vision is basedon a similar world, on men and womensimilar to the ones I know. ... I will . . .write about them <strong>in</strong> my vulgar tongue forthe same reasons that you did." Rosenberghas clearly learned from writers like Joyceand Eliot that the Ord<strong>in</strong>ary can f<strong>in</strong>d aplace <strong>in</strong> High Art if one only hangs thedirty laundry on the Golden Bough (theso-called mythical method ), but she seemsto have forgotten that there is more thanone way to hang a sheet. Anyone familiarwith her Bee Book, a similar verbal,graphic, pictorial, and musical compositionabout the difficult sex life <strong>of</strong> a certa<strong>in</strong>Habella, will probably f<strong>in</strong>d Movement adisappo<strong>in</strong>tment. Both works manifest thesame concern with female sexuality <strong>in</strong> amascul<strong>in</strong>e world, but Movement lacks theoccasional wit and genu<strong>in</strong>e strangeness <strong>of</strong>The Bee Book, which takes its models,sometimes quite imag<strong>in</strong>atively, from anthropologyand entomology.IAIN HIGGINS178
BOOKS IN REVIEWPOSTMODERNPARADOXESLINDA HUTGHEON, The Canadian Postmodern:A Study <strong>of</strong> Contemporary English-CanadianFiction. Oxford Univ. Press, $16.95.The Canadian Postmodern: A Study <strong>of</strong>Contemporary English-Canadian Fictionis the second <strong>of</strong> two book-length studiesL<strong>in</strong>da Hutcheon published <strong>in</strong> 1988. Inthe first, A Poetics <strong>of</strong> Postmodernism:History, Theory, Fiction, Hutcheon cont<strong>in</strong>uesher study <strong>of</strong> the "self-reflexivity" <strong>of</strong>contemporary art forms, an <strong>in</strong>quiry shebegan <strong>in</strong> Narcissistic Narrative: TheMetafictional Paradox (1980) and furtherdeveloped <strong>in</strong> A Theory <strong>of</strong> Parody:The Teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Twentieth-Century ArtForms (1985). In The Canadian Postmodernshe attempts to develop her occasionalwrit<strong>in</strong>g on contemporary English-Canadian fiction — reviews, essays, aEGW monograph — <strong>in</strong>to a more coherentand susta<strong>in</strong>ed "<strong>in</strong>vestigation not <strong>in</strong>to thegeneral phenomenon <strong>of</strong> postmodernism,but <strong>in</strong>to the particular forms <strong>in</strong> which itappears <strong>in</strong> contemporary Canadian fiction."As a susta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>vestigation, however,The Canadian Postmodern can onlybe found want<strong>in</strong>g. Although Hutcheonhas revised — <strong>in</strong>deed, at times, extensivelyrewritten — the orig<strong>in</strong>al material<strong>in</strong> keep<strong>in</strong>g with her stated <strong>in</strong>tention, TheCanadian Postmodern reads more like acollection <strong>of</strong> occasional texts — always<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>of</strong>ten thought-provok<strong>in</strong>g— than a coherent argument. What ismore, despite the <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g emphasis <strong>in</strong>Hutcheon's writ<strong>in</strong>g on the historical andideological nature <strong>of</strong> postmodernism, hertheory rema<strong>in</strong>s primarily structuralist andahistorical <strong>in</strong> its orientation. F<strong>in</strong>ally,despite her frequently stated concern withprocess rather than with product, withread<strong>in</strong>g rather than with the text written,her criticism rema<strong>in</strong>s, for the most part,fixed on the text as object — successivechapters <strong>of</strong> The Canadian Postmodernalmost <strong>in</strong>variably resolve themselves <strong>in</strong>to<strong>in</strong>terpretations <strong>of</strong> particular texts.The Canadian Postmodern consists <strong>of</strong>a preface, eight chapters (one <strong>of</strong> which istitled "Introduction"), and an appendix.Of the eight chapters, the first six (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gthe Introduction) are revisedversions <strong>of</strong> previously published texts.Only the last two chapters represent substantiallynew writ<strong>in</strong>g. "Process, Product,and Politics : The Postmodernism <strong>of</strong> MargaretAtwood," and "See<strong>in</strong>g Double:Conclud<strong>in</strong>g with Kroetsch." Argu<strong>in</strong>g thatThe Canadian Postmodern "grew out <strong>of</strong>attempts to work out for [herjself variousissues aris<strong>in</strong>g from the writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> thechapter on the novel for the fourthvolume <strong>of</strong> the Literary History <strong>of</strong> Canada,Hutcheon <strong>in</strong>cludes "The Novel (1972-1984)," an early version <strong>of</strong> her contributionto the fourth volume, as an appendix.Although her work on "The Novel(1972-1984)" undoubtedly provided one<strong>of</strong> the contexts for the writ<strong>in</strong>g collected <strong>in</strong>The Canadian Postmodern, the s<strong>in</strong>glemost important context — as her choice<strong>of</strong> title for the volume suggests — is surelythe "<strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>of</strong> the postmodern that,<strong>in</strong> fact," she acknowledges, "I discoveredto underlie all my work over this period<strong>of</strong> time." That <strong>in</strong>vestigation, which reallybeg<strong>in</strong>s with Narcissistic Narrative, has ledHutcheon <strong>in</strong>to a series <strong>of</strong> "contradictions,"a word that <strong>in</strong> A Poetics <strong>of</strong> Postmodernismshe uses as a synonym forparadox; <strong>in</strong>deed, her conception <strong>of</strong> thepostmodern — Canadian or otherwise —is <strong>in</strong>extricably bound up <strong>in</strong> the notion <strong>of</strong>paradox. "I would like to beg<strong>in</strong>," shewrites at the outset <strong>of</strong> A Poetics <strong>of</strong> Postmodernism,"by argu<strong>in</strong>g that, for me,postmodernism is a contradictory phenomenon,one that uses and abuses, <strong>in</strong>stallsand then subverts, the very conceptsit challenges." In Hutcheon's writ<strong>in</strong>g paradoxesor "contradictions" serve, <strong>in</strong> effect,179
BOOKS IN REVIEWas b<strong>in</strong>ary opposites; out <strong>of</strong> the tensionbetween such oppositions as process/product, art/life, fiction/history, marg<strong>in</strong>/centre, and most notably "the presence <strong>of</strong>the past," she structures both her theoryand her criticism.But are these postmodern paradoxesmerely "seem<strong>in</strong>g contradictions" ? Do theymerge dialectically? Or do the doublesrema<strong>in</strong> doubles? While Hutcheon wouldundoubtedly respond with a resound<strong>in</strong>g"no!" to all such suggestions, her articulation<strong>of</strong> a poetics <strong>of</strong> postmodernism assumesthat, while the opposites may notmerge, while the doubles may stay double,at some level the contradictions give wayto some fundamental laws — even if it isonly the law <strong>of</strong> paradox. As TzvetanTodorov po<strong>in</strong>ts out <strong>in</strong> his Introductionto Poetics,the object <strong>of</strong> [poetics] is to transpose thework <strong>in</strong>to the realm considered fundamental: it is a labour <strong>of</strong> decipherment and translation; the literary work is the expression <strong>of</strong>"someth<strong>in</strong>g," and the goal <strong>of</strong> such studies isto reach this "someth<strong>in</strong>g" through the poeticcode.L<strong>in</strong>da Hutcheon's poetics <strong>of</strong> postmodernismis grounded <strong>in</strong> "difference" ; however,her ability even to conceive a text titledThe Canadian Postmodern suggests thatHutcheon regards the differences betweenCanadian writ<strong>in</strong>g and writ<strong>in</strong>g elsewhereas less significant than the general laws orparadoxes she sees operat<strong>in</strong>g not only <strong>in</strong>the literatures <strong>of</strong> Europe and North andSouth America but <strong>in</strong> their "architecture. . . pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, sculpture, film, video, dance,TV, music, philosophy, aesthetic theory,psychoanalysis, l<strong>in</strong>guistics, [and] historiography"as well. When she notes thatThe Canadian Postmodern is "an <strong>in</strong>vestigationnot <strong>in</strong>to the general phenomenon<strong>of</strong> postmodernism, but <strong>in</strong>to the particularforms <strong>in</strong> which it appears <strong>in</strong> contemporaryCanadian fiction" Hutcheon is declar<strong>in</strong>g,<strong>in</strong> effect, that she is concerned <strong>in</strong> TheCanadian Postmodern not with the establishment<strong>of</strong> the general laws <strong>of</strong> postmodernismbut with particular Canadian textsas the product <strong>of</strong> those laws.In the f<strong>in</strong>al chapter <strong>of</strong> The CanadianPostmodern, titled "See<strong>in</strong>g Double : Conclud<strong>in</strong>gwith Kroetsch," Hutcheon arguesthat Kroetsch is "at the paradoxicalcentre <strong>of</strong> the decentred phenomenoncalled postmodernism" and celebrates himas "Mr. Canadian Postmodern," "themaster <strong>of</strong> double-talk<strong>in</strong>g paradox." However,with the publication <strong>of</strong> both APoetics <strong>of</strong> Postmodernism and The CanadianPostmodern, and with a career-longcommitment to the double-talk <strong>of</strong> paradox,it is Hutcheon rather than Kroetschwho is at the "paradoxical centre" and itis to Hutcheon, too, that the title <strong>of</strong>"[Ms.] Canadian Postmodern" mostfitt<strong>in</strong>gly belongs.NEW FICTIONPAUL H J ART ARS ONFRANCES iTANi, Truth or Lies. Oberon, $12.95.SUSAN KERSLAKE, Bl<strong>in</strong>d Date. PottersfieldPress, $9.95.AT FIRST SIGHT, Frances Itani's first shortstory collection, Truth or Lies, does notseem to be a book to cherish. Itani is apoet and children's writer whose threeprevious books <strong>of</strong> poetry, No Other Lodg<strong>in</strong>g(1978), Rentrée Bay (1983) and ASeason <strong>of</strong> Mourn<strong>in</strong>g ( 1988), are, with theexception <strong>of</strong> a few poems, m<strong>in</strong>or, and donot po<strong>in</strong>t to greater achievement. Whatis more, the cover illustration <strong>of</strong> Truth orLies consists <strong>of</strong> an obese naked woman,smudged <strong>in</strong> black, grey and white, aga<strong>in</strong>sta background <strong>of</strong> the same colours: theresult is repulsive. The seven stories <strong>in</strong>sideare, however, a pleasant surprise.Itani's fiction, with its perceptive hero<strong>in</strong>es,and wide variety <strong>of</strong> sett<strong>in</strong>gs, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gAustria, Canada and Japan, are written<strong>in</strong> precise prose ; there is rarely an <strong>in</strong>stance180
BOOKS IN REVIEW<strong>of</strong> sloppy diction, or a section that needstighter edit<strong>in</strong>g. Consider the perfection <strong>of</strong>the follow<strong>in</strong>g paragraph, which is fromthe story "Grandmother" :But Grandmother extends her free arm,hold<strong>in</strong>g them back. She takes a deep breath,looks around her and her shoulders shift withthat f<strong>in</strong>e sense <strong>of</strong> determ<strong>in</strong>ation we havesomehow always known. Her head is thrownback, the reddish streaks <strong>in</strong> her hair caress<strong>in</strong>gthe grey. And then, she beckons: first toher children, who file past one by one. Thesons and daughters, the wives and husbands<strong>of</strong> these, their children and their children'schildren. All <strong>of</strong> us paus<strong>in</strong>g before her, alone,for a brief and private communication withGrandmother, spend<strong>in</strong>g our confusion, oursadness, our love, or whatever it is that wehave brought to her to spend.If Itani does have a fault, it is an occasionaltendency, <strong>in</strong> such otherwise memorablestories as "Foolery" and "Songs forthe Children," to expla<strong>in</strong> situations to thepo<strong>in</strong>t that she walks the edge <strong>of</strong> didacticism.Such a compla<strong>in</strong>t, however, shouldnot prevent readers from consider<strong>in</strong>gItani's stories: Truth or Lies is, as RobertWeaver has stated, "a mature andthoughful book." So far, Itani's greaterstrength lies <strong>in</strong> fiction, rather than poetry.It is a pity that "Clayton," a mov<strong>in</strong>g,powerful story, was not <strong>in</strong>cluded. Biographical<strong>in</strong>formation on the author isalso miss<strong>in</strong>g.I started Susan Kerslake's collection <strong>of</strong>twelve stories, Bl<strong>in</strong>d Date, with high expectations;I knew her as the author <strong>of</strong>the good, if overwritten story collectionThe Book <strong>of</strong> Fears (1984), a book nom<strong>in</strong>atedfor the Governor General's Award.Unlike the cover <strong>in</strong> which Oberon enclosedItani's collection, Kerslake's bookhas an attractive illustration <strong>of</strong> two flow<strong>in</strong>gmauve and purple curta<strong>in</strong>s, a coverwhich <strong>in</strong>vites the reader to raise the curta<strong>in</strong>sand see what Kerslake sets upon herstage.Kerslake, however, fails to conv<strong>in</strong>ce.Her themes and sett<strong>in</strong>gs are similar toItani; she, too, uses observant female protagonistsand <strong>in</strong>ternational backgrounds,her sett<strong>in</strong>gs, <strong>in</strong> this case, be<strong>in</strong>g Canadaand Africa. But where Itani's prose iscrisp and clear, Kerslake is a sloppywriter, with little feel<strong>in</strong>g for the potentialelegance <strong>of</strong> English. Her sentences <strong>of</strong>tenrun on ("They had stirred a halo roundmy head and tried to scare me, but Iwasn't scared and I ran back, which wasall downhill and out <strong>of</strong> the dark and towarda sunlight that still sparkled up fromthe lake and the walls <strong>of</strong> our cottage withflak<strong>in</strong>g pa<strong>in</strong>t and mossy spoors <strong>in</strong> thecreases, with the same old folks sitt<strong>in</strong>gthere, laugh<strong>in</strong>g, slightly blued by then,even Travis on pla<strong>in</strong> old g<strong>in</strong>ger ale andcherry syrup."). What is more, Kerslake'swrit<strong>in</strong>g needs additional punctuation("My cous<strong>in</strong> who was two understoodand put his face <strong>in</strong>") ; she frequentlylacks a gift for suitable description ("Itwas at this time <strong>of</strong> night that he experiencedhis 'all's well with the world' feel<strong>in</strong>g"); and her similes are sometimes unfortunate("She sees a small blue wr<strong>in</strong>kledmouth. It looks like her grandfather'sanus the time she'd been too close andMama was wip<strong>in</strong>g him up"). I am fullyaware that literature sometimes demandsthat conventions <strong>of</strong> style and taste bebroken, but I can see no reason for thisprocedure here. Even worse than the text,however, is its design; Bl<strong>in</strong>d Date is repletewith typographical errors, absurdlylong spaces after periods, hyphens usedwhere long dashes are required, accentsthat have been scribbled on the page, unevenright-side and left-side justification,and words that are underl<strong>in</strong>ed rather thanplaced <strong>in</strong> italics. Judg<strong>in</strong>g from the dictionand the design, it is as if an editor nevertouched the book, either before or afterformat<strong>in</strong>g. But the failure <strong>of</strong> Bl<strong>in</strong>d Datemust, <strong>in</strong> the end, rest with its author,com<strong>in</strong>g after The Book <strong>of</strong> Fears, Kerslake'snew work is a major disappo<strong>in</strong>tment.BOYD HOLMES181
BOOKS IN REVIEWDYNAMICSOF MEMORYNEIL к. BESNER, The Light <strong>of</strong> Imag<strong>in</strong>ation:Mavis Gallant's Fiction. <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>British</strong><strong>Columbia</strong> Press, $29.95.MAVIS GALLANT IS ONE <strong>of</strong> the most admired<strong>of</strong> Canadian writers <strong>in</strong>ternationally,yet until quite recently one <strong>of</strong> the leastacknowledged <strong>in</strong> Canada. It has beenGallant's way to elude traditional Canadiancategories <strong>of</strong> classification, partlybecause <strong>of</strong> her <strong>in</strong>ternationalism (liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>Paris for nearly forty years while alwayswrit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> English) and partly because <strong>of</strong>the riddl<strong>in</strong>g quality <strong>of</strong> her narratives andtheir resistance to analysis. As Neil Besnerremarks, it was only with the appearance<strong>in</strong> 1979 <strong>of</strong> From the Fifteenth Districtthat Gallant's reputation <strong>in</strong> Canada wasestablished, though by that time she hadbeen a regular contributor to The NewYorker s<strong>in</strong>ce 1951 and had already publishedfour short story collections and twonovels. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the 1980s she has had herchampions <strong>in</strong> Ronald Hatch, DonaldJewison, and John Metcalf. Now withBesner's book comes the first full-lengthcritical study <strong>of</strong> Gallant's fiction and nonfictionalessays, to be closely followed byJanice Kulyk Reefer's Read<strong>in</strong>g MavisGallant.Besner's approach subdues thematics tonarrative and stylistic strategies, as hetakes the story collections and novelschronologically, construct<strong>in</strong>g throughthem a narrative that susta<strong>in</strong>s Gallant'sdialectic between personal memory andsocial history <strong>in</strong> the cross-cultural encountersdocumented by her fiction. Pay<strong>in</strong>gclose attention to the language andstructural shifts with<strong>in</strong> particular stories,Besner focuses on those moments <strong>of</strong> potentialrevelation which characterise Gallant'sdist<strong>in</strong>ctive blend <strong>of</strong> modernism andpostmodernism. It is to these glimpsedepiphanies that 'the light <strong>of</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ation'(a phrase from 'The Moslem Wife') ambiguouslyrefers. Besner enacts a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>read<strong>in</strong>g process which attends to the verbalsurfaces <strong>of</strong> Gallant's narratives, see<strong>in</strong>gthem as radical refigur<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> truths whichalways rema<strong>in</strong> provisional, available to bereconstructed.This study describes the permutationsand comb<strong>in</strong>ations <strong>of</strong> memory, history andimag<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> Gallant's work. Besner'schapter titles like "Memory's FictionsAga<strong>in</strong>st History's Reports" and "Historyand Memory <strong>in</strong> the 'Light <strong>of</strong> Imag<strong>in</strong>ation'" signal cont<strong>in</strong>uities and shifts, whilethe evocation <strong>of</strong> Paris <strong>in</strong> his first and lastchapters ("The Other Paris" and "Overhead<strong>in</strong> a Balloon: Another Paris") measuresthe distance Gallant has traversedover thirty years <strong>in</strong> her narratives <strong>of</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ativeresponses to that city and itshistory. Gallant has been an assiduouschronicler <strong>of</strong> postwar European culture<strong>in</strong> her fiction and essays (Could anyonebut a foreigner display such detached perceptiveness?)and through determ<strong>in</strong>edanalysis <strong>of</strong> particular stories <strong>in</strong> every collections<strong>in</strong>ce The Other Paris (1956)Besner charts Gallant's explorations <strong>of</strong> aEurope haunted by a recent past it wouldlike to forget. While displacement, dis<strong>in</strong>heritance,and fragmentation characterisethe European experience, theNorth American experience <strong>of</strong> Europe ismarked by those same feel<strong>in</strong>gs, thoughengendered through a dangerous <strong>in</strong>nocence<strong>of</strong> history. Gallant's stories alwaysseem to h<strong>in</strong>ge on the non-co<strong>in</strong>cidence betweenimmediate and remembered experienceor between romantic <strong>in</strong>ventionand historical reality. Besner traces a development<strong>in</strong> narrative technique fromthe early stories where disparities arerealised only by the reader to the laterones where such perceptions are sharedby the protagonists themselves.If the weakest chapter is the one onGallant's two novels, where Besner's methodologyso f<strong>in</strong>ely attuned to the short182
BOOKS IN REVIEWstory genre shows its limits when deal<strong>in</strong>gwith the longer narrative form, then hisdiscussion <strong>of</strong> The Pegnitz Junction (thebook which Gallant told Ge<strong>of</strong>frey Hancockshe liked better than anyth<strong>in</strong>g elseshe wrote) is the most resonant. Tak<strong>in</strong>gthe context <strong>of</strong> fragmentation and culturalcollapse <strong>in</strong> postwar Germany, Besnerstudies the shape <strong>of</strong> this collection as awhole before analys<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividual storieswith their jolts, shifts and changes <strong>of</strong>focus. In the process he shows how theyform a constellation <strong>of</strong> narratives wheresocial breakdown is mirrored <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividualprivate dramas <strong>of</strong> paralysed feel<strong>in</strong>gs andatrophied memories at a particular po<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong> European history.Besner is also attentive to some extentto Gallant's Ganadianness, and his biographicaldetails <strong>of</strong> her Montreal Standarddays as a reporter <strong>in</strong> the 1940s are<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g for what they reveal about herknowledge <strong>of</strong> Canadian postwar literatureand society with its war brides, refugees,and other displaced persons. Hepresents a careful discussion <strong>of</strong> the L<strong>in</strong>netMuir stories (collected together <strong>in</strong> HomeTruths), heed<strong>in</strong>g Gallant's warn<strong>in</strong>gsabout mak<strong>in</strong>g easy connections betweenautobiography and fiction, treat<strong>in</strong>g themas fictional (or metafictional) statementsabout com<strong>in</strong>g to terms with the <strong>in</strong>ventions<strong>of</strong> memory and the psychological necessityfor habitable fictions.Indeed there are other narratives forread<strong>in</strong>g Gallant that might be <strong>of</strong>fered, for<strong>in</strong>stance see<strong>in</strong>g her stories as be<strong>in</strong>g aboutthe elusive search for identity and orig<strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong> a world where language reflects onlyconflict<strong>in</strong>g cultural codes, or a fem<strong>in</strong>istread<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> her <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>of</strong> women'srelation to history and tradition. Besner'scritical narrative does not accommodatethese possibilities, though Gallant's ownnarratives do not rule them out. WhatBesner's read<strong>in</strong>g does <strong>of</strong>fer so ably is oneway <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g Gallant's historicalimag<strong>in</strong>ation and her narrative strategieswhich enact the dynamics <strong>of</strong> memory andimag<strong>in</strong>ative <strong>in</strong>vention.MID-VICTORIANCONCERNSCORAL ANN HOWELLSWILLIAM WESTFALL, Two Worlds: Studies <strong>in</strong>the Protestant Culture <strong>of</strong> Ontario, i8soi8yo.McGill-Queen's, $34.95; pa. $29.95.IN HIS CONCLUSION TO A Literary History<strong>of</strong> Canada, Northrop Frye po<strong>in</strong>ts out that,until two or three generations ago, religionwas, perhaps, the major cultural force<strong>in</strong> Canada. He adds that this religionstressed doctr<strong>in</strong>e at the expense <strong>of</strong> imagery.WestfalPs study <strong>of</strong> n<strong>in</strong>eteenthcenturyProtestantism <strong>in</strong> Upper Canadaconfirms Frye's first observation but questionsthe second. It argues that especiallyimagery related to time and place reflectsmid-Victorian concerns that historianshave overlooked. Because <strong>of</strong> the centrality<strong>of</strong> religion <strong>in</strong> n<strong>in</strong>eteenth century culture,this image reveals not only the development<strong>of</strong> religious thought but also theevolution <strong>of</strong> a national consciousness.Before the 1837 rebellions, Protestantism<strong>in</strong> Upper Canada suffered from division.This division was reflected <strong>in</strong> a fragmentedconcept <strong>of</strong> time, both betweenand with<strong>in</strong> denom<strong>in</strong>ations. Anglicans,who stressed reason, order and the unity<strong>of</strong> church and state, opposed Methodists,who emphasized emotion, God's sav<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>tervention <strong>in</strong> human lives, and separation<strong>of</strong> church and state. Further, fromthe 1820s <strong>in</strong>to the early Victorian period,pre-millenialism, based on the Revelation<strong>of</strong> St. John, decried the evils <strong>of</strong> the presentgeneration and prophesied an apocalypticend <strong>of</strong> the world — an end <strong>of</strong> time.Though Methodist emotionalism especiallyfostered this dangerous doctr<strong>in</strong>e,apocalyptic thought plagued Baptists,Presbyterians and Anglicans as well.183
BOOKS IN REVIEWSocial change after 1837 altered culturalalliances. With<strong>in</strong> the religious structure<strong>of</strong> Upper Canada, Anglicans andPresbyterians lost their positions <strong>of</strong> stateprivilege. With the Baptists and Methodists,therefore, they soon found themselvesbattl<strong>in</strong>g not each other but the grow<strong>in</strong>gforces <strong>of</strong> Mammon. Reject<strong>in</strong>g the fatalisticpre-millenialism, the mid-centuryProtestant churches together developed apost-millenialist theology, which projectedan evolv<strong>in</strong>g Christian society worldwide,a society that would ultimatelyusher <strong>in</strong> the Biblical thousand years <strong>of</strong>peace.As the <strong>in</strong>terpretation <strong>of</strong> time movedfrom chaos to progress, church architecturealso reflected the new Protestantunity. As if stress<strong>in</strong>g that, <strong>in</strong> spite <strong>of</strong> itstheological accommodation with progress,<strong>of</strong>ficial church dogma opposed a ris<strong>in</strong>gmaterialism built on capitalist greed thatfueled the eng<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> economic development,Protestantism affirmed medievalGothic forms as uniquely religious. Gothicchurches, therefore, rose as architecturalrebukes to public build<strong>in</strong>gs constructed <strong>in</strong>the neo-classical style. (The Gothic cast<strong>of</strong> Ottawa's parliament build<strong>in</strong>gs wouldthus suggest the near-religious ideals <strong>of</strong>Confederation for a new land <strong>in</strong> 1867.)Unfortunately, WestfalFs study fails toreach its potential, largely because <strong>of</strong>weak writ<strong>in</strong>g. Instead <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>itial, carefullycrafted <strong>in</strong>troduction that coherentlyanalyzes the relationship <strong>of</strong> time and spaceto culture, Westfall <strong>of</strong>fers <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g butessentially isolated examples <strong>of</strong> religiousattitudes. To compensate for the theoreticalweakness <strong>of</strong> his base, Westfall latercont<strong>in</strong>ually repeats the importance <strong>of</strong>temporal and spatial images without develop<strong>in</strong>gfurther theory.Nevertheless, Westfall provides valuable<strong>in</strong>sights for cultural historians. Hesuggests that, by Confederation, CanadianProtestantism, hav<strong>in</strong>g developed aprogressive doctr<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> time, was able toaffirm Darw<strong>in</strong>ian evolution <strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficialtheology, thereby avert<strong>in</strong>g a break betweenscience and religion. Further, asocially engaged theology symbolized bymetaphors <strong>of</strong> progressive time and idealizedspace was able to foster the socialgospel movement, so important politically<strong>in</strong> the early twentieth century. Unfortunately,<strong>in</strong> the very process <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>corporat<strong>in</strong>gmaterial progress <strong>in</strong>to its vision <strong>of</strong> thefuture, Protestantism allowed the secularto replace the sacred and thus underm<strong>in</strong>edits own foundation, thereby <strong>in</strong>itiat<strong>in</strong>gits own future failure.The relevance <strong>of</strong> Two Worlds is underscoredby its close relationship to otherimportant analyses <strong>of</strong> the same period.Westfall <strong>of</strong>fers important background forRamsay Cook's The Regenerators, whichalso presents the evolution <strong>of</strong> Canadianreligious culture from sacred to secular atthe end <strong>of</strong> the Victorian period. Moreover,WestfalPs discussion adds an earlydimension to A. B. McKillop's work onthe rise <strong>of</strong> philosophical idealism <strong>in</strong> the1870s, an idealism that cont<strong>in</strong>ued to<strong>in</strong>fluence Canadian culture well <strong>in</strong>to thetwentieth century. F<strong>in</strong>ally, WestfalFsstudy <strong>of</strong> Ontario's religious history presentsa new approach to the secular history<strong>of</strong> Canadian culture, an approachthat locates <strong>in</strong> Ontario's Victorian culturethe roots <strong>of</strong> modern attitudes as well as anational cultural uniqueness that manyhistorians have, until now, overlooked.HENRY HUBERT184
BOOKS IN REVIEWALTERNATIVETHEATREDangerous Graces: Women's Poetry on Stagefrom "Fire Works!" Scripted by Susan Me-Master. Balmuir Book Press, $9.95.McClure: A Play <strong>in</strong> two acts, Scott Munroe.Pierre Press, $8.95.WITH THESE TWO SCRIPTS Munroe Scottand Susan McMaster rem<strong>in</strong>d us thatEnglish-Canadian theatre has shown tremendousvitality and variety <strong>in</strong> recentyears. Dangerous Graces was scriptedfrom contributions by seventeen Canadianwomen poets, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the work <strong>of</strong> wellestablishedpoets such as Bronwen Wallaceand Ronnie R. Brown and <strong>of</strong> relativenewcomers such as Patricia Rowe, Nad<strong>in</strong>eMclnnis, and Sylvia Adams. The script <strong>of</strong>"Dangerous Graces/Sav<strong>in</strong>g S<strong>in</strong>s," it wascomposed as a poetry-<strong>in</strong>-performancepiece for Ottawa's month-long festival <strong>of</strong>women's theatre Fire Works!, producedby the Great Canadian Theatre Company<strong>in</strong> 1987. Munroe Scott's McClure wascommissioned by Theatre Aquarius <strong>of</strong>Hamilton, Ontario. First performed <strong>in</strong>March <strong>of</strong> 1986, it has also played <strong>in</strong> Toronto<strong>in</strong> October, 1986 and at the GuelphSpr<strong>in</strong>g Festival <strong>in</strong> May, 1987 and has recentlycompleted an eight-month tour <strong>of</strong>Canada. The appearance <strong>of</strong> DangerousGraces and McClure <strong>in</strong> book form furtherenriches the repertoire <strong>of</strong> contemporaryCanadian drama available for both performanceand study.The aff<strong>in</strong>ity <strong>of</strong> fem<strong>in</strong>ist theatre forpoetry-<strong>in</strong>-performance dramaturgy wasdemonstrated as long ago as 1976 <strong>in</strong> thelandmark New York production <strong>of</strong> NtozakeShange's For Colored Girls WhoHave Considered Suicide/ When theRa<strong>in</strong>bow is Enuf. While not as overtlypolitically charged, like Shange's work thepoems <strong>in</strong> Dangerous Graces work throughthe manifold frustrations <strong>of</strong> women's experience<strong>in</strong> patriarchy <strong>in</strong> order to realizewomen's empowerment through spirituality.Embodied by three actors, archetypalvoices speak to the five thematic divisions<strong>of</strong> the play: "Orig<strong>in</strong>al Courage,""Dangerous Love," "Sav<strong>in</strong>g Curiosity,""Dangerous Wisdom," and "Sav<strong>in</strong>gCare." The speakers are represented <strong>in</strong>the text by symbols <strong>of</strong> the moon: "the newmoon for the Maid, or young woman;the half moon for the Matron, or middleagedwoman; and the full moon for theDame, or old woman." Sign language iscalled for at one po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> the script anda "wordmusic" score is provided at another,<strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g only two <strong>of</strong> the challengesto performance conventions <strong>of</strong>feredby the play. In addition to the script, thebook <strong>in</strong>cludes valuable commentary onthe development <strong>of</strong> the orig<strong>in</strong>al productionby the director <strong>of</strong> Fireworks! BarbaraLysnes, the director <strong>of</strong> the show JenniferBoyes, and the composer <strong>of</strong> the scoreAndrew McClure. McMaster's scriptaffords well-varied pac<strong>in</strong>g, at times playful,provocative, contemplative. Her skilful<strong>in</strong>terweav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> woman-orientedthemes and performance art makes DangerousGraces an <strong>in</strong>novative example <strong>of</strong>alternative theatre.Munroe Scott, a long-time writer anddirector <strong>in</strong> Canadian films, television, andtheatre, gleaned material for McClurefrom his two-volume biography <strong>of</strong> DoctorRobert Baird McClure, McClure: TheCh<strong>in</strong>a Y ears and McClure : Years <strong>of</strong> Challenge.The play ranges over McClure'stwenty-five years <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a as a UnitedChurch missionary doctor and surgeon.Open<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 1926, the play documents hisearly encounters with war-lords and bandits,and his later role as Field Directorfor the International Red Cross for NorthernCh<strong>in</strong>a dur<strong>in</strong>g the conflict betweenCh<strong>in</strong>ese Nationalists and Communistsand the S<strong>in</strong>o-Japanese war. In this onemanplay, the actor, a role orig<strong>in</strong>ated byWayne Best, plays not only McClure butalso several other characters, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g185
BOOKS IN REVIEWMao and Norman Bethune. A set placementdiagram, properties lists, reviewsfrom Perform<strong>in</strong>g Arts and the F<strong>in</strong>ancialPost are <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the book as well asthree black and white photographs fromthe orig<strong>in</strong>al production. Robert McClure'sown brief <strong>in</strong>troduction and a chronology,cover<strong>in</strong>g the period from the appo<strong>in</strong>tment<strong>of</strong> Robert McGlure's father to Ch<strong>in</strong>a bythe Presbyterian Church <strong>in</strong> 1880 toMcClure's return to Ch<strong>in</strong>a <strong>in</strong> 1981, providehistorical and biographical backgroundfor the events <strong>of</strong> the play. Therapid pace <strong>of</strong> McClure contributes to asense <strong>of</strong> the hero as a missionary IndianaJones, with many ethical issues brieflytouched upon, rang<strong>in</strong>g from the imperialistpresence <strong>of</strong> Western nations toMcClure's dislike <strong>of</strong> a drunken Bethune,left unexam<strong>in</strong>ed.Regrettably, although orig<strong>in</strong>al musicwas composed for each play, neither scorehas been reproduced. However, bothbooks (attractively pr<strong>in</strong>ted and bound)attempt to give a sense <strong>of</strong> the overallorig<strong>in</strong>al production through other material.The differences between these twoplays, <strong>in</strong> approach, subject matter, andtheatrical experience <strong>of</strong>fered by eachproduction, demonstrate the variety <strong>of</strong> alternativetheatre activity currently tak<strong>in</strong>gplace <strong>in</strong> Canada. It is to be hoped thatmuch more <strong>of</strong> this activity will be madeavailable <strong>in</strong> book form.DEJA VUHEATHER JONESKENNETH RADU, Distant Relations.$29·95/$ΐ4·95·Oberon,AN EXAMPLE OF THE ethnic novel(Ukra<strong>in</strong>ian this time) set <strong>in</strong>itially on theprairies and <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g a vivid if <strong>of</strong>tenviolent picture <strong>of</strong> the conditions <strong>of</strong> earlyhomestead<strong>in</strong>g; a novel <strong>in</strong> which an obst<strong>in</strong>ateold woman casts up accounts at theend <strong>of</strong> her life, the book alternat<strong>in</strong>g betweenscenes set <strong>in</strong> the present and eventsremembered from the past.I have tried <strong>in</strong> the above paragraph to<strong>of</strong>fer as neutral an account as possible <strong>of</strong>the contents and effect <strong>of</strong> Distant Relations.Hav<strong>in</strong>g done so, I can readily imag<strong>in</strong>etwo reviews <strong>of</strong> the novel that woulddraw opposed conclusions from this sameevidence. A thematic critic, if <strong>in</strong> patrioticmood, might well praise it for its Canadianness,assign it a central place with<strong>in</strong>the Canadian tradition, and theorizeabout its social and cultural significance.A grumpier critic would probably jib atthe derivativeness <strong>of</strong> the conception {anotherethnic novel; another rendition <strong>of</strong>dour life on the prairies; Hagar Shipleyrecycled once aga<strong>in</strong>).What both critics are likely to ignore —and what for me is <strong>of</strong> the utmost importance— is the style, the author's conspicuouscontrol over the rhythms <strong>of</strong> hissentences, the flow <strong>of</strong> his paragraphs, hiscapacity to move smoothly between thenarrative voice and that <strong>of</strong> his protagonist.So far as I am concerned, it is his abilityas a stylist that dist<strong>in</strong>guishes KennethRadu from the majority <strong>of</strong> his contemporaries.While it is obviously impossible toillustrate such qualities <strong>in</strong> the course <strong>of</strong> abrief review, the fact that he is always <strong>in</strong>full control <strong>of</strong> his prose needs to be emphasized.For the serious reader, his stylisticsophistication represents a considerablepart <strong>of</strong> his creative achievement.Nonetheless, the novel has its problems.While "Hagar Shipley recycled" wouldbe unfair, an uneasy sense <strong>of</strong> déjà vuhangs over the book. While it is absorb<strong>in</strong>gto read, it does not earn high marks forfreshness <strong>of</strong> conception or formal orig<strong>in</strong>ality.Above all, while at its best DistantRelations is impressive and mov<strong>in</strong>g, at itsworst it becomes <strong>in</strong>furiat<strong>in</strong>gly repetitious.The seventy-four-year-old protagonist,Vera Dobriu, is the vehicle for a devastat<strong>in</strong>gattack on the state <strong>of</strong> the contempor-186
BOOKS IN REVIEWary world, and at first the scath<strong>in</strong>g referencesto contemporary violence andphon<strong>in</strong>ess, the <strong>of</strong>fensivenes <strong>of</strong> the world<strong>of</strong> cheap plastic, seem refresh<strong>in</strong>g and evenexhilarat<strong>in</strong>g. But as the list lengthens andthe absurdities are reiterated aga<strong>in</strong> andaga<strong>in</strong>, the law <strong>of</strong> dim<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g returns sets<strong>in</strong>. If her unsatisfactory husband hadbeen described as a fungus one more time,if I were rem<strong>in</strong>ded once aga<strong>in</strong> that shewas <strong>in</strong> the arms <strong>of</strong> her black lover at thetime <strong>of</strong> the atomic explosion over Hiroshima,I might well have screamed.Oberon Press policies do not favourthe spread<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> authorial <strong>in</strong>formation.Clearly, however, Kenneth Radu is n<strong>of</strong>ledgl<strong>in</strong>g writer. To my knowledge he haspublished two children's stories, a mov<strong>in</strong>gbook <strong>of</strong> poems {Letters to a DistantFather, 1987), and a collection <strong>of</strong> shortstories (The Cost <strong>of</strong> Liv<strong>in</strong>g, also 1987)that I found impressive <strong>in</strong>deed. DistantRelations may have its snags, but thetalent beh<strong>in</strong>d it is unmistakable. It isclearly a very respectable first novel, andRadu is a writer to be watched.COSTUME PARADEW. J. KEITHMICHELLE GADPAiLLE, The Canadian ShortStory. Oxford.88 Best Canadian Short Stories, ed. DavidHelwig & Maggie Helwig. Oberon, $25.95/$12.95.Com<strong>in</strong>g Attractions, ed. David Helwig & MaggieHelwig. Oberon, n.p.IT HAS BEEN CLAIMED <strong>of</strong>ten enough thatCanadian literature excels <strong>in</strong> the shortstory, a genre which ga<strong>in</strong>s its strengthfrom its steady development over almosta century and from its more recent growth<strong>in</strong> productivity and diversity. The relativelylong tradition, the thriv<strong>in</strong>g presentand the promis<strong>in</strong>g future <strong>of</strong> the English-Canadian short story form the basis <strong>of</strong>the three books under review.All <strong>in</strong> all this survey is a useful <strong>in</strong>troductionto the English-Canadian shortstory provid<strong>in</strong>g, with<strong>in</strong> its scope, a considerableamount <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation throughthe discussion <strong>of</strong> paradigmatic texts andsummary assessments <strong>of</strong> the authors <strong>in</strong> asucc<strong>in</strong>ct, straightforward style. Gadpaillerelies heavily on the canon <strong>of</strong> realist,modernist stories — a recurrent criterionfor a story's importance is how frequentlyit has been anthologized — and only occasionallydoes she draw attention to undulyneglected stories (as <strong>in</strong> the case <strong>of</strong> HughGarner's "Our Neighbours the Nuns").There are gaps <strong>in</strong> her account — HenryKreisel, for <strong>in</strong>stance, is miss<strong>in</strong>g — butthese may be as unavoidable as the reductivelabels attached to some <strong>of</strong> the brieferreferences. Still, one could argue thatMalcolm Lowry, once <strong>in</strong>cluded, woulddeserve fuller treatment, and the capsulecharacterization <strong>of</strong> Timothy F<strong>in</strong>dley as agentle, leisurely teller <strong>of</strong> tales strikes oneas far <strong>of</strong>f the mark. In the long chapteron Munro, Lives <strong>of</strong> Girls and Women ispassed over presumably because its authorhas, hesitat<strong>in</strong>gly, classified it as a novel.But how does it differ structurally fromLaurence's A Bird <strong>in</strong> the House, which asa sequence <strong>of</strong> l<strong>in</strong>ked stories is properlydealt with? Gadpaille's reluctance to takesuch borderl<strong>in</strong>e cases <strong>in</strong>to considerationprobably has someth<strong>in</strong>g to do with hergeneral avoidance <strong>of</strong> genre theory, whichis most conspicuous at the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g andtowards the end <strong>of</strong> the book, where questions<strong>of</strong> def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and stretch<strong>in</strong>g genreboundaries are constantly implied ratherthan explicated. Similarly, she refra<strong>in</strong>sfrom comparative approaches. Apart fromoccasional references to the Americanshort story, there are no comparisons withdevelopments <strong>in</strong> French-Canadian orother post-colonial literatures. In all <strong>of</strong>these respects the lack <strong>of</strong> a bibliography,which could have guided the reader t<strong>of</strong>urther sources, is particularly deplorable.Gadpaille mentions the Oberon antho-187
BOOKS IN REVIEWlogies as an <strong>in</strong>fluential forum contribut<strong>in</strong>gto the present flower<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the Canadianshort story <strong>in</strong> its more "conservative andmodernist" mode. Therefore, the latestbatch <strong>of</strong> these collections <strong>in</strong>vites close <strong>in</strong>spectionas it should <strong>in</strong>dicate the presenttrends with<strong>in</strong> an established tradition. Amoderate version <strong>of</strong> modernism <strong>in</strong> postmodernisttimes is, <strong>in</strong>deed, what givesthe majority <strong>of</strong> the stories assembled heretheir stamp, and it may be said at theoutset that the best stories and the mostpromis<strong>in</strong>g writers <strong>of</strong> 1988 as chosen bythe Helwigs do not yield a particularlygood v<strong>in</strong>tage. While 88 Best Canadian-Short Stories is advertised on the blurb asa "rich and varied collection" and announced<strong>in</strong> the editors' <strong>in</strong>troductory noteas a selection <strong>of</strong> unique stories taken froma great bulk <strong>of</strong> deserv<strong>in</strong>g texts on <strong>of</strong>fer,one feels rather let down by the narrowrange <strong>of</strong> thematic concerns and the conventionalmethods <strong>of</strong> presentation whichby and large <strong>in</strong>form the actual stories. Theanthology opens with a slight piece byCarol Shields which strikes the keynote <strong>of</strong>much that follows by l<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g up a costumeparade <strong>of</strong> people pos<strong>in</strong>g images <strong>of</strong> theirselves <strong>in</strong> everyday situations and prompt<strong>in</strong>gthe f<strong>in</strong>al question: Who does he/sheth<strong>in</strong>k he/she is? Variants <strong>of</strong> this question<strong>in</strong> the Munro ve<strong>in</strong> recur <strong>in</strong> a number <strong>of</strong>stories and are asked, more <strong>of</strong>ten than not,rather overtly, patroniz<strong>in</strong>g the reader evenwhen uttered by a character or an authorialpersona. The limits <strong>of</strong> the stories'world become evident <strong>in</strong> conspicuousabsences: the focus is exclusively on thecommon tribulations <strong>of</strong> people's privatelives, especially the <strong>in</strong>tricate relationshipsbetween <strong>in</strong>dividuals <strong>of</strong> different sexes andgenerations, to the total neglect <strong>of</strong> themore public sphere <strong>in</strong> political affairs andsocial problems, even at the level <strong>of</strong> work<strong>in</strong>glife, or <strong>of</strong> the more fundamental dimension<strong>of</strong> relat<strong>in</strong>g one's existence to theworld at large. What we have here is anendless array <strong>of</strong> men or women and theirlovers or friends, <strong>of</strong> mothers and daughters,fathers and families entangled <strong>in</strong>critical situations which throw their lives<strong>in</strong>to relief and shade their self-images withirony yet rema<strong>in</strong> bound up with the Mewrit large. Technically, these stories followthe conventions <strong>of</strong> psychological realismwith a noticeable preference for adolescentor female angles <strong>of</strong> narration, fora structural l<strong>in</strong>earity <strong>in</strong>terrupted only byshifts to the report<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> past events andfor an equally straightforward style.There are stories like Ernest Hekkanen's"The Violent Lavender Beast"and Tom Marshall's "The Other Mexico,"which venture near or cross theboundary <strong>of</strong> fantasy to present obsessivevisions and apparitions. We come underthe spell <strong>of</strong> a few strik<strong>in</strong>g images as <strong>in</strong>Davy James-French's "Heaven Full <strong>of</strong>Astronauts," where the attempt <strong>of</strong> asmall-town community to attract the attention<strong>of</strong> an early space flight comesacross as a pathetic gesture towards recognitionby the outside world. Some storieslead up to a f<strong>in</strong>al ironic twist or a doubleedgedopen end<strong>in</strong>g: Joyce Marshall's"Blood and Bone" confronts a womanwith her daughter, whom she had to giveaway for adoption under pa<strong>in</strong>ful circumstancesand who returns with all the obst<strong>in</strong>acy<strong>of</strong> a religious zealot.The stories concentrate on Canadiancharacters <strong>of</strong> the urban middle class,especially the world <strong>of</strong> the arts and academia.Where small-town life comes <strong>in</strong>t<strong>of</strong>ocus it is either as an adolescent experience,and as such a matter <strong>of</strong> the recollectedpast, or as an encounter with anunfamiliar territory <strong>in</strong> the present. Sett<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>in</strong> foreign countries are seen ma<strong>in</strong>lythrough the eyes <strong>of</strong> Canadians abroad.The one exception is Roh<strong>in</strong>ton Mistry's"Fac<strong>in</strong>g the Precipice," which describesthe shattered self-confidence <strong>of</strong> a Goan<strong>in</strong> Bombay faced with loss <strong>of</strong> control overhis grown-up daughter and the dilapidation<strong>of</strong> the neighbourhood, a story which188
BOOKS IN REVIEWonly by implied parallel may also saysometh<strong>in</strong>g about the immigrant's experience<strong>in</strong> Canada. International events or<strong>in</strong>ternal multicultural tensions do not imp<strong>in</strong>geon Canadian life as depicted <strong>in</strong>these stories. Only the rumbl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> worldWar II and its disrupt<strong>in</strong>g impact onfamily life are registered <strong>in</strong> Jane Rule's"War's End," whereas more recent developmentslike the conflict betweenAnglo-Canadians and Franco-Canadiansor that most topical fear <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gdependence on the United States are noteven h<strong>in</strong>ted at.The story that deserves to be s<strong>in</strong>gledout is Timothy F<strong>in</strong>dley's "Bragg andM<strong>in</strong>na" because it surpasses the rest <strong>of</strong>the collection on most accounts. Its titlecharacters are two oppos<strong>in</strong>g k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> personalitiesand writers, the man worriedabout the future and devoted to meticulouscraftsmanship, his wife full <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>domitablevitality and committed to writ<strong>in</strong>gon behalf <strong>of</strong> the underprivileged and<strong>in</strong>articulate, both <strong>of</strong> them <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> thebirth <strong>of</strong> a severely handicapped child andentangled <strong>in</strong> a triangle with a homosexualfriend. The story touches upon the complexity<strong>of</strong> life and death, reason and compassion,self and society, writ<strong>in</strong>g andreality, and l<strong>in</strong>ks the archetypal imagery<strong>of</strong> Australian aborig<strong>in</strong>es with the om<strong>in</strong>oustimes <strong>of</strong> AIDS <strong>in</strong> order to provoke a shock<strong>of</strong> recognition <strong>in</strong> the man which br<strong>in</strong>gshim closer to his wife after her death fromcancer. The story is told <strong>in</strong> a terse styleand marked by a segmental structure <strong>of</strong>time shifts with<strong>in</strong> a retrospective frame.F<strong>in</strong>dley's "Bragg and M<strong>in</strong>na" opens aseries <strong>of</strong> l<strong>in</strong>ked Stories <strong>in</strong> Stones (1988),which is go<strong>in</strong>g to be cont<strong>in</strong>ued beyond hislatest book. In this respect it is much morepromis<strong>in</strong>g than the samples anticipat<strong>in</strong>gthe future <strong>of</strong> the genre <strong>in</strong> Com<strong>in</strong>g Attractions.This anthology conta<strong>in</strong>s three storieseach by Christopher Fisher, Carol AnnWien and Rick Hillis, all newcomers atleast to the short story. Fisher's stories areabout life <strong>in</strong> the fictional prairie town <strong>of</strong>Dolguard and, <strong>in</strong> strik<strong>in</strong>g contrast to theother anthology, present glimpses <strong>of</strong> arural microcosm with work<strong>in</strong>g class oreven marg<strong>in</strong>al characters dramatized <strong>in</strong> asuitably sparse style. Fisher obviouslyjo<strong>in</strong>s the tradition <strong>of</strong> realistic prairie fictionbut, unassum<strong>in</strong>g as his pieces are, hemay well have the edge over the other,more sophisticated, writers. Wien's recurrenttheme is the encounter <strong>in</strong> transience :Canadians abroad (Brazil, Mexico) or <strong>in</strong>an unfamiliar region (Nova Scotia) haveto face challeng<strong>in</strong>g situations which br<strong>in</strong>gtheir whole be<strong>in</strong>g under scrut<strong>in</strong>y. TheJames-Gallant tradition is as importantfor the narrative mode as it is for herthematic <strong>in</strong>terest. Hillis comes closest tothe other two <strong>in</strong> a lengthy story about theordeal and self-assertion <strong>of</strong> a boy dur<strong>in</strong>ga holiday on a farm, whereas his shorterpieces concern the world <strong>of</strong> the rodeo andfootball enhanced by popular mythologiz<strong>in</strong>gand approached here <strong>in</strong> a rather moredeviant way.One does not have to share JohnMetcalf's reservations about the selfconsciousnationalism and naive prov<strong>in</strong>cialism<strong>of</strong> Canadian literature to f<strong>in</strong>dthese anthologies largely disappo<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g.Even with<strong>in</strong> their self-imposed thematicand technical limitations most <strong>of</strong> thestories fall short <strong>of</strong> the standards set bythe better stories <strong>of</strong> Munro and Atwood.EBERHARD KREUTZERARTIFICIAL PARADISE?BRIAN BARTLETT, Planet Harbour. Goose Lane$8.95, pa.PHIL HALL, Amanuensis. Brick Books, n.p.HAROLD RHENISCH, A Delicate Fire. Sono Nis$6.95, pa.FOR ALL THEIR DIFFERENCE <strong>in</strong> outlook,experience, and aesthetic, these threewriters share a serious engagement withmany <strong>of</strong> the same questions. Bartlett,189
BOOKS IN REVIEWthough the most obviously delighted <strong>in</strong>the play <strong>of</strong> poetry, knows the dangers towhich absorption with the self and theplay <strong>of</strong> words may lead: it is <strong>in</strong> keep<strong>in</strong>gwith this awareness that both Donne andStevens echo through his pages. Hall,much less will<strong>in</strong>g than Bartlett to letwords merely play, makes play with wordshis means <strong>of</strong> question<strong>in</strong>g formalist aesthetics.And Rhenisch, though generallymore serious <strong>in</strong> tone than the other two,holds a vision <strong>of</strong> language that only fails<strong>of</strong> Bartlett's practice by his awareness thatlanguage outside the poem ever fails toapproach his vision: how, ask many <strong>of</strong>Rhenisch's poems, can the poet rema<strong>in</strong>long satisfied <strong>in</strong> an artificial paradise?Tom Wayman, for one, cannot: "I f<strong>in</strong>dit discourag<strong>in</strong>g that the literary arts —which are touted (and funded) as epitomiz<strong>in</strong>gthe human spirit — should helpperpetuate the taboo aga<strong>in</strong>st accuratelydepict<strong>in</strong>g daily work and thus contributeto human pa<strong>in</strong>." Nor can Hall: "Whenwe handle th<strong>in</strong>gs and then write words /we speak <strong>of</strong> that <strong>in</strong>terchange <strong>of</strong> prayers /but when we handle only / pens / webeg<strong>in</strong> to pray to our pens / for words /that are solid / excuses for hav<strong>in</strong>g let go."But though Wayman's <strong>in</strong>sistence on br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>gwork — real work — <strong>in</strong>to poetry isthe dom<strong>in</strong>ant theme <strong>in</strong> Hall's Amanuensis,his first book <strong>of</strong> poems, anarchy is itschief impression, as if it sought to resist,sis (his first book <strong>of</strong> poems), anarchy is itsunsettl<strong>in</strong>g mix <strong>of</strong> poems and graphics— the graphics themselves unsettl<strong>in</strong>glymixed, rang<strong>in</strong>g from the German classicpa<strong>in</strong>ter, Anselm Feuerbach, to sketches byHall <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fice workers, to photographs <strong>of</strong>a chair's shadow — by its mostly untitled,fragmentary poems, and by its practicaljokes. This unsettledness is one <strong>of</strong> thevolume's strengths; another is its frequentprecision <strong>of</strong> perception: "A chickadee /imbeds itself / <strong>in</strong> the fog." Like EdwardThomas, whom he praises along the way,Hall can be a "meticulous listener."A Delicate Fire, Rhenisch's third volume<strong>of</strong> poems, suggests a different distrust<strong>of</strong> language. His poems seem constantlyalert to man's pride before nature.Poetry becomes not so much an artificialparadise, as it threatens to become forHall, but rather a place <strong>of</strong> authority fromwhich the poet can both pronounce onthe deficiencies <strong>of</strong> language beyond thepoem and perfect that humility before thenon-human world that itself seems to corruptdaily speech. "It's not purity we askfor," he writes <strong>in</strong> "The Drive Home fromCalgary," "but to be able to live with ourwords — which means, <strong>in</strong> part, to facilitateexchange between men, / but doesnot mean pr<strong>of</strong>it, / and does not mean tolie." Some judgements called forth by hisobservations seem based on slight evidence.In "Bella Coola (Komkotes),1873," the poet scrut<strong>in</strong>izes the members<strong>of</strong> the expedition <strong>of</strong> Dr. Israel Powell,Indian Commissioner, <strong>in</strong> an old photograph.Select<strong>in</strong>g the details by which tocharacterize Powell — "out-thrust belly,fat, / support<strong>in</strong>g himself / stiffly on acane" — Rhenisch concludes that hecould not "sit down for a dr<strong>in</strong>k" withhim: "<strong>in</strong> some lace-w<strong>in</strong>dowed bar / <strong>in</strong>Victoria. He looks a fool."Planet Harbour, Bartlett's first book <strong>of</strong>poems, by <strong>in</strong>dulg<strong>in</strong>g itself <strong>in</strong> the world <strong>of</strong>words refra<strong>in</strong>s from larger judgements."A Distant Stream on Madonna Mounta<strong>in</strong>"pardons the vagaries <strong>of</strong> human perception:"who's pure enough / to stopcompar<strong>in</strong>g?" A similar conceit appears <strong>in</strong>"Out There" : "Tempt<strong>in</strong>g to say my blue<strong>in</strong>k flows out / from here, turns black,then coats / all the shapes and forms outthere, / leav<strong>in</strong>g a night or a noth<strong>in</strong>gness /<strong>in</strong> which I can create what I want. Theanchor — or "harbour" — <strong>of</strong> his wit isthe relationship between two <strong>in</strong>timates.His poems seem written first for that <strong>in</strong>timateother, and only secondly for a largeraudience. The feel<strong>in</strong>g, then, is <strong>of</strong>ten thatthe private world so displayed is delightiqo
BOOKS IN REVIEWful, but that its delight is bought at thecost <strong>of</strong> ignor<strong>in</strong>g its fragility and relativeslightness <strong>in</strong> the world. Donne's example,among others', returns with a vengeanceat this compla<strong>in</strong>t : do we feel cramped andconf<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> love poems? Perhaps TomWayman or Phil Hall, among others, may.But Rhenisch, for one, would agree withBartlett that the expression <strong>of</strong> the bondbetween lovers adds someth<strong>in</strong>g to thelarger world. Why is it, then, that some<strong>of</strong> Bartlett's poems dim<strong>in</strong>ish rather thanmagnify? The problem may lie <strong>in</strong> his pronouns,"I" and "you," which seem to enforce,when they should unsettle, the roles<strong>of</strong> gifted maker ("I") and grateful reader("you"). The effect is to conf<strong>in</strong>e the poemto its small world, walled-<strong>in</strong> by its pronouns.DARRELL LAIRD(UN) FRANK: DAVEYFRANK DAVEY, Read<strong>in</strong>g Canadian Read<strong>in</strong>g.Turnstone, $14.95.IN THIS COLLECTION <strong>of</strong> sixteen essays onvarious aspects <strong>of</strong> Canadian literature andcriticism, Frank Davey identifies himselfas someone deeply committed to all theright issues aligned with current theory.He would ( 1 ) concern himself with"theories <strong>of</strong> '<strong>in</strong>terest' or 'conflict'"; (2)be upset about our cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g ignorance<strong>of</strong> critical theory and about our unwill<strong>in</strong>gnessto realize that "every critical act. . . assumes at least one theory <strong>of</strong> criticism";(3) argue aga<strong>in</strong>st those who are"bl<strong>in</strong>d to the implications <strong>of</strong> their ownapproaches" (those who don't see that"there can be no absolute values" <strong>in</strong> criticaltexts — only "ideological positions") ;and (4) valorize those critics who celebratetheir ideological positions and who<strong>in</strong>sist that criticism is a political act.This is all very au courant; the problemis that Davey speaks as if he hadjust discovered the relation between ideologyand theory. He seems impressed bythis discovery, though he never reallyclarifies what the nature <strong>of</strong> his <strong>in</strong>volvementis. Perhaps this is because his ownrole and political status as a critic rema<strong>in</strong>unclear. The "discourse theory" Daveyendorses makes it easy to get around thisproblem <strong>of</strong> self-def<strong>in</strong>ition because "Discoursetheory avoids the metaphysical difficulties<strong>of</strong> posit<strong>in</strong>g a freestand<strong>in</strong>g andconsistent self but, by posit<strong>in</strong>g that allutterances are mere rhetoric, appears togive all hortatory or political expressionequal stand<strong>in</strong>g."While Davey might argue that ego isrelative to rhetoric, his book demonstratesthat his own development as a critic hasquite a bit to do with the recognition <strong>of</strong>his aims as an ambitious, freestand<strong>in</strong>gyoung academic. His accounts <strong>of</strong> how hisvarious critical books evolved are embarrass<strong>in</strong>gbecause they suggest thatDavey received contracts for some <strong>of</strong> hisearlier studies because he spoke to theright party at the right time.Davey's confessional mode suggests thathe is try<strong>in</strong>g to justify his career, to expla<strong>in</strong>why he lacks canonical status as a poet,to excuse his participation <strong>in</strong> an ideologicallycorrupt and sicken<strong>in</strong>g bourgeoisuniversity superstructure, to distance himselffrom previous associations that nowstrike him as politically <strong>in</strong>correct. Inother words, Davey is try<strong>in</strong>g to rewrite hislife. No wonder he sounds like someonetry<strong>in</strong>g to be someone else.This br<strong>in</strong>gs me to expla<strong>in</strong> why read<strong>in</strong>gDavey's book made me feel sad. I likedthe old Davey, when he was just pla<strong>in</strong>Frank. His books broke new ground. Theywere fresh, and Frank was frank. But <strong>in</strong>Read<strong>in</strong>g Canadian Read<strong>in</strong>g, it's muchharder to f<strong>in</strong>d Frank. Davey has betrayedFrank's faith. If Davey tells us that hisstudy <strong>of</strong> Birney now seems questionablebecause it is organized chronologicallyaround Birney's life as a historical subject,then how can I credit Read<strong>in</strong>g Canadian
BOOKS IN REVIEWRead<strong>in</strong>g, which is framed by a chronologicalanalysis <strong>of</strong> the texts that seem t<strong>of</strong>ocus Davey's historical (and presumably"real") life? If Davey argues that certa<strong>in</strong>Canadian writers are selected for study <strong>in</strong>schools and universities because they donot provoke "significant theoretical discussion"we must ask how it is that Daveyconsiders a writer such at Atwood to beeasier to "consume" than, say, GeorgeBower<strong>in</strong>g. The answer is not hard to f<strong>in</strong>d :Davey devalues Atwood's <strong>in</strong>tellectual andideological import because it is <strong>in</strong> his <strong>in</strong>terestto do so. Davey's entire study attemptsto argue that literary value ("<strong>in</strong>terest")is radically cont<strong>in</strong>gent. If this isso, then he wastes his time try<strong>in</strong>g to determ<strong>in</strong>ewhy one author is or is not the subject<strong>of</strong> study <strong>in</strong> the schools. And if valueis not radically cont<strong>in</strong>gent, then the antiessentialiststance that Davey adopts isworthless.But Davey wants it both ways. This iswhy he is able to <strong>in</strong>clude several essays(on such figures as Atwood, AudreyThomas, Pratt, and on such topics as thelong poem and prairie poetry — to list afew) which are, despite a few deconstructivetrimm<strong>in</strong>gs, written <strong>in</strong> the voice<strong>of</strong> Frank. There's some directness here.Fresh <strong>in</strong>sights turn up. And though most<strong>of</strong> the essays are thematic and new critical<strong>in</strong> orientation, that does not stop Frankfrom draw<strong>in</strong>g our attention to <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gdetails and connections. What a relieffrom the book's open<strong>in</strong>g pieces, <strong>in</strong> whichDavey's discourse-ridden ego is flashed <strong>in</strong>front <strong>of</strong> us at every turn. But the relief isshort-lived. Davey seems to be grow<strong>in</strong>gbigger <strong>in</strong> his mirror. Frank is shr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g.The old excitement is gett<strong>in</strong>g harder t<strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>d.ROBERT LECKER192LECKER'S BLAISEROBERT LECKER, An Other I: The Fictions <strong>of</strong>Clark Blaue. ECW, $16.00.REFRESHINGLY UNCONVENTIONAL andhighly appropriate <strong>in</strong> its approach to itssubject's self-absorption, An Other I isboth a perceptive read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Blaise's textsand an <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g contribution to the discussion<strong>of</strong> the relationship between authorand critic.Lecker argues that over the course <strong>of</strong>his career Clark Blaise's work becomes "<strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>glypreoccupied with the autobiographicaland self-reflexive impulses thatform his shap<strong>in</strong>g vision," and that it showshim search<strong>in</strong>g for what James Olney calls"metaphors <strong>of</strong> self." Lecker approachesBlaise's work <strong>in</strong> its own terms, embroilshimself <strong>in</strong> it, and gives an account <strong>of</strong> itfrom with<strong>in</strong>. Clark Blaise, Lecker writes,"is all that I want the Author to be, andhe is all I know the author can never be.He is my (critical) dilemma and the storyI will read and write." This, <strong>in</strong> otherwords, is not only Lecker's read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>Blaise and Lecker's writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Blaise ; thisis Lecker's Blaise. "My project: to enteran other I, to speak <strong>in</strong>to his otherness, tolet his otherness be m<strong>in</strong>e."After his own prefatory remarks,Lecker allows Blaise to <strong>in</strong>troduce himself<strong>in</strong> his own autobiographical "Chronology<strong>of</strong> Salience." This was a good idea, but itturned out to be disappo<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g becauseBlaise has written more <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g accounts<strong>of</strong> his own formative experiences<strong>in</strong> almost everyth<strong>in</strong>g he has published.Though the <strong>in</strong>troduction <strong>of</strong> Blaise's ownvoice here at the outset <strong>of</strong> Lecker's studydoes help dissolve the distance betweenauthor and critics, the "Chronology"adds very little that is new to the familiarstew <strong>of</strong> Blaise's early life, and it collapses<strong>in</strong>to a matter-<strong>of</strong>-fact list <strong>of</strong> the jobs he hasheld, the books he has published and theplaces he has lived over the past 30 years.
BOOKS IN REVIEWLecker's discussion <strong>of</strong> the fiction is organizedchronologically, and it shows howBlaise feeds not only on himself — on hisown life—but on the selves he has createdthrough his writ<strong>in</strong>g, as if a Frankie Thibidault,a Norman Dyer, or another <strong>of</strong> hisfictional alter egos, were more real to himthan his actual self. The k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tenseautobiographical (also "autohagiographical,""auto-erotic," and "auto-cannibalistic")self-reflexivity that Lecker discerns<strong>in</strong> Blaise's fiction raises questions about itsvalue: "Can such self-reflexive fiction,"Lecker asks, "ever go beyond self to embracea reality that is larger than thespeakers', or does his narcissism doom himto gaze perpetually upon himself?" Blaisehas discussed these questions <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> a"tragic dilemma," and he has wrestledwith them <strong>in</strong> his fiction, most obviously <strong>in</strong>his novel Lusts, <strong>in</strong> which the writer RichardDurg<strong>in</strong> ultimately fails to go beyondhimself. And although Lecker wants toargue that Lusts, <strong>in</strong> portray<strong>in</strong>g Durg<strong>in</strong>ironically, "must also be seen as a partialcondemnation <strong>of</strong> self-serv<strong>in</strong>g art," this isalso Lecker's (critical) dilemma. For thequestions implicate Lecker too, and to hisgreat credit he does not shy away fromrecogniz<strong>in</strong>g this situation. "Why supportthe obvious narcissism that seems to motivatethese texts? Why write about anauthor who persists <strong>in</strong> tell<strong>in</strong>g us about hisown fundamentally un<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g life?"Lecker concludes <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gly by comment<strong>in</strong>gon how thoroughly Blaise's existentialproject seems to fail. If we wanthim to resolve the conflicts that def<strong>in</strong>e hislife, we will <strong>in</strong>evitably be disappo<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>in</strong>Blaise. This is a writer who quite deliberatelyrefuses to resolve his owndilemma.Limit<strong>in</strong>g himself as he does to the terms<strong>of</strong> reference that Blaise sets for himself,Lecker is unable — as Blaise is unable —to accommodate an other truly as anOther. A critic less embroiled <strong>in</strong> Blaise'sown world might comment on his treatment<strong>of</strong> women, who are either subsumedas part <strong>of</strong> himself (as his wife Bharati issubsumed <strong>in</strong> Days and Nights <strong>in</strong> Calcutta)or are shabbily caricatured (e.g.the pipe-smok<strong>in</strong>g McGill pr<strong>of</strong>essor EllaPerleman <strong>in</strong> "North"), and might be lesssatisfied with an oeuvre that is only attempt<strong>in</strong>gto move beyond self-referentialityand that evidently refuses, f<strong>in</strong>ally, tomake that very move. Such limitation notwithstand<strong>in</strong>g,Lecker's approach enableshim to understand Blaise as only a sympatheticreader can, and to send us backto his fiction with renewed <strong>in</strong>terest.ARPROACHLINDA LEITHJOHN HAYMAN, ed., Robert Brown and theVancouver Island Explor<strong>in</strong>g Expedition.UBG Press, $29.95.IN THIS BOOK John Hayman gathers togetherthree articles by Robert Brown:"The Land We Live In," "A Guest at aPotlatch" and "A Collection <strong>of</strong> IndiansMyths and Legends," plus the 100-page"Vancouver Island Explor<strong>in</strong>g Expedition."Illustrations are plentiful and fall<strong>in</strong>to four categories : contemporary photographs;maps; sketches and watercoloursby Frederick Whymper, a member <strong>of</strong> theVIEE; and maps drawn specially for thisbook. The editor supplies a Preface, Introduction,copious notes, and two appendices.The dust jacket <strong>in</strong>forms the reader that"Robert Brown, a twenty-one-year-oldScot, arrived on Vancouver Island <strong>in</strong>1863 for the purpose <strong>of</strong> collect<strong>in</strong>g seeds,roots, and plants for the Botanical Association<strong>of</strong> Ed<strong>in</strong>burgh. It soon becameapparent, however, that he was not contentwith be<strong>in</strong>g a mere gatherer <strong>of</strong> specimens,and his relations with his sponsorrapidly soured. So when the opportunity193
BOOKS IN REVIEWarose <strong>in</strong> 1864 to head the VancouverIsland Explor<strong>in</strong>g Expedition, Browneagerly agreed to be its commander." Toput Brown's work <strong>in</strong>to perspective, wemust know Vancouver Island is barely280 miles long and is at its widest onlysome 85 miles. Its coast was explored withsome thoroughness by the Spanish <strong>in</strong> the1780s and 1790s; through to the 1820sthis same area was a marketplace for themaritime fur trade; after 1843 there werepermanent trad<strong>in</strong>g posts on the island. Inthe 1840s and 1850s few Europeans hadreason to cross the island (there be<strong>in</strong>g notrade worth the name on the west coast) ;those who did found it crisscrossed byIndian trails. No one, Indian or white, topass through the <strong>in</strong>terior reported anyth<strong>in</strong>gworth a second look.In contrast, Brown did his job and didit thoroughly. He led this expedition eastand west, north and south; he mappedthe "unknown <strong>in</strong>terior" (the attemptedreproduction <strong>of</strong> Brown's beautiful map <strong>in</strong>this book resulted <strong>in</strong> a Rorschach blot) ;he and his men kept journals <strong>of</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>gvalue; and he published a series <strong>of</strong> newspaperreports followed by VancouverIsland, an account <strong>of</strong> the VIEE.However the real po<strong>in</strong>t here, and it isone never drawn by the editor, is not thatBrown did his work so well, it is that noone really cared. The VIEE's purpose waseconomic: <strong>in</strong> 1864 Victoria needed a f<strong>in</strong>ancialboost, so the city fathers sent theVIEE out to f<strong>in</strong>d gold. His expeditionfound gold, copper and coal, but only thegold had immediate, though fleet<strong>in</strong>gvalue. For Brown the summer-long expeditionled to noth<strong>in</strong>g. He mapped theIsland but the result was published <strong>in</strong>Germany and had no local effect; hisnewspaper articles were never repr<strong>in</strong>tedand his Vancouver Island is, for practicalpurposes, unreadable. Two years laterBrown returned to Brita<strong>in</strong> and a life onGrub Street.The value <strong>of</strong> this book is to be found<strong>in</strong> the editor's annotation; his notes arewide-rang<strong>in</strong>g and up to date. Brown'stexts are stimulat<strong>in</strong>g, as I have found repeatedlywhile work<strong>in</strong>g with his coastalwrit<strong>in</strong>gs; typically what he does not say ismore to the po<strong>in</strong>t than what he does say,and it <strong>of</strong>ten leads the researcher <strong>of</strong>f alongbyways.Compar<strong>in</strong>g Brown's published work toJ. Despard Pemberton's Facts and FiguresRelat<strong>in</strong>g to Vancouver Island and <strong>British</strong><strong>Columbia</strong> (i860), Matthew Macfie'sVancouver Island and <strong>British</strong> <strong>Columbia</strong>(1865) and G. M. Sproat's Scenes andStudies <strong>of</strong> Savage Life (1868) provesBrown a dilettante, one so <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong>be<strong>in</strong>g an authority he rarely wrote perceptivelyabout anyth<strong>in</strong>g; had the editorattempted to put Brown <strong>in</strong>to perspective,he might have discovered Brown was onlyone <strong>of</strong> a dozen or more English writerswork<strong>in</strong>g on Vancouver Island <strong>in</strong> the1860s. Learn<strong>in</strong>g that Brown was not work<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> isloation, that Victoria was thensometh<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>ternational community— and one <strong>in</strong> which Brown, it seems, wasnot well thought <strong>of</strong> — might have forcedthe editor to deal more thoughtfully withhis subject.Before putt<strong>in</strong>g together a collection <strong>of</strong>this nature, an editor must decide whetherthe material can speak for itself. If so,then notes and commentary should beheld to a m<strong>in</strong>imum. Quite another approachis required when a work is episodic.The contents <strong>of</strong> Robert Brown demana third approach. The material <strong>in</strong>this book, along with all <strong>of</strong> Brown's uncollectedwrit<strong>in</strong>gs, could have been betterused as the primary source material for amonograph or biography. Because theeditor did not consider the available approacheshe created an anthology, a weakone at that, for Brown's style lacks thevitality to make his various articles cohere.CHARLES LILLARD
BOOKS IN REVIEWLOYALISTCYNTHIA DUBiN EDELBERG, Jonathan Odell:Loyalist Poet <strong>of</strong> the American Revolution.Duke <strong>University</strong> Press, $24.95.ONE OF THE PERSISTENT cultural differencesbetween Canadians and Americanslies <strong>in</strong> their respective attitudes to thosewho supported the los<strong>in</strong>g side <strong>in</strong> theAmerican Revolution. Tory traitors onone side <strong>of</strong> the border become Loyalistheroes on the other; a War <strong>of</strong> Independence<strong>in</strong> one country becomes a revolutionaryrupture <strong>in</strong> another. Cynthia Edelberg'ssubtitle is a statement <strong>of</strong> her subject'sposition — Jonathan Odell was a"loyalist poet <strong>of</strong> the American Revolution."As an American scholar, conscious <strong>of</strong>national perceptions, Edelberg works hardto be fair to Odell <strong>in</strong> expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g his worldview,its effect on his political attitudes,and its effect on his writ<strong>in</strong>g. To establishthe philosophical basis for his thought shebeg<strong>in</strong>s by analyz<strong>in</strong>g that part <strong>of</strong> OdelPslibrary which still exists <strong>in</strong> the New BrunswickMuseum. Her conclusion that hiswrit<strong>in</strong>g was greatly <strong>in</strong>fluenced by theAugustan ideas <strong>of</strong> order, virtue, and theimperfectibility <strong>of</strong> man is undoubtedlycorrect, but s<strong>in</strong>ce there is no <strong>in</strong>dication <strong>of</strong>a purchase date for the books it is difficultto know whether they are ones which <strong>in</strong>fluencedhis th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g as a young man, orwhether they suited his personal taste andpublic image as a New Brunswick <strong>of</strong>ficial<strong>in</strong> later years. T. B. V<strong>in</strong>cent's emphasison the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> the satirical writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>the Augustans, Butler, Pope and Swift onpolitical satire <strong>in</strong> post-revolutionary Canada<strong>in</strong> Narrative Verse Satire <strong>in</strong> MaritimeCanada (Ottawa: Tecumseh Press, 1978)is a more secure start<strong>in</strong>g po<strong>in</strong>t for theanalysis <strong>of</strong> Augustan <strong>in</strong>fluence on Odell'swork.Edelberg proceeds chronologically onthree <strong>in</strong>tertw<strong>in</strong>ed l<strong>in</strong>es: the politicalevents <strong>of</strong> the period from a loyalist perspective;Odell's documented activitiesbetween 1766 and 1784; and an analysis<strong>of</strong> the ideals conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> his publishedliterary work <strong>of</strong> the same period. She hasbeen particularly successful <strong>in</strong> outl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gthe Loyalist view <strong>of</strong> events — on the onehand a sense that a few unpr<strong>in</strong>cipleddemagogues were lead<strong>in</strong>g the unwitt<strong>in</strong>gcolonists to destruction, and on the othera frustration with the <strong>in</strong>credible stupidity<strong>of</strong> <strong>British</strong> policy both before and dur<strong>in</strong>gthe revolution. Hav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>itially def<strong>in</strong>edthe Loyalist ideology, her analysis highlightsits elements <strong>in</strong> each successive work.She is not concerned with subtleties <strong>in</strong>Odell's attitudes, nor <strong>in</strong> his poetic abilities.A few <strong>in</strong>itial pages <strong>of</strong> biography take usto 1766, when Odell's first poems werepublished, a few conclud<strong>in</strong>g pages dealwith his New Brunswick career after 1784.The rema<strong>in</strong>der <strong>of</strong> the book is devoted tohis writ<strong>in</strong>g and activities <strong>in</strong> that eighteenyear pre-revolution and revolutionaryperiod. While this approach is completelydefensible, it does give a rather distortedimpression <strong>of</strong> the life and works <strong>of</strong> a manwho had lived to be over eighty and whosepublications extended over almost sixtyyears.In most <strong>in</strong>stances, Edelberg has beencareful not to resort to unsupportedhypotheses <strong>in</strong> order to round out her subject.Where biography and bibliographyare concerned, she generally sticks to thedocumentation which she has unearthed<strong>in</strong> a wide variety <strong>of</strong> American and NewBrunswick sources. She does not seemto have <strong>in</strong>vestigated hold<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> GreatBrita<strong>in</strong>.Yet, for all her scholarly care, her neutralityfails her <strong>in</strong> one important respect.She evidently did not f<strong>in</strong>d Odell an attractiveperson and, without adduc<strong>in</strong>gsupport<strong>in</strong>g evidence, repeatedly ascribesmotives <strong>of</strong> expediency and greed to him.Motives are always difficult to analyze
BOOKS IN REVIEWbecause people rarely put that <strong>in</strong>formation<strong>in</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g, but surely it is possible forsomeone to be genu<strong>in</strong>ely motivated bywhat he perceives to be duty and loyalty.If Odell did not hold his beliefs strongly,why did he not take the easy way out bygiv<strong>in</strong>g them up and seek<strong>in</strong>g prefermentfrom the w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g side, as others did? Just<strong>in</strong> case the reader should still th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong>Odell as admirable, Edelberg's f<strong>in</strong>al chaptershows him job hunt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> England,w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g a plum appo<strong>in</strong>tment thanks tohis patron Sir Guy Carleton, oppress<strong>in</strong>gblack Loyalists <strong>in</strong> New Brunswick, andexpound<strong>in</strong>g out-<strong>of</strong> date political philosophyto an antagonistic assembly. Yet allLoyalists made claims to the LoyalistClaims Commission and Odell, who haddone considerable service to the Crownand had seen all his property confiscated,had a legitimate claim. He was certa<strong>in</strong>lyluckier than many <strong>in</strong> the reward he receivedfor his services. New BrunswickAssemblies were almost always hostile to<strong>of</strong>fice-holders, regardless <strong>of</strong> ideology, andone wonders, also, just how out-<strong>of</strong>-date atleast part <strong>of</strong> the Loyalist ideology was andis. Her f<strong>in</strong>al quotation, <strong>in</strong>tended to provethat OdelPs ideas were anachronistic,could, with the deletion <strong>of</strong> a reference tothe K<strong>in</strong>g, be <strong>in</strong>corporated verbatim <strong>in</strong>tothe speech <strong>of</strong> any conservative U.S. Senatortoday. Nonetheless, she concludes"Loyalist ideology supplies answers, butthey are not the right ones."For Canadian readers Edelberg's bookwill be most useful <strong>in</strong> its correlation <strong>of</strong>events with the content <strong>of</strong> OdelPs "AmericanRevolutionary" poetry, and <strong>in</strong> itsgather<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> available North-Americanbiographical <strong>in</strong>formation about Odell'slife <strong>in</strong> the revolutionary period. T. B. V<strong>in</strong>centhas already published a completeannotated bibliography; perhaps someonewill now write a biography whichtakes <strong>in</strong>to account Odell's entire life andwork.MARY LU MACDONALDNIAGARAтом MARSHALL, Voices on the Br<strong>in</strong>k. Macmillan,$14.95.TOM MARSHALL SETS HIS third novel,Voices on the Br<strong>in</strong>k, <strong>in</strong> his native NiagaraFalls. The Battle <strong>of</strong> Queenston Heights,the Natural Wonder <strong>of</strong> the New World,Love Canal, two towns with one name,the qu<strong>in</strong>tessence <strong>of</strong> wild North Americafor n<strong>in</strong>eteenth-century European connoisseurs,the Great Lakes mecca for kitschand sleaze — Niagara is redolent <strong>of</strong> these,and thus <strong>of</strong> Canadian history, and <strong>of</strong> anidentity fraught with confusion, shame,and degeneration. The richness <strong>of</strong> associationsand symbolism, a potential virtue<strong>of</strong> this novel, is ultimately one <strong>of</strong> its weaknesses.Marshall summons so much <strong>of</strong> thismaterial that the effect is a literary phonebooth-cramm<strong>in</strong>gstunt <strong>of</strong> see<strong>in</strong>g howmany allusions can be accommodated <strong>in</strong>one narrative, though the narrative doesnot accommodate them very well. MarilynMonroe, <strong>in</strong> town to film Henry Hathaway's"Niagara" <strong>in</strong> 1953, is supposed tocounterpo<strong>in</strong>t, <strong>in</strong> her allure and fatal sexuality,the novel's femme fatale Lisan. It isa nice conjunction, but, less nicely, we gettold that it is. The rhetorical equivalent<strong>of</strong> w<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g neon Niagara Falls lights surroundand announce all the symbols; theimplication is that most readers will betoo thick to notice them otherwise. Thisis too bad because the idea <strong>of</strong> Niagara asa metaphor for the violent yet seductiveborder between banality and evil is potentenough without pedantic gloss<strong>in</strong>g.The novel is told by, and about, RonBenson, who grew up partly <strong>in</strong> NiagaraFalls, partly around nuclear research sites<strong>in</strong> the United States, dur<strong>in</strong>g World WarTwo. Like the protagonists <strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong>Clark Blaise's Florida fictions, Ron is uncerta<strong>in</strong>how he feels about Canadians andAmericans. Ma<strong>in</strong>ly he feels dull. Thenovel beg<strong>in</strong>s as a bildungsroman, and it196
BOOKS IN REVIEWcarefully evokes both the extraord<strong>in</strong>aryphysical presence <strong>of</strong> the Escarpment landscapeand the ord<strong>in</strong>ary sexual obsessivenessand bragg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> adolescent boys. Ronand his three closest boyfriends wonderwhat it would be like to have a crack atMarilyn Monroe, while she is <strong>in</strong> town,and they compare notes on sexual <strong>in</strong>itiations.Mostly they run over to the Americanside <strong>of</strong> the border, where the actionis better. Marshall succeeds <strong>in</strong> accuratelyrealiz<strong>in</strong>g the dreary uneventfulness <strong>of</strong>their cruis<strong>in</strong>g. Then one night <strong>in</strong> a bar <strong>in</strong>Buffalo, Ron meets Lisan, and his lifefor the first time partakes <strong>of</strong> both ecstasyand disaster.The process <strong>of</strong> reliev<strong>in</strong>g Ron's naïvetéis the ma<strong>in</strong> movement <strong>of</strong> Voices on theBr<strong>in</strong>k. Through Lisan he discovers thatthe price <strong>of</strong> hav<strong>in</strong>g an emotional life isthat it may become unstable and complicated.Lisan's gangster brother has probablyabused her sexually, she is estrangedfrom her parents — her shadowy existencet<strong>in</strong>ges the banality <strong>of</strong> Ron's. Thenovel's radical thesis: bad th<strong>in</strong>gs happeneven <strong>in</strong> small-town Ontario. Ron's fatherdies <strong>of</strong> cancer, and environmental crimesare <strong>in</strong>voked; Lisan makes Ron witness tothe aftermath <strong>of</strong> a murder, for reasonsthat are neither expla<strong>in</strong>ed nor very important<strong>in</strong> the end; the boyhood quartet<strong>of</strong> buddies breaks up, and Ron tries torescue his friend Carl, who betrayed himby head<strong>in</strong>g west with Lisan, from the SanFrancisco hero<strong>in</strong> scene.I am afraid that I read Voices on theBr<strong>in</strong>k much as I watched David Lynch'scelebrated film "Blue Velvet," whichMarshall's novel closely resembles <strong>in</strong>theme, structure, and tone. The news thatsqueaky-clean America (or Ontario) isreally a freakshow is scarcely news at all.Treat<strong>in</strong>g the revelation <strong>of</strong> this truth asshock<strong>in</strong>g requires an implicit assumptionthat most readers or viewers believe thesqueaky-clean surface.Even grant<strong>in</strong>g that Henrik Ibsen's work<strong>of</strong> shock<strong>in</strong>g the bourgeoisie from theircomplacency needs do<strong>in</strong>g over and over,Voices on the Br<strong>in</strong>k has technical weaknesseswhich blunt the sense <strong>of</strong> horror.The narration alternates between Ron'sfirst-person voice and another third-personpo<strong>in</strong>t-<strong>of</strong>-view which is sympathetic toRon's. Why? The narrative wobbl<strong>in</strong>ess ismore annoy<strong>in</strong>g than <strong>in</strong>genious — an experimentlook<strong>in</strong>g for an effect. The shiftto dramatic monologue <strong>in</strong> Chapters Tenand Eleven is also po<strong>in</strong>tless, for Marshallhas done noth<strong>in</strong>g to prepare for a trulypolyphonic narrative.The style is dull, wooden, awkward, becauseRon Benson is. Marshall's <strong>in</strong>sistenceon mak<strong>in</strong>g Ron's adult personality theonly truly mysterious object <strong>in</strong> the novelmeans that a reader cannot understandthe results <strong>of</strong> his suffer<strong>in</strong>g, nor readilyconnect the stylistic unga<strong>in</strong>l<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> thenarration with the narrators' struggleaga<strong>in</strong>st the chill that experience has setupon their feel<strong>in</strong>gs. By default, too much<strong>of</strong> the writ<strong>in</strong>g feels poor, and this povertytransfers from the narrators' emotionaldeficits to the author's technical <strong>in</strong>competence.Mark Twa<strong>in</strong> would not have letHuck F<strong>in</strong>n do that to him.In very rare w<strong>in</strong>ters, the falls at Niagarafreeze. The awesome power then seemsall the greater for be<strong>in</strong>g so strangelysuspended. Experimentation-for-its-ownsakeblows a chill<strong>in</strong>g w<strong>in</strong>d through Voiceson the Br<strong>in</strong>k, leav<strong>in</strong>g readers on the br<strong>in</strong>k<strong>of</strong> a powerful metaphor yet ultimately unmovedby its senseless, arrested downwardrush.MARK MADOFFPOSTCOLONIALANGUISHNEIL BissooNDATH, A Casual Brutality. Macmillan,$22.95.THOSE WHO ADMIRED Neil Bissoondath'sfirst book, the collection <strong>of</strong> short stories197
BOOKS IN REVIEWentitled Digg<strong>in</strong>g Up the Mounta<strong>in</strong>s, willbe delighted to read his second — a novelthis time: A Casual Brutality. Carefullycrafted, it demonstrates the writer's command<strong>of</strong> narrative technique. It also confirmshim as an accomplished storyteller,whose characters are impressively welldel<strong>in</strong>eated, at time mystify<strong>in</strong>g, but alwaysengag<strong>in</strong>g.The novel is set <strong>in</strong> a West Indian,newly-<strong>in</strong>dependent island-state called Casaquemada,which bears similarities toTr<strong>in</strong>idad, Bissoondath's native country.The concoction <strong>of</strong> such a name is quitesuggestive: its Spanish roots, as the textreveals, mean a "house that is burn<strong>in</strong>g" ;this choice, together with a title that <strong>in</strong>dicatesfrighten<strong>in</strong>g, gratuitous violence, augursthe bleakness <strong>of</strong> life <strong>in</strong> the postcolonialCaribbean. After two portentous epigraphsfrom Jacques Brel and JacoboTimerman, the novel thus om<strong>in</strong>ouslyopens:There are times when the word hope is buta synonym for illusion: it is the most virile<strong>of</strong> perils. He who cannot discern the difference— he whose perception <strong>of</strong> reality hasslipped from him, whose appreciation <strong>of</strong>honesty has withered with<strong>in</strong> him — will face,at the end, a f<strong>in</strong>e levied, with no appeal,with only regret coat<strong>in</strong>g the memory likeash.The narrative shifts between Torontoand Casaquemada, with the chronologyfollow<strong>in</strong>g the perceptions and recollections<strong>of</strong> its narrator-protagonist: Raj. Hecomes from a middle-class H<strong>in</strong>du family,whose status has evolved from <strong>in</strong>denturedlaborers — brought to the island <strong>in</strong> hordesfrom India dur<strong>in</strong>g colonial days — to <strong>in</strong>fluentialbus<strong>in</strong>essmen and government<strong>of</strong>ficials. Despite this happy twist <strong>in</strong> hisfamily's fortunes, Raj does not see Casaquemadaas a paradise, for there exists asubculture <strong>of</strong> racial tension between theIndians and the Blacks, who too were imported<strong>in</strong> hordes to the island but asslaves. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the narrator, thecause <strong>of</strong> this racial crisis is rooted <strong>in</strong> theresentment the Blacks feel for not achiev<strong>in</strong>ga fair share <strong>of</strong> economic and politicalsuccess as the Indians, some <strong>of</strong> whom —like Raj's cous<strong>in</strong>, Sure<strong>in</strong> — are contemptuous<strong>of</strong> Blacks.The novel opens with Raj's second andf<strong>in</strong>al departure from Casaquemada towardsCanada, sever<strong>in</strong>g all ties with hiscruel, native land. The first departureoccurs years earlier when Raj leaves theisland to study medic<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Toronto,where he marries Jan, the smart waitress<strong>in</strong> a strip club. F<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g his studies, hesettles <strong>in</strong> Toronto, content both pr<strong>of</strong>essionallyand familially. However, familypressures and hope for wealth cause Rajto return to Casaquemada. Ironically Jan,who by now has turned cynical and apathetic,agrees to move with her husbandto the Caribbean because, as she puts it,"I could use some adventure <strong>in</strong> my life."Indeed, the adventure turns too risky <strong>in</strong>a land where "life ... is a lottery" andwhere the oil boom has turned to bust,precipitat<strong>in</strong>g a bloody political conflictthat has strong racial overtones; arson andassass<strong>in</strong>ation become norms: two victims<strong>of</strong> this "casual brutality <strong>of</strong> collapse" areJan and her child from Raj.Here the novel becomes subtle, demand<strong>in</strong>gcareful del<strong>in</strong>eation <strong>of</strong> the novel's ideologicalstance. There are constant h<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>of</strong>corruption at high places <strong>in</strong> Casaquemada,<strong>of</strong> promises broken and dreams betrayed,and <strong>of</strong> a state <strong>of</strong> chaos, crueltyand social dis<strong>in</strong>tegration <strong>in</strong> the postcolonialisland-state. Significantly, given thenarrator's Indian identity, the discoursesuggests that Black activists and/or theLeftists are mostly to blame ; yet the racialconflict does not totally polarize thenovel's characters. Wayne, a sympathetically-drawnblack figure who representsRaj's alter ego, undertakes to protectthe physician's family dur<strong>in</strong>g dangerousnights; on the other hand, the unscrupulousSure<strong>in</strong> constantly pronounces racist! 9 8
BOOKS IN REVIEWslurs aga<strong>in</strong>st Blacks, even <strong>in</strong> the presence<strong>of</strong> his Black employee, Lenny. It is thelatter who eventually avenges himself byparticipat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the ruthless kill<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>Raj's wife and son.One wishes at certa<strong>in</strong> po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> the narrativethat Raj's political ambivalenceand hesitancy had been rendered morelucidly and that the counter-argumenthad been more fully formulated. Despitethis ambiguity, or perhaps because <strong>of</strong> it,A Casual Brutality rema<strong>in</strong>s an impressivelyreadable novel.EXPLORATIONSAMIN MALAKNICHOLAS CATANOY, Amanita Muscaria; Carnet,ig8o-ig88. Collection Jalons, Barré etDayez, п.р.YVES GOSSELIN, Connaissance de la Mort. Triptyque,n.p.JOËL pouRBAix, Le Simple Geste d'Exister,avec six tableaux de Michel Casavant.Noroît, n.p.GUY CLOUTIER, Beau Lieu, avec douze dess<strong>in</strong>sde Valère Novar<strong>in</strong>a, Noroît/Cismonte éPumonti, n.p.CÉLYNE FORTIN, D'elle en elles, avec trois dess<strong>in</strong>sde Dom<strong>in</strong>ique Bla<strong>in</strong>, Noroît/Bremond,n.p.MARIE SAVARD, Les Chroniques d'une Secondeà l'Autre, livre et cassette. La ple<strong>in</strong>e lune,n.p.THE Amanita Muscaria is a deadly poisonousfungus and a powerful halluc<strong>in</strong>atorysubstance. It is greatly sought afterby the Lapps who are reputedly preparedto trade a re<strong>in</strong>deer for a s<strong>in</strong>gle large specimen.Those who have tasted a smallamount have slumbered for fifteen hours<strong>in</strong> a deep and pleasant sleep. NicholasCatanoy has written a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> commonplacebook under this title conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gquotations and aphorisms from the years1980-1988. Catanoy's previous publications<strong>in</strong> various languages have appeared<strong>in</strong> New York, Canada, India and f<strong>in</strong>allyEurope. This бо-year-old La Rochefoucauldhas the world wear<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> theglobe-trotter, the calm stoicism <strong>of</strong> a Buddhist,the gloomy fatalism <strong>of</strong> Schopenhauer,his favourite philosopher. Deathand melancholy recur frequently <strong>in</strong> hismus<strong>in</strong>gs and, rather disturb<strong>in</strong>gly, he favoursartists such as Montherlant, Mac-Orlan, Berlioz, Wagner, Lawrence, Mahler,prophets <strong>of</strong> blood and apocalypse. All<strong>of</strong> these yearn for some heady Nirvanaand not <strong>in</strong>frequently are ta<strong>in</strong>ted withmisogyny.The cover <strong>of</strong> Yves Gossel<strong>in</strong>'s Connaissancede la Mort reproduces an allegoricalpicture <strong>of</strong> three ages <strong>of</strong> woman and deathby the Alsatian engraver Baidung Grien,show<strong>in</strong>g the baby, the beauty, the crone,and death with scythe and hour glass. Thetone <strong>of</strong> this meditation on the death <strong>of</strong> amother is cl<strong>in</strong>ical, detached, a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>stifled passion. I translate the climax <strong>of</strong>the emotional response to her death toconvey someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> this detachment:Scarcely assembled, note the extreme age<strong>of</strong> the arsenal <strong>of</strong> grief. The purest weaponsalready break their watchfulness. Incapableany longer <strong>of</strong> protect<strong>in</strong>g himself <strong>in</strong> this placeaga<strong>in</strong>st the obvious, a man unlearns life.Albert Camus, quoted <strong>in</strong> an epigraph, is agood guide to this laconic tribute, a confessionthat the death <strong>of</strong> a well-loved womanputs us suddenly beyond the limits<strong>of</strong> our powers <strong>of</strong> expression.Joël Pourbaix lives <strong>in</strong> a deconstructed,fragmented world where the "seams <strong>of</strong>time no longer hold." Harassed by the"atrocious presence <strong>of</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> ourworld," he seems to favour the persistence<strong>of</strong> desire and "surrender to the mysteries<strong>of</strong> his material be<strong>in</strong>g." The extravagantvocabulary: 'au-delà,' '<strong>in</strong>déchiffrable,''<strong>in</strong>formulable,' 'abîme,' 'irréparable,' '<strong>in</strong>apaisé,''archarnement,' 'reptation,' callsfor a tragic lyricism this generation <strong>of</strong>poets seems <strong>in</strong>capable <strong>of</strong> and belies theplea implicit <strong>in</strong> the title, Le Simple Gested'Exister. Barely 1,000 words <strong>in</strong> this ele-199
BOOKS IN REVIEWgant plaquette, laconic phrases timidlyclaw at 'un silence dévasté' and ask pla<strong>in</strong>tivelybut neatly : '. . . et si l'univers rêvaitl'oeuvre.'Guy Cloutier's Beau Lieu is coedited <strong>in</strong>Corsica. The title alludes to Corsica'sother name, Ile de beauté, and the workwas completed <strong>in</strong> Muro, central Corsica.It was <strong>in</strong>spired by the news <strong>of</strong> the death<strong>of</strong> the poet Michel Beaulieu (the otherreference <strong>in</strong> the title) <strong>in</strong> 1985. Cloutierhad been on the po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>viteBeaulieu, a personal friend and one Cloutierregards as amongst the greatest <strong>in</strong>Québec literature, to come and enjoy thepeace and seclusion <strong>of</strong> the island. BeauLieu is a reflection on the 'rapport dynamiqueque l'on peut établir entre écrirel'espace et écrire l'amitié.' Cloutier's poetryis an <strong>in</strong>tertextual celebration <strong>of</strong> literary<strong>in</strong>debtedness. The poems are adornedwith epigraphs, dedications, quotations <strong>in</strong>the text, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g his poetical preferencesfor Guillevic, Valère Novar<strong>in</strong>a,René Char, Paul-Marie Lapo<strong>in</strong>te, PaulBélanger, Pierre Morency. Michel Beaulieu'spresence is supreme. He is identifiedby the reference to Lettre des saisonsas the 'Tu' <strong>of</strong> the dialogue proceed<strong>in</strong>gthrough the poems <strong>of</strong> Beau lieu. Beau lieuis above all a powerful and highly expressiveevocation <strong>of</strong> place. Michel Beaulieuwould have savoured this tribute howeverremote from the humdrum world <strong>of</strong> 'larue Draper.'The last two volumes <strong>of</strong> verse to be presentedhere are from established womenwriters. Célyne Fort<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> D'Elle en ellesbeg<strong>in</strong>s with a quotation from Lise Gauv<strong>in</strong>and ends with one from Gaston Miron.Both raise the crucial question <strong>of</strong> the subjectpronoun <strong>in</strong> modern verse. This series<strong>of</strong> short poems starts <strong>in</strong> f<strong>in</strong>e style, 'àmesure le récit psalmodie,' and the writerseems not to be overwhelmed by the excesses<strong>of</strong> life or the fragmentation <strong>of</strong> theself. The section 'Je cherche elle' has thesyntactical clums<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> this title, butsoon the writ<strong>in</strong>g improves when Fort<strong>in</strong>seeks her true genealogy <strong>in</strong> female forbearswhose resonance she feels <strong>in</strong> herself.'Vues d'elles' conta<strong>in</strong>s f<strong>in</strong>e poems exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gthe portraits <strong>of</strong> women <strong>in</strong> the art <strong>of</strong>Europe from Cranach to Vermeer toMonet, just as an earlier section summonsMozart and Mahler to lend their powerto poetry. 'Sensuelles,' Célyne Fort<strong>in</strong> concludeswith some lively erotic poetry,delicate but unrestra<strong>in</strong>ed.Marie Savard performed for Radio-Canada and wrote for the ONF a prizew<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gplay and protest songs <strong>in</strong> 1970.She also published fem<strong>in</strong>ist tracts later <strong>in</strong>the 1970s. Her latest collection is accompaniedby an audio-cassette on whichshe s<strong>in</strong>gs and recites the complete text.Her rich and attractive voice, adds greatlyto the impact <strong>of</strong> this poetry, and we wonderwhy this dual presentation is notadopted more frequently. Les Chroniquesd'une Seconde à L'Autre ends with a list<strong>of</strong> references to authors quoted; these <strong>in</strong>cludethe erotic Old Testament poem TheSong <strong>of</strong> Solomon. In 1975 the versatileMarie Savard founded the Editions de laPle<strong>in</strong>e Lune which publish this work.The poems and prose form a rather disjo<strong>in</strong>ted,dream-like fable set <strong>in</strong> the darkstreets <strong>of</strong> night-time Montreal. Underly<strong>in</strong>git all is a very serious preoccupation.How do women achieve a consensus anda sense <strong>of</strong> common heritage and purposeif the essential l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> transmission forcultural, social and human values thatpasses from mother to daughter is broken?The heal<strong>in</strong>g process, says Marie Savard,beg<strong>in</strong>s with<strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>dividual, and shefollows this dark path <strong>of</strong> reconciliation.CEDRIG MAY200
BOOKS IN REVIEWANTITHESESCARY FAGAN, Nora by the Sea. Shaw StreetPress, 1989. Limited edition <strong>of</strong> 150 copies.$15.00.w. p. KiNSELLA, Five Stories. William H<strong>of</strong>fer/Tanks, $17.50.DON MURRAY, The Fiction <strong>of</strong> W. P. K<strong>in</strong>sella:Tall Tales <strong>in</strong> Various Voices. York Press,$12.95.MARius KOciEjowsKi, The Mach<strong>in</strong>e M<strong>in</strong>ders.William H<strong>of</strong>fer/Tanks, $5.00.CARY FAGAN SHOWS a masterful control<strong>of</strong> narrative technique <strong>in</strong> Nora by the Sea:regulat<strong>in</strong>g the pace through descriptivepause and scene and juxtapos<strong>in</strong>g conflict<strong>in</strong>gimage clusters Fagan creates an"elegant and quietly powerful story."The sett<strong>in</strong>g is a hotel <strong>in</strong> France whereNora and her artsy film <strong>in</strong>dustry husbandare at Cannes for the festival. They havealso brought along their children andNora's artistic father, all delightfully portrayed.The text is focalised largelythrough Nora, an ag<strong>in</strong>g Jewish ex-hippie,now yuppie, who, although she keeps aKrishna next to her menorah neverthelessforces her children through Hebrewschool "to learn about be<strong>in</strong>g Jewish," andkeeps "a kosher house" <strong>in</strong> order that theymay acquire some "cultural def<strong>in</strong>ition."Play<strong>in</strong>g with the hermeneutic codeFagan <strong>in</strong>troduces an enigma that motivatesthe plot: Will Ananda, Nora's 15-year-old son, have his first sexual experiencewith the hotel maid? And can Norabe as liberal as she th<strong>in</strong>ks she is and letth<strong>in</strong>gs go as they might, or will she <strong>in</strong>terfere?Be forewarned, this tale has a verysurpris<strong>in</strong>g end<strong>in</strong>g.Five Stories is a delightful volumeshow<strong>in</strong>g K<strong>in</strong>sella at his best. Consider<strong>in</strong>gthe tenderness <strong>of</strong> the subject matter, thef<strong>in</strong>e illustrations by Carel Moiseiwitschand the quality <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>in</strong>t and b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g,this collection would make a f<strong>in</strong>e gift.K<strong>in</strong>sella comb<strong>in</strong>es the postmodern presence<strong>of</strong> the writer as self-conscious narratorwith the humour and fantasy <strong>of</strong> thetall tale, and shifts <strong>in</strong> the order <strong>of</strong> thereferential worlds <strong>of</strong> his stories from the"real" to the surreal. "Frank PierceIowa," the first tale, is a rework<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> astory K<strong>in</strong>sella wrote when eighteen andconcerns the disappearance, or rathermogrification <strong>of</strong> a town <strong>in</strong> the middle <strong>of</strong>a baseball game. "Oh Marley," is a mov<strong>in</strong>glove story between two losers: awriter, and a woman who was stabbed73 times but survived because she was s<strong>of</strong>at that the knife couldn't f<strong>in</strong>d any vitalorgans. "Diehard," my favourite, exhibitsa feel for the ord<strong>in</strong>ary person and theord<strong>in</strong>ary situation. It is based on "a newsitem about a woman who planted herhusband's ashes on the fifty-yard l<strong>in</strong>ewhen they were build<strong>in</strong>g B.C. Place" althoughK<strong>in</strong>sella transfers the scene to the"Metrodome <strong>in</strong> M<strong>in</strong>neapolis." It is, <strong>of</strong>course, about baseball. "A Hundred Dollarsworth <strong>of</strong> Roses" is one <strong>of</strong> K<strong>in</strong>sella'sIndian tales told by Silas Erm<strong>in</strong>esk<strong>in</strong>.The mix<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> tenses, ellipsis, iteration,and use <strong>of</strong> dialect do make for <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gnarrative, but the moraliz<strong>in</strong>g lacks a conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>gvoice, and makes K<strong>in</strong>sella's Indiansseem too Hollywood. The last tale,"Homer," about a white prospector whohas married an Indian, is perhaps alsospoiled by moraliz<strong>in</strong>g dialogue that is <strong>in</strong>consistentwith the characters themselves,and that, as a result, appears <strong>in</strong>trusive.Although the extremely small pr<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong>The Fiction <strong>of</strong> W. P. K<strong>in</strong>sella: Tall Tales<strong>in</strong> Various Voices makes the book difficultto read, and the "discussions" <strong>of</strong> K<strong>in</strong>sella'sworks are previously published andnot sufficiently edited this monographdoes have its good po<strong>in</strong>ts. The bibliographyis extremely useful, as well as theexcellent <strong>in</strong>terviews. We f<strong>in</strong>d that K<strong>in</strong>selladoesn't "read much humour," andconsiders "Leacock k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> juvenile,"gets much <strong>of</strong> his material from tabloids,reworks his material <strong>in</strong>term<strong>in</strong>ably, considersCalgary "the asshole <strong>of</strong> the earth,"201
BOOKS IN REVIEWputs a disclaimer to his be<strong>in</strong>g a Canadian,and states that "If it weren't for the medical<strong>in</strong>surance th<strong>in</strong>g, I guess we would live<strong>in</strong> the U.S." When asked if the "artist hasa social function, perhaps a moral role toplay <strong>in</strong> society?" K<strong>in</strong>sella replies: "That'slike gett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> politics. I don'tsee the writer or artist meddl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> suchareas.. . . The fiction writer's role <strong>in</strong> lifeis simply to enterta<strong>in</strong>." Elsewhere, hesimply says he's <strong>in</strong> it for the money.The epilogue <strong>of</strong> The Mach<strong>in</strong>e M<strong>in</strong>dersLells us that this series "has been published<strong>in</strong> objection to the cont<strong>in</strong>ued creation <strong>of</strong>State Literature through governmentsubsidies to the Arts. The first volume <strong>of</strong>TANKS will consist <strong>of</strong> five books, all <strong>of</strong>which share the characteristic <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>gobjectionable to the government." Mach<strong>in</strong>eM<strong>in</strong>ders is short, well-written, andcomes with f<strong>in</strong>e illustrations by MaureenSugrue; it is, however, a very troubleàomebook. Focus<strong>in</strong>g on the work <strong>of</strong> CraigRa<strong>in</strong>e, Kociejowski claims that the onlyreason some artists are <strong>in</strong> the public arenais that our age is "an age which is <strong>in</strong>capable<strong>of</strong> poetry," because we have lost "theidea <strong>of</strong> Orig<strong>in</strong>al S<strong>in</strong>," and "recourse to alarger orthodoxy."The "values" Kociejowski wants us toembrace are those <strong>of</strong> the Right, his"orthodoxy" the tradition <strong>of</strong> the elite —poorly def<strong>in</strong>ed and not ecclesiastical. "Badtaste," "moral authority," the belief that"no atheist can be a great artist," allharken back to a critical position <strong>in</strong>imicalto the modern m<strong>in</strong>dset, and to manywriters antithetical to creativity. I th<strong>in</strong>kthis provocative volume is a giant stepbackwards.C. D. MAZOFFHIDDEN POWERSANN DIAMOND, Snakebite. Cormorant Books,$10.95.ANNE CAMERON, Daughter <strong>of</strong> Copper Woman.Press Gang, $9.50.ANN DIAMOND IS AN anglophone writerfrom Québec best-known for her prosepoem A Nun's Diary (1984, 1989) andfor her novel Mona's Dance (1988). InSnakebite she has, with one exception,put together ten stories set <strong>in</strong> Québec.There is no narrative l<strong>in</strong>k between thesequence <strong>of</strong> the stories, yet her idiosyncraticvoice where realism and the fantasticare blurred connects them all.The cover depicts tw<strong>in</strong>-like figures,similar yet opposite. This image is <strong>in</strong> harmonywith the b<strong>in</strong>ary oppositions dom<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>gthe stories. The title story "Snakebite,"to some extent autobiographical, isa dist<strong>in</strong>ctive example for this k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> composition.It is the story <strong>of</strong> a young child :she suffers from all the contradictions thatshe acutely observes <strong>in</strong> her surround<strong>in</strong>gs.Her mother is Catholic and her fatherPresbyterian. She is not encouraged tospeak French and is very much discouraged,from mak<strong>in</strong>g friends with a Jewishgirl next door. Thus she lives <strong>in</strong> a spiritualexile which causes her to have nightmaresfull <strong>of</strong> devilish creatures. Diamond wonderfullypenetrates the soul <strong>of</strong> this torturedchild.Diamond's characters are ma<strong>in</strong>ly women,both English and French. They aremore powerfully depicted than men <strong>in</strong> thestories. Some are artists, <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> thewomen's movement and try<strong>in</strong>g to placethemselves <strong>in</strong> this world. Others havemagic power and misuse it. Others yet areunder the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> supernatural forces<strong>of</strong> some sort, aga<strong>in</strong>st which they feel defenceless.There are also witchdoctors,vampires, crim<strong>in</strong>als, mermaids, androgynes,<strong>in</strong>dividuals whose identity is halfhuman and half animal.202
BOOKS IN REVIEWOne <strong>of</strong> the most successful <strong>of</strong> the storiesis the carefully constructed "Roses," afictional representation <strong>of</strong> Ann Diamond'scritical observation: "Québec is Canada'sunknown 'Other,' where all evil is to orig<strong>in</strong>ate.We're like the wife <strong>in</strong> an extremelypatriarchial marriage. Our concerns havenever really been <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong>to thema<strong>in</strong>stream consciousness. And if you'reEnglish here your situation is even moreambiguous." Joan, a writer, goes to Montréal,because she wants to discover "thereal Québec" and assimilate <strong>in</strong>to its fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>tellectual milieu. She tries hardbut it is difficult for her because she rema<strong>in</strong>sbasically an anglaise, because <strong>of</strong> the"language th<strong>in</strong>g," because <strong>of</strong> the differencesbetween love and amour. Ann Diamondhas proved aga<strong>in</strong> that she is certa<strong>in</strong>lyamong the most promis<strong>in</strong>g anglophonewriters <strong>in</strong> Québec. Her stories areset <strong>in</strong> a concrete milieu yet they surpassthese boundaries and can be read as perplex<strong>in</strong>gtales for adults.Anne Cameron is best-known forDaughters <strong>of</strong> Copper Woman, but amongher other acknowledged works are Dreamspeaker(1979), The Journey (1982),Stubby Amberchuk and the Holy Grail(1987). Daughters <strong>of</strong> Copper Womanran <strong>in</strong>to its thirteenth edition <strong>in</strong> 1989. Inthis collection <strong>of</strong> tales the legends <strong>of</strong> theNootka Indians are told. Anne Camerontransmits to us what she received from theSecret Society <strong>of</strong> Women and was allowedto share with outsiders.The first half <strong>of</strong> the book familiarizesus with the creation myth <strong>of</strong> the NootkaIndians; our common ancestor from thedawn <strong>of</strong> time is the omnipresent and omniscientCopper Woman : "With the loomshe weaves the pattern <strong>of</strong> dest<strong>in</strong>y," andshe will never abandon us. Indeed, herpresence is felt all through the book. Weare all related to her from either <strong>of</strong> thetwo genealogical l<strong>in</strong>es: the children <strong>of</strong>happ<strong>in</strong>ess or the children <strong>of</strong> the fourcouples.The second part <strong>of</strong> the book is muchcloser to us <strong>in</strong> time; before it reaches thepresent, however, two important eventsare po<strong>in</strong>ted out which shattered the harmony<strong>of</strong> the matriarchal society. First,hundreds <strong>of</strong> years back, men started todom<strong>in</strong>ate women and thus violate thepeace <strong>of</strong> the society. Second, the whitemen arrived and tried to destroy and wipeout the community. Life became fragmentedand moral degradation followed.But wisdom survived.While read<strong>in</strong>g the book, we too, ga<strong>in</strong>wisdom. Unnoticed, we become part <strong>of</strong> thecommunity listen<strong>in</strong>g to these legends. Wehear different voices: the first part is <strong>in</strong>the third person narrative, then we hearGranny and her granddaughter talk<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>turns, and thus produc<strong>in</strong>g tales with<strong>in</strong>tales. We also hear the monotonous ra<strong>in</strong>,the crackl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the fire, Granny knitt<strong>in</strong>g,the kettle boil<strong>in</strong>g. Eat<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>of</strong>ten mentioned,rem<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g us <strong>of</strong> the potlatchfestivities. The descriptive passages andGranny's talk<strong>in</strong>g flow <strong>in</strong>to one another.In the end, it becomes clear that actuallyall the narrators are <strong>in</strong>spired by the OldWoman.This aga<strong>in</strong> is a book about womenwritten from the viewpo<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> women andfor women. The book is a mov<strong>in</strong>g remythologization<strong>of</strong> women's spiritual, mentaland physical universe. The women weread about testify to the hardships andjoys <strong>of</strong> womanhood, the experience <strong>of</strong> loveand solitude, the challenges women havehad to face even as warriors, and the waysthey "Endured and Survived." They haveeducated younger generations; this theyregard as one <strong>of</strong> their obligations. Realvirtues are taught to us: ability to love,friendship, shar<strong>in</strong>g, accept<strong>in</strong>g, listen<strong>in</strong>g toeach other. One wonders to what extentAnne Cameron shares the apprehensivefeel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Ki-Ki, the grandchild, concern<strong>in</strong>gthe future <strong>of</strong> the book. Ki-Ki andAnne Cameron have much <strong>in</strong> common.Granny's, and thus Copper Woman's en-203
BOOKS IN REVIEWcourag<strong>in</strong>g words are addressed to AnneCameron, too : "There's gotta be a reasonthat you been scratch<strong>in</strong>' stuff on papers<strong>in</strong>ce you was eleven years old. There'sgotta be a reason that your writ<strong>in</strong>' happenedat a time when women everywherewas stand<strong>in</strong>' up and say<strong>in</strong>' they want toknow woman's truth, no more longrobebullshit."We are fortunate that such a talentedand sensitive writer as Anne Cameronhas undertaken the task <strong>of</strong> shar<strong>in</strong>g thetales. She has done it so successfully thatfurther repr<strong>in</strong>ts may easily be required.CRAFT& FRIENDSHIPJUDIT M. MOLNÂRBRIAN DEDORA, With WK <strong>in</strong> the Workshop. AMemoir <strong>of</strong> William Kurelek. Introductionby Ramsay Cook. With photographs, draw<strong>in</strong>gsand pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs by William Kurelek. Aya/Mercury, $9.95, pa.IN TORONTO <strong>in</strong> the 1960s, Brian Dedoraworked with William Kurelek <strong>in</strong> AvIsaacs' fram<strong>in</strong>g shop. Dedora acknowledgesthe pa<strong>in</strong>ter as his mentor, and ateacher <strong>in</strong> the craft. He makes no prétentionsto biography. His <strong>in</strong>sights are scatteredand sketchy, but valuable.Why so? The significance is two-fold.On the one hand, fram<strong>in</strong>g meant a greatdeal to the prairie pa<strong>in</strong>ter, and Dedoraextends our understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> his <strong>in</strong>timateconnection to Kurelek's life and art. Onthe other, Dedora is a skilful creativewriter, and many passages <strong>of</strong> With WK <strong>in</strong>the Workshop are prose-poems <strong>of</strong> considerablebeauty and strength.After leav<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>British</strong> psychiatrichospitals which had sheltered him forseveral years <strong>in</strong> the early 1950s, Kureleklived for a time by execut<strong>in</strong>g small, <strong>in</strong>crediblydetailed trompe l'oeil pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs.He then found work <strong>in</strong> the Blue BallYard, a prestigious fram<strong>in</strong>g shop ownedby an artist. He was hired because <strong>of</strong> theskill which the tromp l'oeil demonstrated.It was there that he learned many <strong>of</strong> theskills which he later used <strong>in</strong> his pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs,skills such as gesso application, colourmix<strong>in</strong>g, and gild<strong>in</strong>g. The work promotedheal<strong>in</strong>g, and he wrote that he "reallyloved" it.Dedora makes very brief references tothe London scene, but quotes at lengthfrom Kurelek's autobiography, SomeoneWith Me. However the memoirist showsthat the camaraderie <strong>in</strong> the Isaacs workshopcreated a second family for thedeeply <strong>in</strong>troverted Kurelek. His anecdotescatch the artist's humour, his generosity,and someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> his <strong>in</strong>ner pa<strong>in</strong>.Ramsay Cook's biographical Introductionorients the reader with regard to thelarger life. The three-page Introductionsketches the pa<strong>in</strong>ter's Ukra<strong>in</strong>ian heritage(Dedora is also a Ukra<strong>in</strong>ian-Canadian),his passionate religious faith, and the anomalousfriendship with Av Isaacs whichgave Kurelek his first chance <strong>in</strong> the Torontoart market and underlay his rapidrise to prom<strong>in</strong>ence <strong>in</strong> the Canadian artscene <strong>in</strong> the 1960s and 1970s. Cook concludesthat Dedora's evocation <strong>of</strong> theworkshop brotherhood and his emotionalrecreation <strong>of</strong> mood and place lead to anew understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the pa<strong>in</strong>ter: "LikeKurelek, Dedora has translated memory<strong>in</strong>to art." Justified praise.The family atmosphere <strong>of</strong> the sett<strong>in</strong>gnurtured occasional frictions and frequentpractical jokes. The memoir highlights thepa<strong>in</strong>ter's humour and love <strong>of</strong> pranks. Onone occasion Dedora reached for his sand<strong>in</strong>gblock only to f<strong>in</strong>d it nailed to thebench. Claw<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>of</strong>f, he found Bill'snote, "April Fool." A draw<strong>in</strong>g presentedto Isaacs when the latter was hospitalized<strong>in</strong> the early 1970s shows a cat conf<strong>in</strong>ed toa hospital bed while mice run free <strong>in</strong> theworkshop, scamper<strong>in</strong>g over benches and204
mak<strong>in</strong>g all manner <strong>of</strong> mistakes <strong>in</strong> thefram<strong>in</strong>g process.Dedora's poetic language is at its bestas he catches the smells, the look and thetacile memories <strong>of</strong> the workshop. Take,for example, Kurelek's lesson on gild<strong>in</strong>g:"He almost thwacks the gold <strong>in</strong> place:thwack, thwack, thwack. The gold <strong>in</strong> thelight rippl<strong>in</strong>g, swoon<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to place, form<strong>in</strong>gitself to the contours <strong>of</strong> the frame tocatch light and hold shade, the glow <strong>of</strong> it<strong>in</strong> our faces : Bill excited, me <strong>in</strong> awe." OrDedora's description <strong>of</strong> his regular arrivalat the back door <strong>of</strong> the shop : "The yellowlight sh<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the morn<strong>in</strong>g gray throughthe door. Into the warmth, the white <strong>of</strong>the gessoed benches and walls, smells <strong>of</strong>wood, shellac and glue."The memoir <strong>in</strong>cludes seventeen photographstaken by Kurelek <strong>in</strong> 1971, sixcoloured illustrations <strong>of</strong> Kurelek pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>of</strong> fram<strong>in</strong>g tools, and several draw<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong>pencil and mixed media. Dedora writesthat Kurelek's gift <strong>of</strong> the negatives <strong>of</strong> hisphotos <strong>of</strong> the workshop became his <strong>in</strong>centiveto write the book. Some <strong>of</strong> the photosresemble Kurelek draw<strong>in</strong>gs, and one (asheaf <strong>of</strong> work orders clipped to a board)could have been the subject <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> hisown trompe l'oeil. The pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs evokeemotional and tactile experience andcarry (like all <strong>of</strong> Kurelek's work) symbolicovertones.With WK <strong>in</strong> the Workshop is a smallbook with a very short text, s<strong>in</strong>ce illustrationstake up a large portion <strong>of</strong> the space.It is nevertheless a significant contributionto literature, to Kurelek studies and to ourunderstand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>timate bond betweencraft and creation. We need thatrem<strong>in</strong>der. Dedora's memoir is an elegy,and a poetic meditation on friendship, artand the artisan.PATRICIA MORLEYBOOKS IN REVIEWQUEBEC DRAMAJEAN-RAYMOND MARCOUx, La grande opérationou quand les rêves refusent de mourir. VLBéditeur, $10.95.LA NOUVELLE COMPAGNIE THEATRALE, EnScènedepuis 25 ans. VLB éditeur, $25.00.LE THÉÂTRE DE CARTON, Les enfants n'ont pasde sexe? VLB éditeur, $15.95.THESE THREE NEW TEXTS prove thatVLB éditeur is fast becom<strong>in</strong>g the majorpublisher <strong>of</strong> theatrical works <strong>in</strong> Québec.Marcoux's play belongs to the collection"théâtre"; Les enfants n'ont pas de sexeis part <strong>of</strong> the collection "Théâtre pourenfants" started <strong>in</strong> 1986; En scène depuis25 ans celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary<strong>of</strong> La Nouvelle Compagnie Théâtrale.Theatre lovers <strong>of</strong> all ages shouldthank VLB for these three volumes sobeautifully presented with photographs <strong>of</strong>stage productions.La grande opération was first performedat the summer theatre l'Escale <strong>in</strong>1984 and it cont<strong>in</strong>ues to be popular withsummer theatre crowds because it dealswith the subject <strong>of</strong> marriage <strong>in</strong> the 1980swith humour and understand<strong>in</strong>g. Marcoux'swork is part <strong>of</strong> a larger phenomenon<strong>in</strong> Quebec drama: the reconsideration<strong>of</strong> sex roles which reflects socialchanges and responds to the fem<strong>in</strong>ist critique<strong>of</strong> patriarchy. Marcoux's first publishedplay, Bienvenue aux dames, ladieswelcome (VLB, 1985), exam<strong>in</strong>ed a group<strong>of</strong> construction workers fac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dividuallife crises which challenged them to makecompromises between their male egos,f<strong>in</strong>ancial realities, and emotional needs.In Les Mensonges de papa ( 1985), Marcouxdealt with a middle-aged divorcedfather try<strong>in</strong>g to understand his teenageson and adjust to the sexual liberationmovement. La grand opération also exploresnew male roles, this time <strong>in</strong> the context<strong>of</strong> the middle-class, middle-agedcouple.As the play opens the couple is celebrat-205
BOOKS IN REVIEW<strong>in</strong>g their fifteenth wedd<strong>in</strong>g anniversary,but it quickly becomes apparent that thehoneymoon is over and the mid-life, midmarriagecrisis has begun. Richard Castonguayis a forty-year-old eng<strong>in</strong>eer temporarilyon leave from his job at HydroQuebec where they don't seem to needeng<strong>in</strong>eers anymore. He is a witty, romanticdreamer, not afraid to show his vulnerability.His wife, Michelle Lanthier, is athirty-seven-year-old nurse exhausted bythe stra<strong>in</strong>s <strong>of</strong> her job, her union activities,her three children, and her slightly alcoholicmother. Michelle responds irritablyto all <strong>of</strong> Richard's romantic advances becauseshe does not want any more childrenand they don't use any birth control precautions.When she asks Richard to havea vasectomy, he balks, unsure <strong>of</strong> how "lagrande opération" will affect his mascul<strong>in</strong>ity.Richard and Michelle love eachother, but their relationship is suffer<strong>in</strong>gfrom the boredom <strong>of</strong> habit, from stressand the lack <strong>of</strong> fulfill<strong>in</strong>g work. As theyreach forty and contemplate the prospect<strong>of</strong> "the empty nest," they must renegotiatetheir priorities, their sex life, andtheir roles <strong>in</strong> order to renew their marriage.Michelle's demand provokes acrisis : Richard quits his job, takes a separateapartment, sees a psychiatrist, andhas a vasectomy. He expla<strong>in</strong>s that heneeds to reassess his life before it is toolate, before the dreams have all died. Thepersonal and pr<strong>of</strong>essional crises <strong>of</strong> Act Iare all resolved <strong>in</strong> Act II dur<strong>in</strong>g whichRichard and Michelle beg<strong>in</strong> a new courtshiplead<strong>in</strong>g to bed and to reconciliation.Despite the predictability <strong>of</strong> the happyend<strong>in</strong>g, the amused spectator/viewer applaudsthe dénouement because Marcoux'sprotagonists are believable andlikeable. While deal<strong>in</strong>g with serious issuesfac<strong>in</strong>g many couples, Marcoux never forgetsthat he is writ<strong>in</strong>g light enterta<strong>in</strong>ment<strong>in</strong> the tradition <strong>of</strong> romantic sex comedy.He has a gift for writ<strong>in</strong>g comic dialogueand his laugh l<strong>in</strong>es use sexual <strong>in</strong>nuendoand double-entendres without vulgarity.Contemporary attitudes toward sexuality,gender roles, and family arrangementsare also the ma<strong>in</strong> topics <strong>of</strong> LeThéâtre de Carton's Les enfants n'ont pasde sexe?, but here the target audience ispre-adolescent school children. In the"Présentation" preced<strong>in</strong>g the text, Jac<strong>in</strong>thePotv<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Théâtre de Cartontraces the history <strong>of</strong> the play. She expla<strong>in</strong>sthat <strong>in</strong> 1978 Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Hélène Beauchamp,a specialist <strong>in</strong> children's theatre whoteaches at UQAM, asked the Théâtre deCarton to adapt Sex is not for kids, JackZipes' translation <strong>of</strong> the Berl<strong>in</strong> theatrecollective Rote Griitze's play, Darüberspricht man nicht, for presentation dur<strong>in</strong>gan <strong>in</strong>ternational symposium, "Enfance etsexualité," scheduled for September 1979.The success <strong>of</strong> the collective creation performedten years ago led to more thanone thousand performances <strong>in</strong> theatresand school auditoriums all over Quebecand the French-speak<strong>in</strong>g countries <strong>of</strong>Europe. The text was first published byEditions Québec/Amérique <strong>in</strong> its "Jeunespublics" collection <strong>in</strong> 1981. The text <strong>of</strong>this new edition differs from the first version,rem<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g us <strong>of</strong> the dynamic nature<strong>of</strong> collective creation. The new editionalso <strong>in</strong>cludes numerous performance photographsand a "Dossier pédagogique" <strong>in</strong>tendedto re<strong>in</strong>force the educational value<strong>of</strong> the play.It was <strong>in</strong>evitable that a sex-educationplay for children would provoke controversyand Les enfants n'ont pas de sexe?has stirred up some lively debate ! Despiteattacks and censorship attempts by conservativecritics, the overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g consensusamong educators, teachers, parents,and schoolchildren is that the play dealswith sexuality and reproduction <strong>in</strong> anhonest, amus<strong>in</strong>g, and affectionate mannerwhich is both <strong>in</strong>formative and enterta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g.The four members <strong>of</strong> Le Théâtre deCarton (two men and two women) playmultiple children's roles and s<strong>in</strong>g a num-206
BOOKS IN REVIEWber <strong>of</strong> songs. They wear funny costumes,carry props, use large anatomical draw<strong>in</strong>gsand puppets, and make exaggeratedgestures — all calculated to keep the attention<strong>of</strong> their juvenile spectators. Theplay suggests that despite the old prohibitionsand taboos on deal<strong>in</strong>g openly withsexuality, parents should talk about it <strong>in</strong>order to create healthier attitudes. Thesuccess <strong>of</strong> Les enfants n'ont pas de sexe?over the past ten years guarantees it apermanent place <strong>in</strong> the grow<strong>in</strong>g repertoire<strong>of</strong> Québécois theatre for children.The target audience <strong>of</strong> the NouvelleCompagnie théâtrale s<strong>in</strong>ce 1964 has beenhigh school students. Found<strong>in</strong>g membersGilles Pelletier, Françoise Graton, andGeorges Groulx def<strong>in</strong>ed what cont<strong>in</strong>uesto be the primary mission <strong>of</strong> the N.C.T. :to make the classics <strong>of</strong> world drama accessibleto student audiences. En scène depuis25 ans is a handsomely illustrated anddocumented collection <strong>of</strong> essays, rem<strong>in</strong>iscenses,and personality pr<strong>of</strong>iles which payhomage to what has become one <strong>of</strong> Quebec'smost endur<strong>in</strong>g theatre <strong>in</strong>stitutions.With the f<strong>in</strong>ancial support <strong>of</strong> the M<strong>in</strong>istèresdes Affaires culturelles and Education,the N.C.T. has presented almost4300 performances <strong>of</strong> 130 productions,reach<strong>in</strong>g over 2,800,000 spectators! Thisvolume was conceived and edited byN.C.T. general and artistic director Jean-Luc Bastien and adm<strong>in</strong>istrative councilmember Pierre MacDuff. Its list <strong>of</strong> contribut<strong>in</strong>gauthors reads like a Who's Who<strong>in</strong> Montreal theatre: playwrights, directors,production specialists, actors, critics,and scholars.The volume is organized chronologically,tak<strong>in</strong>g the history <strong>of</strong> the troupe <strong>in</strong> fiveyearperiods. In addition to descriptions<strong>of</strong> the company's productions season byseason, there are essays which exam<strong>in</strong>eother activities <strong>of</strong> the N.C.T., for exampleits publications {Les Cahiers de la N.C.T.,Acte 1, En scène), new play competitions,workshops, public read<strong>in</strong>gs, co-productionswith "jeune théâtre" and avantgardegroups. Read<strong>in</strong>g these retrospectivechapters <strong>in</strong> the first part <strong>of</strong> the volume, itbecomes apparent that the history <strong>of</strong> theN.C.T. parallels the history <strong>of</strong> Quebectheatre <strong>in</strong> the last 25 years. Over the years,the names Dubé, Gél<strong>in</strong>as, Barbeau, Tremblay,Laberge, et al. began to take theirplace alongside the names Corneille, Molière,Shakespeare, et al. For technicaltheatre people, there is an article whichdescribes the space <strong>of</strong> the N.C.T.'s firsthome, la salle du Gèsu, and the renovation<strong>of</strong> the old Granada C<strong>in</strong>ema <strong>in</strong>to itsnew home, the Théâtre Denise-Pelletierand the salle Fred-Barry. There are alsochapters on scenery, light<strong>in</strong>g, sound systems,costumes, and adm<strong>in</strong>istrative organization.The text ends with thumbnailsketches <strong>of</strong> the permanent company members,congratulatory letters from variousdignitaries, and an excellent <strong>in</strong>dex <strong>of</strong> allproductions from 1964 through 1988. Likeall collections <strong>of</strong> this nature, the essays <strong>of</strong>En scène depuis 25 ans are occasionallyrepetitious and <strong>of</strong> uneven quality. However,m<strong>in</strong>or fail<strong>in</strong>gs do not distract fromthe <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>of</strong> this volume.MAELSTROMJANE MOSSHRANT ALiANAK, Lucky Strike. PlaywrightsCanada, $8.95.JANET FEiNDEL, A Particular Class <strong>of</strong> Women.Lazara, $7.95.Lucky Strike by Hrant Alianak starts atdecibel level 80 and, <strong>in</strong>credibly, goes upfrom there. The audience is assailed by thecacophony <strong>of</strong> ris<strong>in</strong>g and fall<strong>in</strong>g policesirens, amplified heart beats, waves, stridentmusic, and human screams (theyaverage approximately one per m<strong>in</strong>ute <strong>of</strong>play<strong>in</strong>g time). Alianak re<strong>in</strong>forces the stunn<strong>in</strong>geffect with glar<strong>in</strong>g or flash<strong>in</strong>g lightsalternat<strong>in</strong>g with frequent and suddenblackouts. The feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> anxiety that207
BOOKS IN REVIEWresults is accelerated further by hav<strong>in</strong>ghuge fans blow full speed at the audience.With the play start<strong>in</strong>g at such a pitch, onewonders where the playwright can go fromthere. But on he does go with the maelstromris<strong>in</strong>g to a climax <strong>of</strong> violence, noise,and hectic light <strong>in</strong> the fourth scene (act)which gives shape to the whole play. Andwhen it is all over, it is clear that Alianakhas done someth<strong>in</strong>g more than rape thesenses <strong>of</strong> his audience; he has writtensometh<strong>in</strong>g serious about betrayal andsometh<strong>in</strong>g very funny about the clicheriddenway we see and th<strong>in</strong>k.Lucky Strike is largely mime. The actorsparody gangster films as far back asthe 1920s — clutch<strong>in</strong>g bullet wounds,dangl<strong>in</strong>g cigarettes (Lucky Strikes) fromcynical lips, gulp<strong>in</strong>g slugs <strong>of</strong> Jack Daniels.The stage directions even suggest that thegestures imitate Lee Marv<strong>in</strong>'s, RichardWidmark's, Robert DeNiro's, and others.In fact, the whole play is a construct <strong>of</strong>gestures rather than action. Scene oneestablishes five or six stereotypical"stances" : tripp<strong>in</strong>g, dropp<strong>in</strong>g the loot,press<strong>in</strong>g bloody guts, search<strong>in</strong>g for a cigarette,etc., which are repeated <strong>in</strong> scenetwo with only the slightest variations andmore or less the same order. From therethe play edges forward, repeat<strong>in</strong>g, repeat<strong>in</strong>gwith variations, overlapp<strong>in</strong>g,backtrack<strong>in</strong>g these same m<strong>in</strong>imalist gestures,and add<strong>in</strong>g bits until the two climacticfights <strong>in</strong> the fourth scene — thefirst between Eddie and Charlie describedas an orgy and the second between Charlieand Lolly as an orgasm. Played straight,the violence and cacophony <strong>of</strong> both thesescenes would have been unendurable butAlianak transforms the beat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to rituals,parody<strong>in</strong>g movie violence. Both sceneshave a wild black Kafkaesque humour.Alianak has carefully built up this effect.The play is almost entirely stage directionswhich he has written not <strong>in</strong> the usual laconicmode <strong>of</strong> conventional playscripts,but <strong>in</strong> a rich plummy style :Will this ever stop, he wonders as he feels achill and remembers Kafka and Munch.Deep <strong>in</strong> the grip <strong>of</strong> fear he beg<strong>in</strong>s to yellunceas<strong>in</strong>gly as he holds his about-to-explodewith-vertigohead and with extremely frustratedfear hopes that his senseless screamwill help clear the equal senselessness <strong>of</strong> thesituation. But to no avail he feels himselfs<strong>in</strong>k deeper and deeper <strong>in</strong>to pure fear. Hetruly feels trapped and truly feels there isno exit, no way out <strong>in</strong> sight. The w<strong>in</strong>dscreams with the lush despair<strong>in</strong>g MUSIC,blow<strong>in</strong>g the drapes away.This richness contrasts vividly with thegangster movie clichés <strong>of</strong> the five or sixshort exchanges which make up the entiredialogue <strong>of</strong> the play.Lolly:Eddie:Maybe . . . maybe I better leave.You're not go<strong>in</strong>g anywhere. Nobody'sleav<strong>in</strong>g this place till Charliegets here. (He stares at her along time.) That is, <strong>of</strong> course, ifhe gets here.Lucky Strike is great fun to read, but<strong>in</strong> a way its readability constitutes thechief problem <strong>of</strong> the play as a vehicle forthe stage. How, for <strong>in</strong>stance, does theactor produce Eddie's "existential expression"for an audience, or the "memory <strong>of</strong>Kafka and Munch"? At the same timethe play is paradoxically, <strong>in</strong>tensely theatricalwith its very effective use <strong>of</strong> claustrophobicsets, sound and light equipmentand parody <strong>of</strong> film and stage conventions.In the end Lucky Strike is two plays, pageand stage, like fraternal tw<strong>in</strong>s, not identicalbut both astonish<strong>in</strong>g, ugly, effectiveand funny <strong>in</strong> their own ways.Where Lucky Strike has only a halfdozen short dialogic exchanges <strong>in</strong> 11 οpages, A Particular Class <strong>of</strong> Women byJanet Fe<strong>in</strong>del is exclusively talk for itswhole 59. It is the raw, funny, human,authentic-sound<strong>in</strong>g talk <strong>of</strong> eight strippers<strong>in</strong> their dress<strong>in</strong>g room and on the ramp,not as dialogue but as a series <strong>of</strong> monologuecharacter sketches held loosely togetherby the manager's fir<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Lil, theoldest stripper. Each woman reveals her-208
BOOKS IN REVIEWself through her attitude towards Lil'sfate, her affection for or rivalry with theother strippers, and judgements about thevarious men <strong>in</strong> her life. It is a tidy piece<strong>of</strong> work, efficiently designed to be playedby one actress and an M.C., with a cleveruse <strong>of</strong> music and extravagant costumechanges to emphasize the differences betweenthe eight characters as they emergefrom a "particular class" <strong>of</strong> sex objects<strong>in</strong>to human be<strong>in</strong>gs like ourselves.HUMAN NEGLECTDOROTHY PARKERRan-JANICE KULYK KEEFER, Constellations.dom House, $12.95.JANICE KULYK REEFER'S first novel exam<strong>in</strong>esthe effects <strong>of</strong> long-term, selfimposedhuman neglect <strong>in</strong> a smallAcadian fish<strong>in</strong>g town <strong>in</strong> Nova Scotia.Keefer's novel succeeds <strong>in</strong> convey<strong>in</strong>g thebrutal consequences <strong>of</strong> extended lonel<strong>in</strong>essand isolation. However, the selfconsciouslyliterary writ<strong>in</strong>g tends to overshadowthe story, slow<strong>in</strong>g (sometimeseven dragg<strong>in</strong>g) the unfold<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gplot.The novel beg<strong>in</strong>s and ends <strong>in</strong> the firstperson us<strong>in</strong>g the ma<strong>in</strong> character's po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong>view. For 15 years Claire Saulnier hasbeen teach<strong>in</strong>g music at the local college byday and keep<strong>in</strong>g company with cognac bynight, bolt<strong>in</strong>g the doors and w<strong>in</strong>dows <strong>of</strong>her house to secure herself from "humanpossibilities." She spends her modestsalary import<strong>in</strong>g books, classical recordsand f<strong>in</strong>e chocolate, hav<strong>in</strong>g committed herselfto a life <strong>of</strong> sexless solitude.After Claire's first-person <strong>in</strong>troduction,the narrative voice shifts to third personand jumps among the central characters<strong>of</strong> the novel. The events lead<strong>in</strong>g toClaire's eventual self-destruction are dependenton her (successful or unsuccessful)attempts to manipulate, punish, andhelp others. The most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g, albeitromantic, character is the poor and beautifulMariette, a little madonna who caresfor her sickly toddler brother <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>of</strong>attend<strong>in</strong>g school. She was the victim <strong>of</strong>rape at puberty, followed by a botchedhome abortion which left her <strong>in</strong>fertile. Atseventeen she is abused aga<strong>in</strong>, emotionallythis time but with even more dramaticconsequences. The violator <strong>in</strong> this case isthe man from whom she seeks redemptionfor her alleged past s<strong>in</strong>; his crime is his<strong>in</strong>sensitivity to her desperation. Clairesees to it that this abuser, a visit<strong>in</strong>g lecturerfrom France, pays for his <strong>of</strong>fense byarrang<strong>in</strong>g for one <strong>of</strong> his students toseduce him, thereby upsett<strong>in</strong>g his wellplannedfuture <strong>of</strong> marry<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to Frencharistocracy and secur<strong>in</strong>g a post at theSorbonne.Although Claire can avenge the wrong(even at great cost to herself), it is herfailure to help Mariette that f<strong>in</strong>ally destroysher. She has become such an expertat manipulat<strong>in</strong>g other people's lives anddeny<strong>in</strong>g her own needs that she is helplesstry<strong>in</strong>g to develop an ability to love and toalleviate someone else's suffer<strong>in</strong>g. Marietteand Claire have <strong>in</strong> common a loveless,psychologically isolated life, seal<strong>in</strong>gthemselves <strong>of</strong>f from the possibility <strong>of</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>fulhuman <strong>in</strong>teraction. However, whileMariette's solitude and eventual breakdownare expected given the comb<strong>in</strong>ation<strong>of</strong> her experiences and her naivete,Claire's behaviour is more difficult to expla<strong>in</strong>.That the emotional scars <strong>of</strong> herchildhood could overcome her emotionalneeds as an adult is difficult to accept.She suffers from years <strong>of</strong> self-<strong>in</strong>flictedneglect, never hav<strong>in</strong>g loved or been loved.One might wonder why such an <strong>in</strong>telligentwoman can't come to terms with herpast, her parents' unsatisfy<strong>in</strong>g marriageand the l<strong>in</strong>k between sex and death (hermother had suffered repeated miscarriagesbefore f<strong>in</strong>ally dy<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> labour).Also, what was it that she wanted but209
BOOKS IN REVIEWfailed to obta<strong>in</strong> as a young woman? If weknew the "human possibilities" she sacrificed<strong>in</strong> an attempt to silence her parents'voices <strong>in</strong>side her head, perhaps it wouldbe easier to understand her unhapp<strong>in</strong>ess.Although Keefer's writ<strong>in</strong>g, brimm<strong>in</strong>gwith visual imagery, does justice to theenchant<strong>in</strong>g landscape, sometimes thefocus <strong>of</strong> the narrative is lost <strong>in</strong> the manneredstyle. For <strong>in</strong>stance, a waitress isdescribed as hav<strong>in</strong>g "hair like a senilepoodle's." With the exception <strong>of</strong> Mariette'ssection, written <strong>in</strong> a simple, naivevoice, the story <strong>of</strong>ten takes a back seat tothe eloquent but self-conscious prose. Perhapsif the writ<strong>in</strong>g were more relaxed itwould not drag its heels <strong>in</strong> the development<strong>of</strong> the well-structured and <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gnarrative.ELIZABETH PARKINSONMESSIANISMERÉJEAN BEAUDOiN, Naissance d'uneBoreal, $19.95.littérature.LA PARUTION D'UNE ÉTUDE sur la littératurecanadienne-française du dix-neuvièmesiècle, encore trop peu explorée, esttoujours bienvenue. Réjean Beaudo<strong>in</strong>veut nous conduire à sa source dans Naissanced'une littérature: Essai sur le messianismeet les débuts de la littératurecanadienne-française (i8§o-i8go). Lespremières tentatives sont associées à l'idéologiedom<strong>in</strong>ante de l'époque. L'effortconcerté du Canada français de i860culm<strong>in</strong>e dans le projet de créer une cultureet une littérature nationales et "ilsemble qu'il faille y voir l'effet de l'idéologiequi s'impose au même moment etqu'on s'accorde à désigner sous le nom demessianisme canadien-français."Les deux premiers chapitres traitentdes pr<strong>in</strong>cipaux déf<strong>in</strong>isseurs et du discourstenu sur la littérature nationale. Ils réfèrentà une panoplie de textes dont certa<strong>in</strong>sétaient peu connus. L'abbé Casgra<strong>in</strong>aura nécessairement la vedette. Une attentionparticulière est aussi accordée auxdeux formes du romantisme européen quiimprègnent notre pensée et notre littératurenaissantes. Place est faite aux légendesassociées à l'âme du peuple. Il sembleà l'auteur que "la mode des légendespopulaires constitue . .. un aspect importantde la poétique du texte national."Ce courant traverse aussi plusieursgenres littéraires et manifeste sonimportance tant au po<strong>in</strong>t de vue moralque nationaliste.Dans les quatre derniers chapitres, RejeanBeaudo<strong>in</strong> analyse dans le texte c<strong>in</strong>qoeuvres en particulier: Les Légendes canadiennesde Casgra<strong>in</strong>, Forestiers et voyageursde Taché, Les Anciens Canadiensd'Aubert de Gaspé (père), Jean Rivardde Gér<strong>in</strong>-Lajoie et La Légende d'unpeuple de Frechette. Il s'attache à démontrerla fém<strong>in</strong>isation du discours du père(<strong>in</strong>carné par Laflèche et Labelle) : "c'estlui qui est altéré, contrefait, travesti parle travail de la fiction." Pour lui "lestraits virils du héros, qui est censé garantirla grandeur prédest<strong>in</strong>ée de la nation,demeurent le masque souffrant d'unemère éplorée."Les deux chapitres <strong>in</strong>itiaux sont bienstructurés et présentent un ensemble detextes convergents qui établissent efficacementles lien étroits entre le messianismeet la littérature. Les chapitres consacrés àl'étude des textes <strong>of</strong>frent une analyse détailléeet orig<strong>in</strong>ale qui permet de les relireavec un regard neuf. L'hypothèse de lafém<strong>in</strong>isation du discours littéraire est biendéfendue par l'<strong>in</strong>terprétation de l'auteur.Sans doute y aurait-il lieu, dans une autreétude, de pratiquer une approche similairesur le corpus du roman historique dela même époque pour vérifier encorel'hypothèse. Ce genre romanesque prendaussi rac<strong>in</strong>e dans le romantisme nationalisteimporté par Garneau.L'auteur conclut que le messianismecanadien-français est "l'idéologie d'un210
BOOKS IN REVIEWgroupe social particulier (le clergé)." Leclergé a un rôle fort important dans sadéf<strong>in</strong>ition. On gagnerait peut-être à vérifiers'il s'agit surtout du haut-clergé. Legroupe n'est pas monolithique commel'ont démontré ses réactions variées à laRébellion de 1837. D'autre part le discours"libéral" ne semble pas non plusétranger au courant messianique, à commencerpar celui de François-Xavier Garneau.Comme le signale Maurice Lemire(1970), Garneau n'est certes pas l'<strong>in</strong>itiateurdu messianisme canadien-français,mais l'<strong>in</strong>fluence de ses maîtres "l'<strong>in</strong>cite àvoir dans l'histoire canadienne une expressionnouvelle de la dest<strong>in</strong>ée quasi providentiellede la race française." Notonsaussi que Louis-Joseph Pap<strong>in</strong>eau ne semontrait pas <strong>in</strong>sensible à une dimensionreligieuse de l'histoire du Canada. Dansun discours prononcé en 1849, dans le butde favoriser l'établissement des Canadiensfrançais dans les Cantons de l'Est, en présencede Mgr Bourget et également depersonnages comme Dorion et Doutre, ilévoque le souvenir de nos pères qui "furentles martyrs volontaires de leur piétéet de leur patriotisme." (L.-O. David,1924)·L'auteur fait ma<strong>in</strong>tes allusions à "cequ'on appelle le mouvement de i860," àl'importance de son rôle dans l'implantationdu messianisme et littérature. Àaucun moment il ne déf<strong>in</strong>it ce "mouvementde i860 qui travailla à la mise enoeuvre du projet de création d'une littératurenationale" et qui "allait ouvrir aumessianisme le champ du discours poétique."Dans le contexte de l'analyse <strong>in</strong>stitutionnelle,à laquelle Réjean Beaudo<strong>in</strong>est sensible, il eût été important de préciseren quoi consistait ce mouvement et cequi en faisait un véritable mouvement.Ceci aurait contribué à solidifier encoreplus les assises de sa thèse. Le dit mouvementest problématique. Le dix-neuvièmisteDavid M. Hayne pose le problèmedans un article <strong>in</strong>titulé: "Le mouvementlittéraire de i860: mythe au réalité?"Roger Le Moyne met même son existenceen doute dans son article <strong>in</strong>titulé:"L'École littéraire de Québec, un mythede la critique." Hayne conclut dans sonétude: "L'existence d'un mouvement littérairede i860 est réelle et doit être admise,mais ce mouvement n'avait ni l'orig<strong>in</strong>aliténi l'importance dont on l'a parédepuis." Il <strong>in</strong>vite alors à poursuivre lesrecherches sur le sujet.En dépit des quelques questions soulevées,l'essai de Réjean Beaudo<strong>in</strong> demeureune très sérieuse et orig<strong>in</strong>ale <strong>in</strong>terventiondans les études sur l'histoire littérairedu dix-neuvième siècle. Une écriturebrillante contribue également à l'<strong>in</strong>térêtde sa lecture.ANTOINE SIROISUNPALATABLE TRUTHSJAMES WIELAND, The Enspher<strong>in</strong>g M<strong>in</strong>d: History,Myth, and Fictions <strong>in</strong> the Poetry <strong>of</strong>Allen Curnow, Nissim Ezekiel, A. D. Hope,A. M. Kle<strong>in</strong>, Christopher Okigbo, and DerekWalcott. Three Cont<strong>in</strong>ents.ARUN MUKHERJEE. Towards an Aesthetic <strong>of</strong>Opposition: Essays On Literature, Criticism,and Cultural Imperialism. Williams-Wallace.JAMES WIELAND'S The Enspher<strong>in</strong>g M<strong>in</strong>d,an ambitious comparative study <strong>of</strong> sixpoets from six Commonwealth countries,demonstrates the <strong>in</strong>herent weakness <strong>of</strong>us<strong>in</strong>g a political/historical term like "theCommonwealth" as a basis for literarystudy. Assum<strong>in</strong>g their "Commonwealth"similarities as a basis for comparison, Wielandattempts no less than an <strong>in</strong>clusiveand comprehensive account <strong>of</strong> "history,myth, and fictions," and the relationshipbetween them, <strong>in</strong> the work <strong>of</strong> these widelydisparate poets. Underly<strong>in</strong>g this assumption<strong>of</strong> Commonwealth commonality isanother, more dangerous one that <strong>in</strong>formsthe entire study, namely that <strong>in</strong> theirexam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> history and the poetic fictionswhich enable understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>, and211
BOOKS IN REVIEWaccess to, the "eternal truths" <strong>of</strong> myth,these poets believe <strong>in</strong>, and are try<strong>in</strong>g toarticulate coherent, unitary visions whichhave "universal" mean<strong>in</strong>g. Interest<strong>in</strong>gly,the forefather <strong>of</strong> these poets is, accord<strong>in</strong>gto Wieland, Wallace Stevens, whose ancestralvoice echoes throughout the text,without regard for historical, cultural,national, racial, or ethnic difference.This is not to suggest that Wieland'sown text does not at times recognize thespeciousness <strong>of</strong> his task. His chapter divisionsmake explicit the split between hisdiscussion <strong>of</strong> Hope, Kle<strong>in</strong>, Curnow andEzekiel, Walcott, Okigbo: the "white"poets are always treated separately fromthe "non-white." Indeed, it is precisely <strong>in</strong>his discussion <strong>of</strong> history and myth thatWieland's all-encompass<strong>in</strong>g rubric most<strong>of</strong>ten reveals its fault l<strong>in</strong>es. Despite hisefforts, Wieland grudg<strong>in</strong>gly acknowledgesthat Curnow's poetry, for example, rejectsany notion <strong>of</strong> mythic transcendence, andis rooted <strong>in</strong> the local and particular, whilehe imposes on Walcott's anti-mythic rigorousre-exam<strong>in</strong>ation and re-vision <strong>of</strong> historyas process the eternal qualities <strong>of</strong>myth. The follow<strong>in</strong>g quotation reveals theprocess by which Wieland effects thismagical and presumptuous transformationthroughout his book:But Walcott's Adam-Crusoe . . . now servesas a paradigm for universal man fac<strong>in</strong>g his[sic] dest<strong>in</strong>y. The fragmentation <strong>of</strong> the Caribbean,its sense <strong>of</strong> history-<strong>in</strong>-transition, its cont<strong>in</strong>ualprocess <strong>of</strong> growth and decay throughtime, stands as a type for an ever fragment<strong>in</strong>gworld, as the great monolithic societies<strong>of</strong> the past . . . break up ; and <strong>in</strong>dividual manfaces the isolation and cosmic lonel<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong>Walcott's figures on the beach. But out <strong>of</strong>the lonel<strong>in</strong>ess, the poets <strong>of</strong> this study suggest,may come wisdom and faith, and a stayaga<strong>in</strong>st a submission to a seem<strong>in</strong>gly hostileand chaotic world. For, by mak<strong>in</strong>g fictionswhich strive to make sense <strong>of</strong> reality out <strong>of</strong>their very act <strong>of</strong> nam<strong>in</strong>g the presences andabsences <strong>of</strong> society, and out <strong>of</strong> their variationson particular themes, the poet risestoward the mythic and he gives to the mundaneand the ord<strong>in</strong>ary an illum<strong>in</strong>ation.This <strong>in</strong>sistence on mak<strong>in</strong>g these poets<strong>in</strong>to spokespeople for a questionable anda contextual universalism creates a peculiarand somewhat bl<strong>in</strong>d read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> A. M.Kle<strong>in</strong>, whose Jewishness — an identitythat Wieland fetishizes <strong>in</strong> his discussion <strong>of</strong>Kle<strong>in</strong> and, to a lesser extent, Ezekiel — isseen to be a stumbl<strong>in</strong>g block to his development<strong>in</strong>to the maturer artist who <strong>in</strong>his more <strong>in</strong>clusive "Canadian" poetry was<strong>in</strong>stead concerned with "society as awhole." With Canada as a paradigm for"the whole <strong>of</strong> the Western cultural tradition.. . . the mark <strong>of</strong> these last poems istheir universality." In his earlier discussion<strong>of</strong> Kle<strong>in</strong>'s "Indian" poems, Wielandquotes uncritically Kle<strong>in</strong>'s '"braves' <strong>of</strong>yesteryear, 'the feathered bestiaries,' 'thechief who spoke with his throat' " and approv<strong>in</strong>glycompares Kle<strong>in</strong>'s poems toDuncan Campbell Scott's "Half-BreedGirl" and "The Forsaken," thus reveal<strong>in</strong>ghis characteristic bl<strong>in</strong>dness to, <strong>in</strong> this case,the prevalence <strong>of</strong> the stereotyped <strong>in</strong>digene<strong>in</strong> Canadian literature.Despite his references to "presencesand absences," to the role <strong>of</strong> the reader <strong>in</strong>re-creat<strong>in</strong>g the texts <strong>of</strong> history, fiction,and myth, and to the notion <strong>of</strong> process,Wieland's study is essentially a conservativeone which overlooks, even denies,history and the creation <strong>of</strong> fictions toaffirm the omnipotence and transcendence<strong>of</strong> myth, Truth, and the universal.Ironically, Aran Mukherjee's title takesits cue from A. M. Kle<strong>in</strong>'s "Towards anAesthetic," and opens with an essay attack<strong>in</strong>g"The Vocabulary <strong>of</strong> the 'Universal':The Cultural Imperialism <strong>of</strong> theUniversalist Criteria <strong>of</strong> Western LiteraryCriticism." Concise where Wieland iscompendious, Mukherjee's text is an essentialcompanion volume. All <strong>of</strong> theessays, repr<strong>in</strong>ted from various journals,<strong>in</strong>dict cultural and academic imperialismand complacency. As if <strong>in</strong> direct responseto Wieland, here is Mukherjee :212
BOOKS IN REVIEWAnd yes, there were some other themes:modern sensibility, i.e., the pa<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>a Godless universe . . . and, f<strong>in</strong>ally, the celebration<strong>of</strong> complexity that perpetually wr<strong>in</strong>gsits hands <strong>in</strong> the face <strong>of</strong> the grandeur and theterror <strong>of</strong> the universe. . . . Obviously thethemes <strong>of</strong> history — conquest and subjugation,anti-colonial struggles, racism, sexism,class conflict — are all absent from thisworld view. Hence the works that deal withthis world view are also largely absent from thecurricula <strong>of</strong> departments <strong>of</strong> English <strong>in</strong> Canada.The shr<strong>in</strong>es at which they worship areto be seen <strong>in</strong> their course <strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>gs. T. S.Eliot, Henry James, James Joyce, EzraPound, Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens dom<strong>in</strong>atemodern literature curricula.Unfortunately, even Commonwealthscholars apparently engaged <strong>in</strong> such curricularchange contribute to this hegemonicand imperialist world view. Tocombat this tendency, Mukherjee <strong>of</strong>fersread<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> Michael Ondaatje and NeilBissoondath that are substantially differentfrom ma<strong>in</strong>stream critical views <strong>of</strong>either author. Part <strong>of</strong> Mukherjee's projectas well, <strong>in</strong> her essays on South AsianCanadian poetry and on poets RienziCrusz and Cyril Dabydeen (here, effectivelycontrasted to Ondaatje), is to ga<strong>in</strong>marg<strong>in</strong>alized writers a place and somevisibility <strong>in</strong> the study <strong>of</strong> Canadian literature.But Mukherjee's best, and most needed,polemic is found <strong>in</strong> her essays on the forms<strong>of</strong> cultural imperialism found <strong>in</strong> c<strong>in</strong>ema,literary criticism, and <strong>in</strong> the Canadianundergraduate English course. (In "Ideology<strong>in</strong> the Classroom: A Case Study <strong>in</strong>the Teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> English Literature <strong>in</strong>Canadian Universities," Mukherjee providesa radically different read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>, andapproach to, teach<strong>in</strong>g Margaret Laurence's"The Perfume Sea").I suspect that Mukherjee's book is notlikely to be popular, particularly <strong>in</strong> Canada,where national, and literary, selfdef<strong>in</strong>itionis one <strong>of</strong> cultural tolerance andpluralism. Mukherjee's frontal attack ona great deal that we hold dear, and herconsistent and overt political and personal<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> all <strong>of</strong> her writ<strong>in</strong>g, is go<strong>in</strong>gto be unpalatable for many. Mukherjee'sarticles have <strong>in</strong> the past provided me withmuch-needed ammunition <strong>in</strong> a resistantacademy; I, for one, am thus delighted tosee her essays f<strong>in</strong>ally <strong>in</strong> collected form.ARUNA SRIVASTAVAMICHAEL ESTOK, A Plague Year Journal. PulpPress, $8.95.DEBORAH GODiN, Troubl<strong>in</strong>g a Star. Penumbra,$9-95-TONY COSIER, Lands<strong>in</strong>ger. Penumbra, $9.95.A Plague Year Journal is a record <strong>of</strong>Michael Estok's com<strong>in</strong>g to terms with hisimpend<strong>in</strong>g death: "the po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> this issimple : / to tell you what it's like" ( "let'sget this straight,"). The poetry is heavilypunctuated by anger as well as despair <strong>of</strong>the human enterprise, although there area few moments <strong>of</strong> tender rem<strong>in</strong>iscence.Throughout the volume, images <strong>of</strong> warand political tyranny are used as metaphorsfor AIDS as well as social malaise.In fact if there is anyth<strong>in</strong>g questionableabout this volume, it is not its candid depictions<strong>of</strong> homosexual love, frank treatment<strong>of</strong> AIDS, or its philosophy <strong>of</strong> despair;rather, it is anger. The almost relentlessanger overwhelms both the poetry andthe reader alike, and unfortunately attimes even comes across as trite andclichéd, distanced from, rather than <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g,the reader ("dog days", "codes,"and "symptoms").Estok's vision <strong>of</strong> AIDS is symbolized <strong>in</strong>the association <strong>of</strong> AIDS victims with Jews<strong>in</strong> the Nazi death camps ("the historians"), the <strong>in</strong>nocent victims <strong>of</strong> foreignexploitation <strong>in</strong> third world countries ("thetroops"; "meanwhile out <strong>in</strong> the country"),and the cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g corruption <strong>of</strong>our already fragile environment. He also213
BOOKS IN REVIEWrem<strong>in</strong>ds us <strong>of</strong> the ugl<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> a latenthomophobia that erupts all too <strong>of</strong>ten <strong>in</strong>violence ("<strong>in</strong> the parks and cemeteries";"back then").Occasionally, Estok does break throughto convey a sense <strong>of</strong> impend<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>ality:what's left are sums more manageable:the apples on our leafless treeeggs nest<strong>in</strong>g coolly <strong>in</strong> their own smug shapes<strong>in</strong> the refrigerator doorthe essays I have left to markthe days till spr<strong>in</strong>gthe pages <strong>in</strong> this bookpotatoes <strong>in</strong> a dusty bag.("count<strong>in</strong>g")Or he does engage the reader's empathy,as <strong>in</strong> such poems as "kill<strong>in</strong>g the porcup<strong>in</strong>e,""the children," and "night aga<strong>in</strong>,"where man's <strong>in</strong>humanity is revealed <strong>in</strong> allits hideousness.Mercifully, the anger sometimes ceaseslong enough for the peace <strong>of</strong> some poetic<strong>in</strong>sight to be shared :like them, we f<strong>in</strong>d noth<strong>in</strong>gbut our own wild, whoop<strong>in</strong>g heartsfor a moment stilled <strong>in</strong> the centre<strong>of</strong> an expand<strong>in</strong>g r<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> watera vast mournful О that moves to fit anydarknessany crazy horizon("the loons")In Troubl<strong>in</strong>g a Star, Deborah God<strong>in</strong>asks the reader to try a new way <strong>of</strong> see<strong>in</strong>g :to let go <strong>of</strong> conventional labels and perspectives.But her poetry, for the mostpart, <strong>of</strong>fers no paradigms <strong>of</strong> newness thatcould lead the reader beyond the conventional,nor do her typographical deviationssuggest any mean<strong>in</strong>g or sense thatcould not be conveyed through wordsmore poetically crafted. At times, however,she does accomplish what she setsout to do, manifest<strong>in</strong>g the technical polishand lyricism characteristic <strong>of</strong> her earliervolume, Stranded <strong>in</strong> Terra:This is a raw unnameable seasonneither w<strong>in</strong>ter nor spr<strong>in</strong>grank with its own civet, smell <strong>of</strong>thawed compost, rotten iceand blackened greasy snow("March")The trouble is that the rhythm, languageand imagery so perceptible here areconf<strong>in</strong>ed to only a few poems <strong>in</strong> thevolume, and to those found mostly towardthe end, poems based on traditional religiousthemes from both the East andWest. Most <strong>of</strong> the poems that do not workeither rely on difficult similes, typographicaloddities that attempt to affect thephenomenology <strong>of</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g, or allusionswhose referents are so cryptic, eclectic,and ultimately reductive, that unless thereader is <strong>of</strong> the same persuasion (Nu-Age?), little <strong>of</strong> import is conveyed: "youf<strong>in</strong>d, you are / the on-go<strong>in</strong>g answer whichpervades / the entire question" ("TheDance <strong>of</strong> Shiva"). As for the volume be<strong>in</strong>g,as the blurb on the back says, "philosophicalautobiography," there is, unfortunately,little here <strong>in</strong> the way <strong>of</strong> clearstructured thought that any serious philosopherwould recognize.Lands<strong>in</strong>ger, by Tony Cosier, is a joy toread. Apart from some weak poems <strong>in</strong> thethird section, "Mounta<strong>in</strong>s," the poetry ispunctuated by a diction that is consistentlymusical and rhythmic, engag<strong>in</strong>g theimag<strong>in</strong>ation :And what <strong>of</strong> the subtler, deeper voicehushedBeneath moss that slidesThrough breath<strong>in</strong>g pores, hisses throughsediment,Trembles along the gra<strong>in</strong>?To the one who listens, the rocks speak.("To the one Who Listens")The volume is divided <strong>in</strong>to four sections,each reflect<strong>in</strong>g a geographicaltheme, and moves from an almost Whitmanesquelyricism,I have been told not to eat the berry <strong>of</strong> thehoneysuckle.I have plucked two by mere chance boundA larger and a smallerBoth red214
BOOKS IN REVIEWDeep redBoth roundBut for their jo<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g . . .("Honeysuckle")to a celebration <strong>of</strong> nature both passionateand transcendent :О earth, great earth,Close under solid deepdown roller, moveand take me turn<strong>in</strong>g crosswise."Fool's Dance"Where God<strong>in</strong> tells unclearly, Cosiershows the reader <strong>of</strong> his poems a world <strong>of</strong>colour, texture, passion and sublimity:Where God<strong>in</strong>'s verse struggles to f<strong>in</strong>d thesource, Cosier's lyrics manifest presence:There are relics that tell <strong>of</strong> the old time.And fjords that tell <strong>of</strong> the powerthat squeezed the height <strong>in</strong>to placespilled down the waterfalllike a co<strong>in</strong> for the dazzl<strong>in</strong>g sunflattened the lake at its footand the clear high stars.("Summer<strong>in</strong>g North")The poems are not, despite the title, conf<strong>in</strong>edto the merely terrestrial, but mapout the geographies <strong>of</strong> the heart and soulas well, rang<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> their scope from theelegiac ( "Wavebeat, Ottawa River" ), tothe dramatic ("The Widowmaker"), andthe metaphysical ("Not This Leaf HauntsMe").C. D. MAZOFFBEST OF INTENTIONSRoo BORSON, Intent, or The Weight <strong>of</strong> theWorld. McClelland & Stewart, $9.95.THE LASTING IMPRESSION ROO Borson'sIntent, or The Weight <strong>of</strong> the World leavesis that it is a book <strong>of</strong> remembrance,loss, and mourn<strong>in</strong>g. It creates an overwhelm<strong>in</strong>gsense <strong>of</strong> nostalgia. In a note onthe text, Borson herself describes the workas "a collection <strong>of</strong> whatever's been on mym<strong>in</strong>d the last few years," and says thatthe "po<strong>in</strong>t to be taken" is "to preserve thedark <strong>in</strong> the light and the light <strong>in</strong> thedark." The light does appear <strong>in</strong> thesepoems, but the darkness is ever-present.Such issues as change, age<strong>in</strong>g, and deathseem to have been on Borson's m<strong>in</strong>d;however, she succeeds <strong>in</strong> craft<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>of</strong>troubled and troubl<strong>in</strong>g poems that aresimultaneously disturb<strong>in</strong>g and enliven<strong>in</strong>g.In several <strong>of</strong> the 81 poems <strong>in</strong> the collectionBorson does come dangerouslyclose to trivializ<strong>in</strong>g her thoughts bymak<strong>in</strong>g the past a golden age <strong>of</strong> fun andfriendship now lost. These poems do seem<strong>in</strong>timate, letters to friends and familywhose first names appear <strong>in</strong> the poems.But Borson's concern with "the old highschool crowd" ("Tracy") or "that d<strong>in</strong>nerparty, one <strong>of</strong> the last / <strong>of</strong> a certa<strong>in</strong> era"("Some Thoughts and a Letter") seemtoo much like arrested adolescence. Yeteven <strong>in</strong> these overtly nostalgic poems, especially"Toronto," Borson succeeds bymak<strong>in</strong>g her particular past a part <strong>of</strong> theculture <strong>of</strong> a generation :Along Bloor, toward one end <strong>of</strong> the Annexor another,or up Yonge, half-eclipsed already,or Kens<strong>in</strong>gton before a storm —<strong>in</strong> all k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> weather, it seemed, we keptwalk<strong>in</strong>g toward d<strong>in</strong>ner,bouquets for friendship, a bottle to unlockthe night,to report, while our lives stood still,the snubs, <strong>in</strong>fatuations, gossipwe called itbut really it was our common life.("Toronto")And what seems more important is Borson'srecognition that the past is not lostbut takes the form <strong>of</strong> memory. The tensionbetween memory and loss permeatesthe poems that are the most mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>the collection, the many elegiac workssuch as "And," <strong>in</strong> which Borson says"goodbye to memory" but f<strong>in</strong>ds that"much / stays with us," although at timesmemory is not enough to br<strong>in</strong>g back thedead. Borson's accomplishment is <strong>in</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g215
BOOKS IN REVIEWable to give voice to that grief which isalmost beyond expression.For Roo Borson, then, the light and thedark are never far away from each other,perhaps no further than th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g makesthem, yet each has its power. In an imagefrom "From the Island," one <strong>of</strong> severalpoems <strong>in</strong> Intent, or The Weight <strong>of</strong> theWorld, Borson sees the city, "<strong>in</strong>candescentaga<strong>in</strong>st thunder-bear<strong>in</strong>g skies which admit,now and then, briefly, beams whoseapparent purpose is to cauterize excessivebeauty from the grass and then move on."While the weather has "an <strong>in</strong>scrutable<strong>in</strong>tent," ever simultaneously f orbod<strong>in</strong>g andpromis<strong>in</strong>g, Borson, <strong>in</strong> "On the Island,"recognizes that even someth<strong>in</strong>g that isnow dead "still casts its shadow. Th<strong>in</strong>gsthat have lived have this light <strong>in</strong> them."It is perhaps this acknowledgement <strong>of</strong> thespiritual be<strong>in</strong>g that allows Borson, <strong>in</strong>"Leav<strong>in</strong>g the Island," to conclude thecollection with what she calls "our image<strong>of</strong> happ<strong>in</strong>ess."ROBERT ATTRIDGEREFERENCERECENT BOOKS <strong>in</strong>clude the Gage CanadianDictionary (Gage, n.p.) : excellent because <strong>of</strong>its clarity and its <strong>in</strong>clusiveness <strong>of</strong> Canadianwords and usages, though some users may wellbe puzzled by a few <strong>of</strong> the def<strong>in</strong>itions. This isthe first place I have even seen "skookumchuck"spelled as two words; and the leapbetween the def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> "skookum" ("powerful,big, or brave") and the example provided("a skookum bacon-and-egg breakfast") raisesun<strong>in</strong>tended questions, surely, about food additives.The 1200-page encyclopedia compiled byVirg<strong>in</strong>ia Bla<strong>in</strong> et al., The Fem<strong>in</strong>ist Companionto Literature <strong>in</strong> English (Yale, $49.95), providesbrief lives <strong>of</strong> scores <strong>of</strong> women writersfrom the Middle Ages to the present day, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gnumerous writers outside the USA andthe UK. Data is generally up-to-date, thoughoccasional errors creep <strong>in</strong>: Kather<strong>in</strong>e Mansfield'smother is listed as Annie Burrel, <strong>in</strong>stead2l6<strong>of</strong> Burnell. The commentaries focus on eachwriter's attitude to the position <strong>of</strong> women <strong>in</strong>society and on their literary evocation <strong>of</strong> sensibilityand psychology. It is a valuable resourcebook. David Cairns and Shaun Richards'Writ<strong>in</strong>g Ireland (Manchester Univ. Press/McClelland & Stewart, $17.95) reflects on theimpact <strong>of</strong> English colonial policy on the construction<strong>of</strong> Irish nationalism and culture, witha useful bibliography. Alan F. J. Artibise'sInterdiscipl<strong>in</strong>ary Approaches to CanadianSociety (McGill-Queen's, $34.95; pa. $16.95)assembles six useful bibliographic essays on thecurrent state <strong>of</strong> enquiry <strong>in</strong>to such issues aslabour, ethnicity, religion, immigration policy,and Native studies <strong>in</strong> Canada. The <strong>British</strong>Library's Occasional Papers No. 12 (£25) isdevoted to Women's Studies; edited by Albert<strong>in</strong>eGaur and Penelope Tuson, it gatherspapers delivered at a 1989 <strong>British</strong> Library colloquium,on such issues as Mansfield's <strong>British</strong>Library manuscripts, European resources forwomen's studies, oral history, the life <strong>of</strong> Asianwomen <strong>in</strong> illustrated manuscripts, newspaperresources, 19th century black American womenwriters, suffragettes, missionaries, and littleknown novelists such as Emma Rob<strong>in</strong>son.W.N.AMONG THE HANDSOME Poetry chapbooks issuedby Ecrits des Forges are: Petits formatsde Donald Alarie; Dans la distance des liensde Come Lachapelle; Par la peau du cri deHuguette Bertrand; L'Oeil de l'idée de SergeMongra<strong>in</strong>; Portraits du souffle possible de Dom<strong>in</strong>iqueLauzon.Paperbacks for teenagers by La courte échelle<strong>in</strong>clude: Quatre jours de liberté de SylvieDesrosiers; Le père d'Arthur de G<strong>in</strong>ette Anfousse;Une tempête dans un ver de d'eau deMarie-F. Hébert; L'Idole des <strong>in</strong>actifs de DenisCôté; Sauvez ma babouche! de Gilles Gauthier;Awa dans le desert de François Pratte; Lacourse a l'amour de Bertrand Gauthier.Repr<strong>in</strong>ts from Bibliothèque québécoise <strong>in</strong>clude:L'Appelante de Yves Thériault; Lesorcier d'Anticosti de Robert Choquette; Kestende Yves Thériault; Andante de Félix Leclerc;Allegro de Félix Leclerc; Adagio deFélix Leclerc.Pengu<strong>in</strong> editions <strong>of</strong> Canadian works feature:A Dedicated Man by Peter Rob<strong>in</strong>son; TheGoldfish Bowl by Laurence Gough; In Transitby Mavis Gallant; The South Will Rise at Noonby Douglas Glover; The Middleman byBharati Mukherjee.
cjximns Ahh ndesAUTHOR AND CRITICA correspondence between novelist GeorgePayerle and scholar W. J. Keith. Edited byJohn Munro.In the spr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> 1989, the Toronto scholarand critic W. J. Keith published a review<strong>of</strong> George Payerle's novel Unknown Soldier(Macmillan, 1987) <strong>in</strong> CanadianLiterature# 120. Mr. Payerle respondedwith a somewhat outraged letter, andthereby <strong>in</strong>itiated a lengthy correspondence(approximately 40,000 words)touch<strong>in</strong>g on some <strong>of</strong> the larger issues <strong>of</strong>the art <strong>of</strong> fiction vis à vis the art <strong>of</strong> criticism.The follow<strong>in</strong>g are excerpts fromthat correspondence, edited for publicationby John Munro <strong>of</strong> UBC's CreativeWrit<strong>in</strong>g Department. His credits <strong>in</strong>cludeedit<strong>in</strong>g the memoirs <strong>of</strong> both John Diefenbakerand Lester Pearson.PAYERLE то KEITH, 2i September 1989... I have pr<strong>of</strong>ound respect for the human<strong>in</strong>tegrity and pr<strong>of</strong>essional astutenessyou ev<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>in</strong> your review, but I am atonce dismayed and disgusted that the firstmajor review <strong>in</strong> a major journal shouldrefuse to read the book the way it is written,but <strong>in</strong>stead expect it to be like a bookby Mr. Davies or Mr. F<strong>in</strong>dley . . .[Ultimately, I fear your honesty is selfprotective,your thoughtlessness limited byan apparent unwill<strong>in</strong>gness to look <strong>in</strong>toyour own closet and discover why, for <strong>in</strong>stance,you feel like an embarrassed voyeur."Supposed 'realism' <strong>of</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al sexscene"? "Inevitably sex (<strong>of</strong> the dampand-spongyvariety)"? You also seem t<strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>d bars beneath the dignity <strong>of</strong> literature,as <strong>in</strong>deed dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and piss<strong>in</strong>g. So yourastuteness turns aga<strong>in</strong>st the book. I feellike a fool, or at least that I have beenmade out to be a fool, with little recourse.I feel that you have taken the positiontaken by some veterans hold<strong>in</strong>g down"responsible position[s] <strong>in</strong> society": thatthey do not wish to be identified with asocially marg<strong>in</strong>al asshole like Collister.You object to the fact that a characterwithout "any powers <strong>of</strong> reflection"should be represented as hav<strong>in</strong>g "poetic"thoughts. You say you wonder, "unfairlyperhaps," if I had fully worked outwhat k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> man Sam is. I am <strong>of</strong>fended.]*... I did th<strong>in</strong>k Sam through, hav<strong>in</strong>gknown him <strong>in</strong> many men (many <strong>of</strong> them"successful," one, for <strong>in</strong>stance, a bankmanager and pa<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>of</strong> portraits andlandscapes) over a period <strong>of</strong> at least fifteenyears. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the n<strong>in</strong>e years <strong>of</strong>writ<strong>in</strong>g I "became" Sam Collister to theextent that my wife remarked, not unk<strong>in</strong>dly,"No wonder you're worn out.You're liv<strong>in</strong>g your life with us, your lifeas a writer, and Sam's life." In that sense,I have no doubt whatever that the"poetic" material arose from Sam's consciousness.One <strong>of</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>est, and mostlyrical, lectures on James Joyce that Ihave heard came, <strong>in</strong> a bar, from a bigbrute <strong>of</strong> a vet <strong>of</strong> whom I had never previouslythought that he would read anyth<strong>in</strong>gbeyond Mickey Spillane. . . .For a long time, I resisted writ<strong>in</strong>g battlescenes <strong>in</strong> this book. Not because I didn'tknow how (I've been told ad nauseamthat I should write war stories to makemoney, which I refuse to do) but becauseI'd never been there. I thought <strong>of</strong> it assacred ground upon which I could nottransgress, ethically. But there was agrow<strong>in</strong>g demand from readers <strong>of</strong> the work<strong>in</strong> progress that I write such scenes. "Noone will understand what you're talk<strong>in</strong>g* This paragraph is a reasonable, althoughmuch reduced and modified, representation<strong>of</strong> an enclosure to Payerle's orig<strong>in</strong>al letter toKeith.217
OPINIONS & NOTESabout otherwise," they said, civilians. SoI essayed the battle scene <strong>in</strong> which Samuses his bayonet. . . .This, I th<strong>in</strong>k, has someth<strong>in</strong>g to do withthe role <strong>of</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ation : to know what onewould otherwise not know. And thus, <strong>in</strong>this case, to serve as a bridge betweenthose who know what it's like to kill <strong>in</strong>war, and for that reason don't talk aboutit, and those who "can't know becausethey haven't been there." Although it'sbound to happen eventually, I've neverhad a veteran tell me I didn't know whatI was talk<strong>in</strong>g about. I wrote a preface tothe book, which has not been published,<strong>in</strong> which I speak <strong>of</strong> Sam Collister as a realman made <strong>of</strong> real words. Collister is theth<strong>in</strong>g itself, not ideas about the th<strong>in</strong>g, andI abjured a narrator who would imposesuch ideas on him. Ins<strong>of</strong>ar as possible, thebook is Sam, a man one meets <strong>in</strong> thestreet. Or <strong>in</strong> a bar.I see the artist (writer) as Stevens's"Man with the Blue Guitar." If I were towrite about a man who stutters, the bookwould stutter a lot. To read UnknownSoldier is to know Sam, not <strong>in</strong>tellectually,but as experience. Swear<strong>in</strong>g. Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>gand piss<strong>in</strong>g. Not every time, but selectively<strong>of</strong>ten enough that it feels like all the time.Which is how it feels. The imag<strong>in</strong>ed p<strong>in</strong>e.The imag<strong>in</strong>ed jay."I am a native <strong>in</strong> this world / . . . Andlike a native th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> it." Whether or notthe "poetic" <strong>in</strong> Unknown Soldier is "selfconscious"is <strong>in</strong> the eye <strong>of</strong> the beholder.Certa<strong>in</strong>ly it wasn't so <strong>in</strong> the writ<strong>in</strong>g, atleast not any more so than any <strong>of</strong> theother "carefully worded prose," which isall <strong>of</strong> it, believe it or not. To me, for themost part, it is not at all self-consciousbecause it wasn't. But, if the reader f<strong>in</strong>dsit so, it isn't work<strong>in</strong>g. "If it does not seema moment's thought, / Our stitch<strong>in</strong>g andunstitch<strong>in</strong>g has been naught." I canhardly ga<strong>in</strong>say Yeats. The whole questionis fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g, especially s<strong>in</strong>ce so muchcontemporary prose (not F<strong>in</strong>dley's) isself-consciously unselfconscious to thepo<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> synthetic aridity.. . . Despite my crank<strong>in</strong>ess here, anddespite what I perceive as your crank<strong>in</strong>essthere, I like your m<strong>in</strong>d, and you seem tolike much <strong>of</strong> what I did <strong>in</strong> Unknown Soldier.I thank you for your thoughtfulness,your pr<strong>of</strong>essional acuity, and your will<strong>in</strong>gnessto place these <strong>in</strong> the context <strong>of</strong> yourpersonal experience. A generous, "unacademic"th<strong>in</strong>g to do. At the same time, Ith<strong>in</strong>k that with the best will <strong>in</strong> the world,you read the wrong book. My hope is thatwe might <strong>in</strong> fact engage <strong>in</strong> some dialogueon the issues raised <strong>in</strong> your review andhere, <strong>in</strong> their larger dimensions as well as<strong>in</strong> relation to my own work. . . .KEITH то PAYERLE, 29 September 1989. . . One problem when one is review<strong>in</strong>ga book like Unknown Soldier is that oneknows that other reviewers will be puff<strong>in</strong>glesser books with unjustified superlativesand that, by contrast, one's own responsewill seem ungenerous — or won't be understood.I do a lot <strong>of</strong> review<strong>in</strong>g, and Ihave always made a po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> attempt<strong>in</strong>gtwo th<strong>in</strong>gs: (a) giv<strong>in</strong>g as accurate anaccount as I can <strong>of</strong> the k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> book it is(or seems to me to be), and (b) giv<strong>in</strong>g ashonest an account as I can <strong>of</strong> my personalresponse to it. (When this last iscomplex, I always try to lay my own cardson the table by expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g my own viewpo<strong>in</strong>tand so reveal<strong>in</strong>g my possible prejudices— as I did <strong>in</strong> your case, and as I'mglad you acknowledge.)... In the jargon <strong>of</strong> literary criticism(which I try to avoid), what I've beentalk<strong>in</strong>g about is, as you probably know,called "the affective fallacy." A similarterm, "the <strong>in</strong>tentional fallacy," warnsaga<strong>in</strong>st evaluat<strong>in</strong>g a work accord<strong>in</strong>g towhat the author is known to have <strong>in</strong>tendedrather than by what he actuallyproduced (which may not be the sameth<strong>in</strong>g). You have told me, impressively218
OPINIONS & NOTESand conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>gly, what you <strong>in</strong>tended <strong>in</strong>Unknown Soldier, and I th<strong>in</strong>k I understandthat. But when you claim that I"read the wrong book," all I can reply isthat I made every effort to read the book<strong>in</strong> my hands and f<strong>in</strong>d out what was there.God knows, I may be wrong, but I stillth<strong>in</strong>k that I gave an accurate representation<strong>of</strong> what is there on the pr<strong>in</strong>ted page.Between the conception and the execution(to misquote Eliot) falls the Shadow.. . . [With regard to] the treatment <strong>of</strong>sex scenes: I don't th<strong>in</strong>k it's fair to say Ishould "look <strong>in</strong> my own closet" to discoverwhy I feel like an embarrassed voyeur.This is everyone's closet. It's virtuallyimpossible <strong>in</strong> this day and age toquestion sex scenes <strong>in</strong> art without sound<strong>in</strong>glike some life-deny<strong>in</strong>g and sick "Puritan."But it does seem to me that a realartistic difficulty is <strong>in</strong>volved here. Thesexual act, we know (or at least most <strong>of</strong>us know, and I am confident that that<strong>in</strong>cludes both <strong>of</strong> us), can be a beautiful,even supreme experience. But it is only sowith<strong>in</strong> a context <strong>of</strong> privacy (not secrecy,but privacy). The same act (physically),performed <strong>in</strong> public, becomes someth<strong>in</strong>gvery different. This is most obvious <strong>in</strong>films ( Woman <strong>of</strong> the Dunes was, <strong>in</strong> part,about this) — and it's exaggerated on thescreen by the magnification ( I am <strong>in</strong>variablyrem<strong>in</strong>ded <strong>of</strong> Gulliver <strong>in</strong> Brobd<strong>in</strong>gnag),and by the fact that we are all, Ith<strong>in</strong>k, at least partly conscious <strong>of</strong>: thatthese are actors "perform<strong>in</strong>g" with<strong>in</strong> acommercial contract. The effect <strong>in</strong> literatureis not so extreme, but I th<strong>in</strong>k it's verydef<strong>in</strong>itely there. The more vivid and immediatesuch a scene is — the more "realistic,"if you will — the more this "voyeur"effect is there. This is a basic problem thatthe serious artist must, I believe, acknowledgeand come to terms with. Of course,there's no answer — but I'm conv<strong>in</strong>ced(unfashionable as it may be) that "directness,""honest openness," etc. are notadequate defences <strong>in</strong> themselves. Here isan <strong>in</strong>stance where one must "by <strong>in</strong>directionsf<strong>in</strong>d directions out." Very few novelistsf<strong>in</strong>d a way around this problem;rightly or wrongly, I don't th<strong>in</strong>k you did.And here is another major problem: the<strong>in</strong>articulate hero. Let me say at once thatI don't believe <strong>in</strong> the impossibility <strong>of</strong> present<strong>in</strong>gsuch people successfully <strong>in</strong> fiction,but I do th<strong>in</strong>k that it's extremely difficult.If someone hasn't got the sufficiently precisewords <strong>in</strong> which to express his thought,then how can one know that such thoughtexists? I mentioned Davies only becauseI f<strong>in</strong>d his discussion <strong>of</strong> the matter (AVoice <strong>in</strong> the Attic, pp. 343-4 <strong>in</strong> the NCLedition) one <strong>of</strong> the best I know. Incidentally,while I am unashamedly anadmirer <strong>of</strong> Davies at his best, I do notwant everyone else to write like him. Idon't want "much more" <strong>of</strong> him — nor,for that matter, do I want less "real life,"as you suggest. But I do th<strong>in</strong>k that a sense<strong>of</strong> real life can only be communicated <strong>in</strong>art through artistic means and artisticeffects. Your letter has a lot to say aboutthe real life you wanted to convert <strong>in</strong>t<strong>of</strong>iction, but remarkably little about theartistic problems that are <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> thisconversion. These were what I was try<strong>in</strong>gto <strong>in</strong>dicate.Another po<strong>in</strong>t. I do not "f<strong>in</strong>d bars beneaththe dignity <strong>of</strong> literature." .. . WhatI do say is that enough is enough, andthat, if a novelist has a protagonist whospends much <strong>of</strong> his time <strong>in</strong> bars, then hemust take special care to avoid be<strong>in</strong>gbor<strong>in</strong>g by repetition. Bars don't guaranteereal life. The same with piss<strong>in</strong>g. I justget tired <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g told about it all thetime. We all do it, and there's noth<strong>in</strong>gshameful about it, but it just isn't very<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g.So there we are. . . . I'm genu<strong>in</strong>ely sorrythat you felt "<strong>of</strong>fended" or "like a fool."I assure you that I didn't <strong>in</strong>tend thatresponse and I honestly can't see how it'sjustified. If I read the wrong book, youcerta<strong>in</strong>ly read the wrong review! I've re-219
OPINIONS & NOTESread it, and I th<strong>in</strong>k that it's a balancedreview. Obviously, you believe that you'vewritten a major book and I don't th<strong>in</strong>k itquite makes it. But I have surely madeclear that it was an admirable attempt(that sounds a bit condescend<strong>in</strong>g, but it'snot meant to be). I paid the book thecompliment <strong>of</strong> judg<strong>in</strong>g it by the higheststandards, and the majority <strong>of</strong> novels <strong>in</strong>any age don't even try to qualify. I endeavouredto make that clear. If the otherreviews you get are all more responsiblethan m<strong>in</strong>e, then I th<strong>in</strong>k you'll be lucky. Ididn't <strong>in</strong>sult your book with the usualchitchat that so many book-reviewers resortto. I spoke out — because the bookstimulated/provoked me <strong>in</strong>to speak<strong>in</strong>gout — on what I believe to be the largecritical questions that lie beh<strong>in</strong>d it. Hencethis correspondence. . . .PAYERLE то KEITH, 3 October 1989... I note that you f<strong>in</strong>d my letter to"have a lot to say about the real life [I]wanted to convert <strong>in</strong>to fiction, but remarkablylittle about the artistic problemsthat are <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> this conversion," andthat you were try<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>in</strong>dicate theseproblems <strong>in</strong> your review.... I suppose I "have" a theory <strong>of</strong> art,as I have a way <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g and perceiv<strong>in</strong>g.But I have seldom attempted to developsuch a theory because it feels like alien,and for me rather barren, ground. Theoryoccasionally pops out <strong>in</strong> discourse, but hasnever been written down or worked out<strong>in</strong> a thorough way, and is not readilyavailable on demand. This was essentiallythe way <strong>in</strong> which I became a writer ratherthan a scholar. . . .At the moment, I regret to say, I don'thave ready access to various theoriesabout my novel which have popped outat various times as secondary sunspots <strong>in</strong>the process <strong>of</strong> creation. I do know, for<strong>in</strong>stance, that the "utterance" <strong>of</strong> the bookis based on a structure <strong>of</strong> four "voices" orfour voiced perspectives. These can alsobe seen as a po<strong>in</strong>t-<strong>of</strong>-view structure beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> the region <strong>of</strong> Sam's bowel,work<strong>in</strong>g up through his chest/voice box tohis head/mouth and beyond to a perceptionhe can, <strong>in</strong> effect, touch but not grasp— a po<strong>in</strong>t-<strong>of</strong>-view and consciousnesssitt<strong>in</strong>g like a camera on his shoulder, <strong>in</strong>formedby his consciousness, but beyondit. This last is the "voice" or "po<strong>in</strong>t-<strong>of</strong>view"<strong>of</strong> the book. (Part <strong>of</strong> this rumoured"theory" <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>e is that a work <strong>of</strong> art has,embodies, its own po<strong>in</strong>t-<strong>of</strong>-view, or perspective,or way-<strong>of</strong>-be<strong>in</strong>g, which is theth<strong>in</strong>g greater than the sum <strong>of</strong> its parts,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the "creator's" contribution orperspective as a "part.") Try<strong>in</strong>g to determ<strong>in</strong>e,or at least see, how this totality <strong>of</strong>perspective comes to be, or "works," is mychief <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> critical analysis. It has agreat deal to do with the relationship <strong>of</strong>parts, from micro to macro. . . .Ins<strong>of</strong>ar as possible, everyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> thatbook is not only there for a reason, butworks with everyth<strong>in</strong>g else to achieve"artistic effects." Ideally, everyth<strong>in</strong>gwould, but despite the fact that the th<strong>in</strong>gtook n<strong>in</strong>e years from <strong>in</strong>ception to realization,I don't believe <strong>in</strong> the perfectibility <strong>of</strong>a work <strong>of</strong> art. In terms <strong>of</strong> books, I th<strong>in</strong>kthat the version published is simply theversion that happens to be published. Onehopes that it is the best version possible atthat time, but I do like your misquotation<strong>of</strong> Eliot.When I say "everyth<strong>in</strong>g," I mean itliterally. Includ<strong>in</strong>g, for <strong>in</strong>stance, swear<strong>in</strong>gand dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and piss<strong>in</strong>g. The word"fuck," for <strong>in</strong>stance, is <strong>of</strong>ten used, but its<strong>in</strong>tonation, context, and echoes vary. Itsuse, and the use <strong>of</strong> all the other "repeated"elements, are variational and developmental.... I hold the view thatthese "parts," small or large, are, if youwill, the atoms, molecules and bricks <strong>of</strong>the edifice. So we have the notion <strong>of</strong>repetition-and-variation, cumulative and"progressive" or developmental. "Bricks"220
OPINIONS & NOTES<strong>of</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>g size, shape, colour and density.There's also mortar <strong>in</strong> there somewhere,but as I said I'm not <strong>in</strong> top theoreticalform. (Th<strong>in</strong>gs like the "flat" or "toneless"attributives "he says/she says" are probablysmall <strong>in</strong>stances <strong>of</strong> mortar, used"rhythmically" rather than "melodically"— to thoroughly mix my theoretical metaphors.)I'd rather there didn't have to bemortar, but I haven't achieved the technology<strong>of</strong> the ancient masons <strong>of</strong> Egypt andthe Americas.. . . Whether or not one f<strong>in</strong>ds the book,or aspects <strong>of</strong> it, bor<strong>in</strong>g, depends, I th<strong>in</strong>k,on whether or not one (a) perceives thesort <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g I've been describ<strong>in</strong>g, and (b)likes the results. Most people deal with(b). You deal with both (a) and (b), butnot, I th<strong>in</strong>k, with a perception <strong>of</strong> the waythe th<strong>in</strong>g works "as it is written." I don'tm<strong>in</strong>d accept<strong>in</strong>g that that could be myfault, s<strong>in</strong>ce you are not by any means imperceptive,but that's what I mean, or one<strong>of</strong> the sorts <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs I mean, when I sayyou read the wrong book. Why, for <strong>in</strong>stance,do you not wonder, if you th<strong>in</strong>kthe book is worthy <strong>of</strong> judgement by thestandards <strong>of</strong> a major work, why th<strong>in</strong>gs areas they are <strong>in</strong> it? Why, for <strong>in</strong>stance, therepetitions <strong>of</strong> swear words and details <strong>of</strong>dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g and ur<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g occur? To saysimply that the skilled novelist doesn't dothese th<strong>in</strong>gs is to say simply that I am nota skilled novelist. You suggest <strong>in</strong> fact thatI am simply follow<strong>in</strong>g "1980s fashion."Is that how one writes an almost-majorwork? By be<strong>in</strong>g unskilled and follow<strong>in</strong>gfashion? Perhaps, but to me that soundsmore like a possible def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> mediocrity.. . .I didn't read the wrong review. Yourgracious apology for un<strong>in</strong>tentionally leav<strong>in</strong>gme <strong>of</strong>fended and feel<strong>in</strong>g like a foolis welcome, and accepted. The fact thatyou were judg<strong>in</strong>g the book by the higheststandards <strong>in</strong> a way that you wouldn'taccord to most books does come through,and is appreciated. That's why I couldwrite to you as I did. . .. But the tone, andmuch <strong>of</strong> the substance, <strong>of</strong> your rejection<strong>of</strong> Unknown Soldier as a major novel isst<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> allusions such as "Supposed'realism' <strong>of</strong> the f<strong>in</strong>al sex scene". . .. Theth<strong>in</strong>g I was really <strong>of</strong>fended by was thesuggestion that I hadn't fully worked outwhat k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> man Sam is. It was <strong>in</strong> aid<strong>of</strong> answer<strong>in</strong>g that accusation (not muchs<strong>of</strong>tened by the "unfairly perhaps") thatI wrote much <strong>of</strong> the "real life" stuff <strong>in</strong>my last letter. That together with the bus<strong>in</strong>essabout Sam be<strong>in</strong>g "<strong>in</strong>tellectually limited"— without "any powers <strong>of</strong> reflection."There are "thoughts" (ideas), butthere also "visions," with<strong>in</strong> or extend<strong>in</strong>gfrom <strong>in</strong>tuitive vision. And he does th<strong>in</strong>kabout, reflect upon, a lot <strong>of</strong> subjects, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>ghistory, time, place and humanrelationships. He just does it, <strong>of</strong>ten, not<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tellectual/conceptual terms, but <strong>in</strong>terms <strong>of</strong> perceived experience, employ<strong>in</strong>gall five senses plus "the sixth," but most<strong>of</strong>ten the (viscerally?) visual tend<strong>in</strong>gtoward the visionary.... I am most <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> the issues<strong>of</strong> "affective" and "<strong>in</strong>tentional" fallacythat you raise. And the issues <strong>of</strong> "direct"sexuality, and whether or not you were"seriously affected" by your own experience/perspective.. . . For <strong>in</strong>stance, <strong>in</strong>what sense, or with what significance, isyour perspective "very different" fromm<strong>in</strong>e? Is your view <strong>of</strong> artistic means andeffects, or your view <strong>of</strong> representations <strong>of</strong>sex, significantly <strong>in</strong>formed by your be<strong>in</strong>g"old enough to remember" the War? Isthere a societal perspective implied thathas standards <strong>of</strong> acceptable social behaviourand success . . . which Sam doesn'tmeet? That would imply a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> classbias. ... I th<strong>in</strong>k that could be taken toconstitute a "serious effect" on your response.. . .Which leads by the low road to thesecond aspect <strong>of</strong> the question <strong>of</strong> the affectivefallacy. What does it mean to "see anovel as a novel and not as someth<strong>in</strong>g221
OPINIONS & NOTESelse" ? You say that you're the last personto believe that anyone can be objective,and yet if you're not call<strong>in</strong>g for objectivity,what are you call<strong>in</strong>g for other than thesort <strong>of</strong> (self) consciousness that permitsone to place one's literary judgement <strong>in</strong>a personal (affective) context? This issometh<strong>in</strong>g like the dist<strong>in</strong>ction betweencant and honesty. The affective fallacywould seem to be a fallacy if it is <strong>in</strong>deedfallacious, i.e., "cant." The term seemsrather like "murder," def<strong>in</strong>ed as "wrongfulkill<strong>in</strong>g." To equate kill<strong>in</strong>g with murderis, at best, <strong>in</strong>accurate. It all dependson how one def<strong>in</strong>es "wrongful." Toequate the affective with fallacy either dependson how one def<strong>in</strong>es "fallacy," orit's an error <strong>in</strong> logic.. . . So to representations <strong>of</strong> sex ... ifthis is everybody's closet, Bill, then I verymuch th<strong>in</strong>k everybody should look <strong>in</strong> it.... I do not <strong>of</strong>fer "directness" or "honestopenness" as a defence. I don't reallyth<strong>in</strong>k a defence is necessary. But somesemblance <strong>of</strong> understand<strong>in</strong>g is. I am suspicious<strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>direction <strong>in</strong> sexual matters,artistically, for the same reason that I refusedto present Sam from the "outside".... I am no more will<strong>in</strong>g to trust the audiencean <strong>in</strong>ch <strong>in</strong> this regard that I am <strong>in</strong>assum<strong>in</strong>g that their view <strong>of</strong> Sam will beperceptive <strong>of</strong> the real character ratherthan their preconceptions about veterans.Both <strong>in</strong> the sex scenes and <strong>in</strong> my representation<strong>of</strong> Sam from the <strong>in</strong>side, I tookthe risk <strong>of</strong> putt<strong>in</strong>g people <strong>of</strong>f, but I farpreferred that to putt<strong>in</strong>g them on, or allow<strong>in</strong>gthem to put Sam on as a k<strong>in</strong>d<strong>of</strong> debased icon to place comfortablyamongst their exist<strong>in</strong>g shibboleths. . . .This is perhaps a confrontational attitude,but it is not f<strong>in</strong>ally an ungentle orunk<strong>in</strong>d one. I simply believe, artistically,that one must have the th<strong>in</strong>g itself. That'snot the same as argu<strong>in</strong>g "directness" as ak<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> socioethical imperative transplanted<strong>in</strong>to art. In fact, a lot <strong>of</strong> what I'vedone is so bloody <strong>in</strong>direct that hardly anybody'sseen it yet, much less grappled withit. What I'm say<strong>in</strong>g is based <strong>in</strong> Stevens,noted as an aridly <strong>in</strong>tellectual poet, whichI th<strong>in</strong>k is another major misread<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>th<strong>in</strong>gs. I do not believe that see<strong>in</strong>g or feel<strong>in</strong>gis believ<strong>in</strong>g. But I do believe that believ<strong>in</strong>gwithout see<strong>in</strong>g and feel<strong>in</strong>g is abstractand dangerous. That is not so mucha notion <strong>of</strong> "felt thought" as it is a fairlymystical notion that "thought" is physical,and it's not unrelated to E<strong>in</strong>ste<strong>in</strong>'s famousequation. . . .KEITH то PAYERLE, ι November 1989... In us<strong>in</strong>g the phrases "<strong>in</strong>tentionalfallacy" and "affective fallacy," I wasn'tunderwrit<strong>in</strong>g them, as it were, but us<strong>in</strong>gthem as ways to def<strong>in</strong>e a problem. Personally,I don't th<strong>in</strong>k one can be rigid <strong>in</strong>these matters. . . . Ultimately, one canonly (legitimately) judge what is there,but to explore an author's <strong>in</strong>tention is, forme, thoroughly legitimate as an <strong>in</strong>itial criticalprocedure: it can help one to understanda work <strong>of</strong> art, though one's evaluationshould not be dependent upon it. Asfor "affective fallacy," it can be a fallacy,as <strong>in</strong> the case <strong>of</strong> a radio station be<strong>in</strong>gflooded with wreaths when a characterdies <strong>in</strong> a soap opera. . . . On the otherhand, as Thomas Hardy saw, the deathbed<strong>of</strong> anyone is the fifth act <strong>of</strong> a tragedy.Of course we are affected by the stories<strong>of</strong> Lear, Tess, etc., and our "literaryjudgment" cannot but conta<strong>in</strong> this response.But I am rem<strong>in</strong>ded at this po<strong>in</strong>t<strong>of</strong> how mov<strong>in</strong>g Death <strong>of</strong> a Salesmanseemed when I first saw it, but how disillusionedI felt recently when I saw aseem<strong>in</strong>gly competent performance — becausethe whole construction and writ<strong>in</strong>gseemed so tawdry.. . . The matter <strong>of</strong> monotony <strong>in</strong> art isa very complicated one. (I would preferto say "monotonous" rather than "bor<strong>in</strong>g,"and should have made the dist<strong>in</strong>ction<strong>in</strong> my previous letter.) Polonius is a222
OPINIONS & NOTESbore, but is he bor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Hamlet? Obviouslynot.... At best, I suspect, monotonyis an effect to be used with caution andrestra<strong>in</strong>t. I confess I did f<strong>in</strong>d the dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>gand piss<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Unknown Soldier monotonousbecause, after we'd had severalsuch scenes, I couldn't see that anyth<strong>in</strong>gadditional was be<strong>in</strong>g communicated.( Why not mention every time Sam bl<strong>in</strong>ked?). . . When I referred to "1980s fashion,"I merely meant that the so-called"age <strong>of</strong> permissiveness" allows a novelistto employ these references if he (or she)wants to, and thus does not require theexploration <strong>of</strong> possibly more subtle ways<strong>of</strong> represent<strong>in</strong>g our bodily repetitions. Myown experience <strong>in</strong> read<strong>in</strong>g is that, afterthe <strong>in</strong>itial sense <strong>of</strong> refresh<strong>in</strong>g shock hasworn <strong>of</strong>f (at least fictional characters pissjust as we all do! ), the law <strong>of</strong> dim<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>greturns sets <strong>in</strong> with depress<strong>in</strong>g rapidity.. . . The next po<strong>in</strong>t I need to take upis what you say about my possible "classbias." In part, I'm prepared to pleadguilty here, but only <strong>in</strong> the sense that weare all <strong>in</strong>evitably affected by such matters(yourself as much as myself). But I can'tagree that I don't "wish to be identifiedwith a socially marg<strong>in</strong>al asshole like Collister";I might well not wish to be identifiedwith the asshole, but the "sociallymarg<strong>in</strong>al" is irrelevant. The reservationswould be moral ones, not social ones. But"identified with" is the wrong phrase anyway— other veterans might "identifywith" him but it would be arrogant <strong>of</strong> meeven to try, s<strong>in</strong>ce I lack the experienceyou give him. What you mean, I assume,is "empathize with" or someth<strong>in</strong>g likethat, and here I would plead not guilty.I am prepared to empathize with suchcharacters <strong>in</strong> art — I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> Shakespeare'sPistol, Defoe's Moll Flanders,Dickens's Magwitch, Cary's Gulley Jimson,Beckett's tramps, etc. — <strong>in</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>gdegrees depend<strong>in</strong>g on the effect aimed atand achieved by the writer. . . . With Collister,I'm split — I understand his bitterness(itself an <strong>in</strong>adequate word — "hatred,"perhaps, but that's not quite righteither), but I'm still uncerta<strong>in</strong> why hisexperience should have affected him morethan similar experiences must have affectedothers. .. . Does this sort <strong>of</strong> experienceabsolve one from the responsibilities <strong>of</strong>marriage and fatherhood? If that soundsqua<strong>in</strong>tly old-fashioned, so be it. I can onlyreport that a read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Unknown Soldierdidn't make me clear about these po<strong>in</strong>ts,and I feel that I need to be clear <strong>in</strong> orderto come to an adequate understand<strong>in</strong>g.In addition, I was a bit uneasy aboutwhere you (as author/narrator) stood. Igot the uneasy feel<strong>in</strong>g that I was expectedto respond more positively than, given theevidence I was confronted with, I could.(And degrees <strong>of</strong> positiveness are <strong>in</strong>volvedhere — I don't mean that I was whollynegative. ) I sensed, rightly or wrongly, anattempt to exalt this figure <strong>in</strong>to a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>heroic stature that I wasn't conv<strong>in</strong>ced hecould susta<strong>in</strong>.One place where we may f<strong>in</strong>d ourselvesdisagree<strong>in</strong>g on more general grounds isthe matter <strong>of</strong> "the perfectibility <strong>of</strong> a work<strong>of</strong> art." I agree that it is ultimately unatta<strong>in</strong>able(if one doesn't happen to beGod), but I do th<strong>in</strong>k that every artistshould work to that end. I don't followyou when you go on from there to say that"the version published is simply [simply?!]the version that happens to be published."Shouldn't one be able to do more than"hope" that it's "the best version possibleat that time"?. . . "F<strong>in</strong>ally (at last, he says)" — ! If<strong>in</strong>d it difficult to reconcile your statement... "I simply believe, artistically, that onemust have the th<strong>in</strong>g itself" with yourstatement... "I wasn't attempt<strong>in</strong>g 'reallife,' I was attempt<strong>in</strong>g real art." I don'tsee how you can have "the th<strong>in</strong>g itself"<strong>in</strong> art. Perhaps one <strong>of</strong> the th<strong>in</strong>gs we areargu<strong>in</strong>g about is the possible paradoxthat, the closer one gets to try<strong>in</strong>g to present"the th<strong>in</strong>g itself," the more the chasm223
OPINIONS & NOTESbetween the th<strong>in</strong>g itself and the artisticapproximation to it becomes a problem... . All this will sound dryly academic,and I know you will f<strong>in</strong>d yourself resist<strong>in</strong>git vigorously, but I write out <strong>of</strong> a convictionthat I can th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> no extended work<strong>of</strong> art that has survived to become a permanentpart <strong>of</strong> the world's literature thatdoes not have a challeng<strong>in</strong>g appeal to them<strong>in</strong>d. Of course, this has to be meldedwith feel<strong>in</strong>g and emotion ; a creative writerdoes not th<strong>in</strong>k like a philosopher, butthe m<strong>in</strong>d is always conspicuously <strong>in</strong>volved.What I'm impressed by <strong>in</strong> your lettersare your h<strong>in</strong>ts concern<strong>in</strong>g the "fairly mysticalnotion that 'thought' is physical."My po<strong>in</strong>t is that, if genu<strong>in</strong>e, it rema<strong>in</strong>srecognizable as thought, and provokesfurther thought. Another <strong>of</strong> the shibboleths<strong>of</strong> our age that makes it a difficultage for major art is the simple-m<strong>in</strong>dednotion that art is "self-expression" — theopen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the floodgates and all thatcrap — that there is a democracy <strong>of</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>gby which everyone's reactions are asvalid and <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g as everyone else's.And I know <strong>in</strong> my bowels (as D. H. Lawrencesuggested, <strong>in</strong> "<strong>in</strong>ner-light" Puritanfashion, on another occasion) that it isfalse. To challenge it is to be called anelitist, but I no longer care. Art is an elitistactivity, so why should we be embarrassedabout the label? . . .PAYERLE то KEITH, 6 & 7 November 1989. . . You say I seem defensive regard<strong>in</strong>g"the academic," and I am. It is not mymétier, and yet I feel subject to it as awriter <strong>in</strong> a way similar to my subjugationto the vagaries <strong>of</strong> publish<strong>in</strong>g. Publish<strong>in</strong>gsuffers from a cynicism which you havenever betrayed, and which I strongly believeyou are <strong>in</strong>capable <strong>of</strong> harbour<strong>in</strong>g.But. Your letter I feel gives me unlookedforjustification <strong>in</strong> my defensiveness.. . . Sam is a real man made <strong>of</strong> realwords. That is an <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>g paradox. Thelion <strong>in</strong> the lute, not the lion locked <strong>in</strong>stone, to paraphrase Stevens. "As if a lionknelt to kiss a rose, / Astonished <strong>in</strong>to passionaterepose," to quote that good manTed Roethke.... I can say that I "hope" that theversion published is the best version possibleat a given time because I've earnedthe right to do so. Unknown Soldier tookn<strong>in</strong>e years from <strong>in</strong>ception to publication,and the f<strong>in</strong>al revisions were done with<strong>in</strong>four months <strong>of</strong> publication (the publisher'shard deadl<strong>in</strong>e). The first five years<strong>of</strong> that time were, essentially, first draft.Dur<strong>in</strong>g the follow<strong>in</strong>g four years therewere about five more drafts, although Ican't recall accurately without recourseto files that are now obscure. . . .You say it's impossible to prove a negative.Well, I feel as though I've been astunn<strong>in</strong>g failure at demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g or prov<strong>in</strong>ga positive — for <strong>in</strong>stance, the possibility<strong>of</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g relatively "mean<strong>in</strong>gless" words<strong>in</strong> a mean<strong>in</strong>gful and reveal<strong>in</strong>g way. ...The fact that this rema<strong>in</strong>s impenetrably<strong>in</strong>visible to you troubles me greatly. I f<strong>in</strong>dmyself most uncomfortable cast <strong>in</strong> the role<strong>of</strong> critic <strong>of</strong> my own work say<strong>in</strong>g "Lookwhat I've done, huh? A<strong>in</strong>'t it good?" Iwant someone else to do that. Critics,namely.I don't ga<strong>in</strong>say your abilities and wisdom.Quite the contrary. But we seem tobe <strong>in</strong> a... stand<strong>of</strong>f. I had hoped youwould be able to say, "Ah, that's what hemeans by four levels <strong>of</strong> voice, or a developmental/variationaltechnique". ... Asit stands, you seem to have subsided <strong>in</strong>toagree<strong>in</strong>g with yourself. And together weseem to be a pair <strong>of</strong> conjurers with analarm<strong>in</strong>g lack <strong>of</strong> rabbits.Do you really th<strong>in</strong>k I would agree that"this is bor<strong>in</strong>g, but it's art"? I am notAndy Warhol."Identified with," as I used it <strong>in</strong> context,means "by others," not by your self.I know and respect your reluctance to"identify with" combat veterans, as I ex-224
OPINIONS & NOTESpla<strong>in</strong>ed at some length earlier. But I didnot mean "empathize with"! Goddamlanguage. I meant what the Catholicsused to call "human respect," mean<strong>in</strong>g, bybizarre <strong>in</strong>version, the fear <strong>of</strong> social disapprobation.I am somewhat <strong>of</strong>fended by the "age <strong>of</strong>permissiveness" argument, ... as I was bythe orig<strong>in</strong>al "1980s fashion." Likewise"the simple-m<strong>in</strong>ded notion that art is 'selfexpression.'" Is that what you th<strong>in</strong>k I did<strong>in</strong> Unknown Soldier? Is that what youth<strong>in</strong>k I'm argu<strong>in</strong>g for? . . .KEITH то PAYERLE, 3 December 1989. . . After the exchange <strong>of</strong> several letters,<strong>in</strong> which the genu<strong>in</strong>e George Payerlecame across <strong>in</strong> a way that he couldn'tpossibly <strong>in</strong> the novel (I'll spare you anacademic lecture on the difference betweenthe implied author and the nameon the title page), I reread the novel andcame to the conclusion that, whateveryour <strong>in</strong>tentions and whatever the wholehistory <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g the book, and whateverblood and guts went <strong>in</strong>to it (and I do recognizethat), my op<strong>in</strong>ion as a reader, andso as a reviewer, hadn't changed. I canonly express an op<strong>in</strong>ion on what is there— or rather what I can recognize as there.You ask for "an appreciation <strong>of</strong> UnknownSoldier based on the terms <strong>in</strong> which it iswritten" — but I honestly don't see howI can do that.AMONG RECENT publications on photography,Robert M. Lev<strong>in</strong>e, Images <strong>of</strong> History: N<strong>in</strong>eteenthand Early Twentieth Century Lat<strong>in</strong>American Photographs as Documents (Duke,US$72.50) presents remarkable deconstructions<strong>of</strong> colonial tropes. Lev<strong>in</strong>e analyzes formalportraits <strong>of</strong> masters and slaves, family pictures,snapshots <strong>of</strong> visit<strong>in</strong>g anthropologists with their"objects," and so on. He probes manifestations<strong>of</strong> overt and covert culture, comments on perspectivalchoices <strong>in</strong> landscapes and cityscapesand analyzes the conventions <strong>of</strong> "posed decorum."After Images <strong>of</strong> History, Stefan Richter,The Art <strong>of</strong> the Daguerreotype (Vik<strong>in</strong>g,$29.95), i s difficult to tolerate. The reproductionsare very good, but too many <strong>of</strong> them arepornographic and too many are merely describedas "charm<strong>in</strong>g," "playful," or "amus<strong>in</strong>g."The author seems to be little disturbed bythe <strong>in</strong>formation that the models for thesepictures were "washerwomen, needlewomen,housemaids, messenger-girls and prostitutes."After stat<strong>in</strong>g that their "names are not known,"he comes to the startl<strong>in</strong>g conclusion that <strong>in</strong>"the daguerreotype, as <strong>in</strong> the brothel, class barrierswere transcended." By contrast to Lev<strong>in</strong>eand Richter, Mike Weaver, ed., Photography<strong>in</strong> the N<strong>in</strong>eteenth Century: The F<strong>in</strong>e Art Tradition(Cambridge, £25.00), pursues neithersocial nor prevalent concerns. The book presentsa series <strong>of</strong> scholarly essays on pictorialismand other Victorian photographic styles andthemes. The book is good on the naturalisttradition (there are three essays on the work<strong>of</strong> P. H. Emerson), but there are also noteworthycontributions on topographical and architecturalphotography. Of related <strong>in</strong>terest toLev<strong>in</strong>e's book is John F. Bauman and ThomasH. Coode, In the Eye <strong>of</strong> the Great Depression:New Deal Reporters and the Agony <strong>of</strong> theAmerican People (Northern Ill<strong>in</strong>ois, $25.00/9-5°)·THE FOLLOWING NCL EDITIONS have been received:Hetty Dorval by Ethel Wilson, afterwordby Northrop Frye; The Innocent Travellerby Ethel Wilson, afterword by P. K. Page;The Equations <strong>of</strong> Love by Ethel Wilson, afterwordby Alice Munro; Swamp Angel by EthelWilson, afterword by George Bower<strong>in</strong>g; MadShadows by Marie-Claire Biais, afterword byDaphne Marlatt.225
OPINIONS & NOTESHUGH MACLENNAN(1907-1990):IN RECOLLECTIONWHEN Canadian Literature began toappear <strong>in</strong> 1959, Hugh MacLennan wasone <strong>of</strong> the first writers to appreciate thecontribution it was likely to make to ourliterary life, and he wrote me a letter <strong>of</strong>congratulation immediately the first issuecame out. It was perhaps his own peakyear as a novelist. The Watch That Endsthe Night, his best novel and one <strong>of</strong> thebest Canadian novels yet written, had appeared,and <strong>in</strong> many ways he seemed tohold that symbolic relationship to his timewhich Wilde has declared a writer shouldsusta<strong>in</strong>. In an age <strong>of</strong> ris<strong>in</strong>g nationalism hisearlier and more polemical novels, romansà thèse like Barometer Ris<strong>in</strong>g, Two Solitudesand The Precipice, gave voice <strong>in</strong>memorable ways to current anxietiesabout the condition <strong>of</strong> Canada as anemergent nation, with its problems <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternal{Two Solitudes) and external {ThePrecipice) relations. And his appealseemed perfectly fitted for the thematiccriticism which began to flourish at thattime. But, apart from these ideologicaland critical considerations, MacLennanseemed to have a stature which — withCallaghan <strong>in</strong> decl<strong>in</strong>e and Margaret Laurenceonly ris<strong>in</strong>g to the zenith <strong>of</strong> herachievement — made him seem par excellancethe novelist <strong>of</strong> the 1950s, whichstarted <strong>of</strong>f with his dark second-best novel(<strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> sheer writ<strong>in</strong>g), Each Man'sSon {1951), and ended with his best, TheWatch That Ends the Night.I had actually known MacLennan foralmost a decade by the time he wrote to meregard<strong>in</strong>g Canadian Literature. When Ireturned to Canada <strong>in</strong> 1949 John Sutherlandsent me a parcel <strong>of</strong> MacLennan'snovels with the request that I write anessay on them for Northern Review fromthe viewpo<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> a critic from London.In England by that time, with a fewexceptions like George Orwell and ArthurKoestler, we were <strong>in</strong> retreat from polemicalfiction and poetry, but <strong>in</strong> MacLennanI found an old-style preacher-novelistwho comb<strong>in</strong>ed excit<strong>in</strong>g accounts <strong>of</strong> disastrousor perilous action with political lessons.I admired his set pieces, like theevocation <strong>of</strong> the Halifax Harbour explosion<strong>of</strong> 1917 <strong>in</strong> Barometer Ris<strong>in</strong>g, and Ifound his male characters satisfy<strong>in</strong>g. Buthis women seemed s<strong>of</strong>tly outl<strong>in</strong>ed andsentimentally conceived, and eroticism <strong>of</strong>any k<strong>in</strong>d he handled with a strangelycommunicable embarrassment.I said all these th<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> my essay andvery soon, out <strong>of</strong> the blue, came a letterfrom MacLennan, thank<strong>in</strong>g me for thepiece, grant<strong>in</strong>g my po<strong>in</strong>ts with reservations,quietly expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g his <strong>in</strong>tentions. Itwas the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> a cordial, courteous,and cautious relationship, with letters exchangedwhenever I wrote on his books.He contributed several articles to CanadianLiterature, more about the f<strong>in</strong>ancialand publish<strong>in</strong>g problems <strong>of</strong> writers thanabout the craft <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g; he rarely discussedthe work <strong>of</strong> another writer. Occasionallyhe came to Vancouver and wehad genial lunches <strong>in</strong> restaurants look<strong>in</strong>gover the unique mounta<strong>in</strong>-and-sea-scape<strong>of</strong> Vancouver, which MacLennan appreciatedfor visits (I remember one spr<strong>in</strong>gwhen he got very excited over the azaleasbloom<strong>in</strong>g early <strong>in</strong> March on the <strong>University</strong>campus), but which never led him todesert Montreal, his conflict-ridden adoptivehome.There was a particular burst <strong>of</strong> letterswhen I published my little book on him,Hugh MacLennan, <strong>in</strong> 1969, and I developedmy idea <strong>of</strong> the parallels to Odysseusto be found <strong>in</strong> his lead<strong>in</strong>g characters.MacLennan claimed he was surprisedwhen he read what I said but had concludedI was right; it was all, he ma<strong>in</strong>-226
OPINIONS & NOTESta<strong>in</strong>ed, an unconscious process, and healso was probably right.I very soon encountered the op<strong>in</strong>ionthat MacLennan was really an essayistwho had found his way <strong>in</strong>to fiction, and Ipartly subscribed to it. He wrote somevery f<strong>in</strong>e essays and helped to keep thatfragile art alive <strong>in</strong> Canada; the k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>stately and slightly pompous prose he developedhad much <strong>in</strong> common with that<strong>of</strong> the Augustan essayists, while <strong>in</strong> the sensethat they carried very obvious messageshis first three novels and his 1960s work,The Return <strong>of</strong> the Sph<strong>in</strong>x, could all beconsidered as extended essays as much asnovels. But it might also be said thatMacLennan was best as an essayist whenhe kept away from fiction, as <strong>in</strong> TheRivers <strong>of</strong> Canada, and that his fiction wasbest the more he distanced himself fromthe roman à thèse. He never abandonedthe development <strong>of</strong> issues, philosophical,social, or political, but he was best whenhe treated them most broadly and allowedthe archetypes that haunt every truenovelist's m<strong>in</strong>d to take control, as <strong>in</strong> EachMan's Son, that tense and vivid study <strong>of</strong>the tragic effects <strong>of</strong> Calv<strong>in</strong>ist guilt, or TheWatch That Ends the Night, that monumentalbook about people <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> thegreat world issues <strong>of</strong> the 1930s.MacLennan showed a curious and notalways happy mixture <strong>of</strong> vanity and <strong>in</strong>security,the latter particularly shown <strong>in</strong>the massive revisions and rewrit<strong>in</strong>gs hefound himself forced to do for each book.I have never known another writer whoactually boasted, as MacLennan did,about the thousands <strong>of</strong> pages he woulddiscard to get the 300 or 400 pages <strong>of</strong> thef<strong>in</strong>al book. It was not perfectionism thatled him to this so much as a nagg<strong>in</strong>g sense<strong>of</strong> imperfection. He reacted deeply tocriticism; he was quite aware <strong>of</strong> the unchallengedposition he held for a period<strong>in</strong> the Canadian literary world, but heseemed to see it as precarious, and reactedemotionally to negative reviews. He was,I remember, particularly mortified whenmost <strong>of</strong> the critics found The Return <strong>of</strong>the Sph<strong>in</strong>x both polemically and fictionally<strong>in</strong>adequate.I last heard from MacLennan early <strong>in</strong>the 1980s, and I assumed when letters nolonger came from him that, like me, he wasbecom<strong>in</strong>g more reclusive as he grewolder. Now I gather that he felt lonelyand neglected <strong>in</strong> his last years, and I amsad at the thought that I might have donemore to keep <strong>in</strong> touch with him.I feel sad <strong>in</strong> a different way because theclock <strong>of</strong> public op<strong>in</strong>ion has made an extraord<strong>in</strong>aryturn, and <strong>in</strong> the year <strong>of</strong> his deathwe are back aga<strong>in</strong> heavily <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> thetwo cultural solitudes <strong>of</strong> Canada, theessential unity <strong>of</strong> the nation, Canada'srelations with the United States. To thesepreoccupations, one might say, MacLennansacrificed his art dur<strong>in</strong>g his firstdecade as a novelist, only truly fulfill<strong>in</strong>ghimself <strong>in</strong> his second decade. But, consideredapart from fictional virtues, whathe had to say was honest and deep andimportant. As we turn back to our renewedand <strong>of</strong>ten despair<strong>in</strong>g debate on thefuture <strong>of</strong> our confederation <strong>of</strong> regions andpeoples that once <strong>of</strong>fered so much, wemiss his voice. But at least books likeBarometer Ris<strong>in</strong>g and Two Solitudesshould be read aga<strong>in</strong>, and particularly bythe young; as tracts for the times, theyhave ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed their vitality and theirpo<strong>in</strong>t.GEORGE WOODCOCKTHE Dictionnaire des auteurs de langue françaiseen Amérique du Nord, eds. Reg<strong>in</strong>aldHamel, John Hare, Paule Wyczynski (Fides,$125.00) is more than an update <strong>of</strong> theauthors' 1976 Dictionnaire pratique des auteursquébécois, because it now also <strong>in</strong>cludesentries on non-Québécois francophone authors.The result is a remarkable reference workdist<strong>in</strong>guished by the catholicity <strong>of</strong> its selection.The book documents literary canons <strong>in</strong>the mak<strong>in</strong>g: the bibliographies for Marie-Claire227
NOTESBiais, Nicole Brossard, Hubert Aqu<strong>in</strong>, AnneHébert, Anton<strong>in</strong>e Maillet speak for themselves,as does the entry on Emile Nelligan which providesnew <strong>in</strong>formation on myths woven aroundthe poet's life and work. Authors who had notyet come to public attention <strong>in</strong> 1976 receiveappropriate entries, among them Louky Bersianik,Denise Boucher and Marco Micone. Atthe same time, n<strong>in</strong>eteenth-century authorswhose work has become <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g aga<strong>in</strong>aga<strong>in</strong>st the background <strong>of</strong> recent developmentsare <strong>in</strong>cluded, such as the Curé Labelle. As itspredecessor, this dictionary lists <strong>in</strong>formativeentries on historians, essayists, and l<strong>in</strong>guists,and the reader will f<strong>in</strong>d much <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>in</strong>the contributions on authors as different as Trudeau,Vallières, Léandre Bergeron and PierreSavard, particularly s<strong>in</strong>ce these updated versionsalso reflect on the bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>of</strong> history <strong>in</strong>the post-referendum age. A few m<strong>in</strong>or quibbles:the updated entries do not always appropriatelyshift the focus <strong>in</strong> an author's work. Thus, Tremblay'sChroniques de Plateau Mont-Royal isgiven only scant attention. And the editors seemto frown on criticism written <strong>in</strong> English. Withfew exceptions, the latter has been ignored andthat, consider<strong>in</strong>g available excellent work onAqu<strong>in</strong>, Brossard, Hébert and others, is a pity.E.-M.K.Re(dis)cover<strong>in</strong>g our Foremothers: N<strong>in</strong>eteenth-Century Canadian Women Writers, ed. Lorra<strong>in</strong>eMcMullen (U. <strong>of</strong> Ottawa) will be animportant source for anyone <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> earlyCanadian women writers. The contributionsrange from detailed practical advice such asMarion Beyea's "Archival Sources for Researchon N<strong>in</strong>eteenth-Century Women Writers" andcogent diagnoses such as Francess G. Halpenny's"Problems and Solutions <strong>in</strong> the Dictionary<strong>of</strong> Canadian Biography, 1800-1900" toprogrammatic essays such as Carole Gerson's"Anthologies and the Canon <strong>of</strong> Early CanadianWomen Writers" and analyses <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividualproblems and literary figures, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g womenjournalists (Marjory Lang), travel narratives(D. M. R. Bentley) and autobiographies(Helen Buss). Much emphasis is predictablyplaced on the Strickland sisters and Sara JeannetteDuncan, but none <strong>of</strong> the pieces is redundant,and editor and contributors alike areto be congratulated for perform<strong>in</strong>g the rarefeat <strong>of</strong> turn<strong>in</strong>g a series <strong>of</strong> symposium papers<strong>in</strong>to a substantial collection. Barabara M. Freeman'sKit's K<strong>in</strong>gdom: The Journalism <strong>of</strong>Kathleen Blake Coleman is a felicitous choicefor the first volume <strong>in</strong> the Carleton Women'sExperience Series. The book documents the lifeand achievement <strong>of</strong> a woman whose energy,wit, and unorthodox views and behaviour haveattracted attention <strong>in</strong> several previous books.Freeman sketches the fullest picture we have<strong>of</strong> Coleman to date, draw<strong>in</strong>g on her papers <strong>in</strong>the Public Archives <strong>of</strong> Canada and on the testimony<strong>of</strong> her descendants. "Kit," as she signedher famous column <strong>in</strong> the Mail and Empire,was an even more complex person than has beenacknowledged so far, and researchers <strong>in</strong>terested<strong>in</strong> women's studies will be <strong>in</strong>trigued by hervarious attempts to create different personae forherself, which kept her readers guess<strong>in</strong>g as toher real age, gender, and marital life. Also new(although not surpris<strong>in</strong>g consider<strong>in</strong>g the elaboraterope-dance she had to perform betweenconventionality and <strong>in</strong>tellectual <strong>in</strong>dependence)is the revelation that Coleman suffered fromsevere bouts <strong>of</strong> depression which left her <strong>in</strong>capacitatedfor weeks. Freeman is much to becommended for her effort to place these phenomenawith<strong>in</strong> the larger cultural and socialfabric <strong>of</strong> Coleman's times. Particularly goodis the assessment <strong>of</strong> Coleman's much-toutedcoverage <strong>of</strong> the Cuban War as the only accreditedwoman journalist, an achievement forwhich she was only <strong>in</strong> recent years admittedto the Canadian Journalists' Hall <strong>of</strong> Fame.Freeman readily acknowledges the quality <strong>of</strong>Coleman's work, but this is no hagiography:she also po<strong>in</strong>ts out the publicity motivat<strong>in</strong>g herexpedition and the <strong>in</strong>accuracies <strong>in</strong> her report<strong>in</strong>g.Freeman's writ<strong>in</strong>g is perceptive, vigorous, andengagé; this is a f<strong>in</strong>e book, a few misquotationsnotwithstand<strong>in</strong>g. "Kit" observed places, charactersand events with the keen eye <strong>of</strong> theflâneur, and her efforts to classify the socialtypes among the urban masses ga<strong>in</strong>ed muchfrom the contemporary "science" <strong>of</strong> physiognomy.Mary Cowl<strong>in</strong>g's The Artist as Anthropologist:The Representation <strong>of</strong> Type andCharacter <strong>in</strong> Victorian Art (Cambridge) <strong>of</strong>ferswelcome <strong>in</strong>sight <strong>in</strong>to the Victorians' fasc<strong>in</strong>ationwith human appearance and its alleged correlationwith personality and behaviour. If JamesFenimore Cooper provided Eugène Sue, Dickensand others with the metaphor <strong>of</strong> the cityas jungle, then physiognomy suggested thatcrim<strong>in</strong>als substituted for savages, " 'as worthy<strong>of</strong> study <strong>in</strong> an ethnological po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> view, asthose <strong>of</strong> the people <strong>of</strong> other countries,' as dist<strong>in</strong>ctfrom average law-abid<strong>in</strong>g citizens 'as theMalay is from the Caucasian tribe'." Cowl<strong>in</strong>gpays special attention to the work <strong>of</strong> the pa<strong>in</strong>terWilliam Powell Frith, whose panoramic pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gspurport to depict the full range <strong>of</strong> Victorianhumanity. M. Jeanne Peterson, Family,228
NOTESLove, and Work <strong>in</strong> the Lives <strong>of</strong> VictorianGentlewomen (Indiana UP, $14.95 paper)sets out to do for 19th-century <strong>British</strong> womenwhat Peter Gay's The Education <strong>of</strong> the Senses(1984) did for their American counterparts,namely to correct their image as frail, submissive,and <strong>in</strong>active creatures and, <strong>in</strong>stead, toemphasize their role as resilient, productive andpassionate members <strong>of</strong> society. Many <strong>of</strong> Peterson'sf<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs are <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g and her descriptiveapproach to her sources will provide researcherswith much useful documentary material, buther sample is too small to "revise our understand<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> women's relationships to theirfamilies and their work," as the <strong>in</strong>formationaccompany<strong>in</strong>g the review copy claims. Of related<strong>in</strong>terest is Frances B. Cogan's All-AmericanGirl: The Ideal <strong>of</strong> Real Womanhood <strong>in</strong>Mid-N<strong>in</strong>eteenth-Century America (U. <strong>of</strong> Georgia)which undertakes to correct the view that"the majority <strong>of</strong> American women [were] m<strong>in</strong>dlessconsumers and drudges <strong>of</strong> a male-dom<strong>in</strong>atedcapitalist world." Cogan's chief sourcesare advice books and manuals which advocatedhealth, <strong>in</strong>telligence, and resourcefulness <strong>in</strong>women. One <strong>of</strong> the areas <strong>in</strong> which dar<strong>in</strong>gwomen attempted to prove themselves was<strong>in</strong> crim<strong>in</strong>al <strong>in</strong>vestigation. Kathleen GregoryKle<strong>in</strong>, The Woman Detective: Gender andGenre (U <strong>of</strong> Ill<strong>in</strong>ois) explores the adaptation<strong>of</strong> a notoriously gender-specific genre to femaleprotagonists, or rather the adaptation <strong>of</strong> theprotagonist to the genre. Chapter after chapter<strong>of</strong> this thoroughly researched volume comes tothe depress<strong>in</strong>g conclusion that "the golden age<strong>of</strong> detective fiction which codified so much <strong>of</strong>the genre's structure reaffirmed the old rulesfor women's behavior and kept its prioritiesfirmly <strong>in</strong> place." Kle<strong>in</strong> is good on the contradictorycodes attached to identical behaviour<strong>in</strong> male and female detectives. The bookcomes with an extensive bibliography. An essayon detective novels also appears <strong>in</strong> Read<strong>in</strong>gand Writ<strong>in</strong>g Women's Lives: A Study <strong>of</strong> theNovel <strong>of</strong> Manners, eds. Berge W. Bowers &Barbara Brothers, a recent addition to UMI's"Challeng<strong>in</strong>g the Literary Canon" Series. "TheDetective Novel <strong>of</strong> Manners" by Carolyn Heilbrunalias Amanda Cross is, however, less ascholarly study <strong>of</strong> the subject than an angrymanifesto, and a similar tone appears <strong>in</strong> othercontributions (on Austen, Trollope, Eliot,James, Woolf, Pym, and others), <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the<strong>in</strong>troduction. The result is a provocative, if notalways fully <strong>in</strong>formative, book, although thereis a detailed bibliography. Like Read<strong>in</strong>g andWrit<strong>in</strong>g Women's Lives, Women's Writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>Exile, eds. Mary Lynn Broe & Angela Ingram(U <strong>of</strong> North Carol<strong>in</strong>a) orig<strong>in</strong>ated <strong>in</strong> an MLApanel, but the result is somewhat more substantial.Besides explor<strong>in</strong>g various forms <strong>of</strong>exile, the book also presents a number <strong>of</strong> mov<strong>in</strong>gpersonal testimonials by Annette Kolodny,Esther Fuchs, Sneja Gunew, and Gayatri ChakravortySpivak, whose passionate rhetoric maywell make them the most valuable parts <strong>of</strong>this volume. Last but not least: from EdwardArnold comes a series <strong>of</strong> compact <strong>in</strong>troductionsto women writers. Available are volumes onVirg<strong>in</strong>ia Woolf by Susan Dick, on Doris Less<strong>in</strong>gby Jeannette K<strong>in</strong>g, and a book on ContemporaryWomen Novelists by Flora Alexander withchapters on Drabble, Weldon, Carter, andothers.Le Premier quartier de la lune (Leméac, n.p.)concludes Tremblay's five-volume Chroniquesdu Plateau Mont-Royal, a monumental achievementwhich susta<strong>in</strong>s the imag<strong>in</strong>ation and historicalsweep <strong>in</strong>itiated by La Grosse Femmed'à côté est ence<strong>in</strong>te from beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to end.The cover <strong>of</strong> Le Premier Quartier is adornedby a child's draw<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> a cat, smil<strong>in</strong>g craftilylike the Cheshire Cat. The similarity withLewis Carroll's fel<strong>in</strong>e is not accidental ; Marcel,who reassures himself <strong>of</strong> his friend's elusivepresence by draw<strong>in</strong>g his portrait over and over,suddenly f<strong>in</strong>ds his works riddled with holes. Togetherwith Duplessis, the Fates are about todisappear and leave the apparently abandonedhouse which has been Marcel's refuge for manyyears. Marcel himself has evolved from the enchant<strong>in</strong>gfour-year-old <strong>in</strong> La Grosse Femme toa sweaty adolescent unfit for school and tormentedby the other children. He is also givento epileptic seizures, an illness which his familyshamefully tries to conceal from the neighbours.At the same time, he partakes <strong>of</strong> a world <strong>of</strong>fantasy and dream which rema<strong>in</strong>s largely closedto his couns<strong>in</strong>, "l'enfant de la grosse femme"— Michel Tremblay himself. A star student,"l'enfant" still senses his limitations, and theday covered by this book, June 20, 1952, pa<strong>in</strong>fullyreveals some <strong>of</strong> them as he writes his end<strong>of</strong>-yearexam<strong>in</strong>ations. As <strong>in</strong> the previous books,Thérèse et Pierrette à l'école des Sa<strong>in</strong>ts-Anges<strong>in</strong> particular, school is above all the place wherethe power <strong>of</strong> language is taught, but also <strong>of</strong>tenabused. As her son agonizes over his French test,"la grosse femme" graduates from read<strong>in</strong>g totelevision, an <strong>in</strong>vention she considers capable<strong>of</strong> break<strong>in</strong>g through the reader's and radiolistener'ssolitude, particularly extreme <strong>in</strong> hersister-<strong>in</strong>-law Albert<strong>in</strong>e, "renfermée, buckée, bougonne."Here, Tremblay may locate the orig<strong>in</strong>s229
NOTES<strong>of</strong> his own fasc<strong>in</strong>ation with television as a potentiallyeffective popular art form: recentstatistics have confirmed that popular serialsare the top-rank<strong>in</strong>g shows <strong>in</strong> Québec, comparedto sports broadcasts <strong>in</strong> English Canada. Thisday <strong>in</strong> 1952 may also be Tremblay's awaken<strong>in</strong>gto the importance <strong>of</strong> joual as he watches hisclassmates yawn at their teacher's assurancethat "le français . . . c'était une langue passionnantedont il fallait être fier, que les règles,compliquées au début, se simplifaient au furet à mesure qu'on les comprenait. . ." Thisbook is a chronicle <strong>of</strong> despair then, as Marceland "l'enfant" rel<strong>in</strong>quish their childhooddreams, and Marcel attempts to mark his griefwith an apocalyptic burn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the Fates'abandoned house. At the same time, this daymarks a beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g, "le premier quartier de lalune," and the book concludes with a brilliantevocation <strong>of</strong> the images <strong>of</strong> flight which permeatethe Chroniques as a whole, whether it bethe "chasse-galérie" <strong>in</strong> La Grosse Femme or thelittle hang<strong>in</strong>g angel <strong>in</strong> Thérèse et Pierrette:"Au creux du croissant de lune, un petit garçonétait étendu, bras dernière la tête, jambe croisées;il semblait rêver; au bout, suspendu dansle vide par le col de sa chemise qui risquait dedéchirer à tout moment, était accroché unadolescent qui se débattait."I READ BARRY MiLEs's G<strong>in</strong>sberg: A Biography(Simon and Schuster) <strong>in</strong> the hope <strong>of</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gout more about G<strong>in</strong>sberg's participation <strong>in</strong> theVancouver Poetry Festival <strong>in</strong> 1963, but thereis little beyond the announcement that the"poets all lived together, and many <strong>of</strong> thestudents spent nights with them." The book asa whole is a loosely sewn together series <strong>of</strong>quotations with little analysis, and the fewcomments <strong>of</strong>fered on G<strong>in</strong>sberg's poetry arejejune paraphrases. The most valuable item,to this reviewer, is the photograph <strong>of</strong> G<strong>in</strong>sberg'sparents as young and very beautiful lovers;the image makes G<strong>in</strong>sberg's lament forNaomi <strong>in</strong> Kaddish so much more poignant.Students <strong>of</strong> Canadian poetry will f<strong>in</strong>d much <strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>terest here, especially <strong>in</strong> the chapter on"Open Form." Unfortunately the book does nothave a bibliography; some <strong>of</strong> the questions onlycursorily raised here have surely been analyzed<strong>in</strong> some detail elsewhere. One <strong>of</strong> the centrall<strong>in</strong>guistic strategies <strong>of</strong> the G<strong>in</strong>sberg era wasrepetition, the legacy <strong>of</strong> Whitman and Ste<strong>in</strong>.Explorations <strong>of</strong> repetition <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to critics<strong>of</strong> the short story and poetry alike, appear <strong>in</strong>Susan F. Beegel, ed., Hem<strong>in</strong>gway's NeglectedShort Fiction: New Perspectives (UMI), particularly<strong>in</strong> the two essays by Michael S.Reynolds and Erik Nakjavani on "Homage toSwitzerland." Another book, Thomas Gardner'sDiscover<strong>in</strong>g Ourselves <strong>in</strong> Whitman: The ContemporaryAmerican Long Poem (U <strong>of</strong> Ill<strong>in</strong>oisP), does what the title promises, by tak<strong>in</strong>g aclose look at John Berryman, Galway K<strong>in</strong>nell,Theodore Roethke, Robert Duncan, John Ashbery,and James Merrill.E.-M. K.Canadian Travellers <strong>in</strong> Italy, ed. Barry Callaghan(Exile, n.p.), is an anthology <strong>of</strong> poems,short stories, the occasional scholarly piece, collages,draw<strong>in</strong>gs, and photographs. The volumetraces a journey from northern Italy to theSouth, with excerpts from Anna Jameson'sDiary <strong>of</strong> an Ennuyée <strong>in</strong>terspersed throughout.Besides Jameson, there are also older works bySara Jeannette Duncan, James deMille, WilliamWithrow (not quite as unknown to theworld as Callaghan would have it), and a fewcontributors to The Week, but the emphasis ison contemporary authors. The texts are wellchosen for variety <strong>of</strong> tone, rang<strong>in</strong>g from JaneUrquhart's languid "Hotel Verbano" to RalphGustafson's satirical "On the Top <strong>of</strong> MilanCathedral" and Alice Jones's Rusk<strong>in</strong>ian "Florent<strong>in</strong>eVignettes." The reproductions, both <strong>in</strong>black-and-white and <strong>in</strong> colour, are superb.Notes on the contributors would have beenwelcome, as well as a somewhat more ambitious<strong>in</strong>troduction. Although they are concerned withAmerican travellers, the two volumes <strong>of</strong> WilliamL. Vance's America's Rome (Yale,US$30.00) make excellent complementaryread<strong>in</strong>g to Callaghan's book. The chapter onthe Colosseum, for <strong>in</strong>stance, discusses topicsand metaphors which also dom<strong>in</strong>ated Canadiantravellers' narratives. America's Rome is a goodsource for the numerous ways <strong>in</strong> which Americanpoliticians ransacked Roman thought, architecture,and city plann<strong>in</strong>g to legitimize theirown republic. A special aspect <strong>of</strong> Italian cultureto which both American and Canadian travellersresponded extensively is its Jewish population.Gardens and Ghettos: The Art <strong>of</strong> JewishLife <strong>in</strong> Italy, ed. Vivian B. Mann (Univ. <strong>of</strong>California, US$55.00), presents historical essaysand beautiful illustrations. Of particular<strong>in</strong>terest to literary historians is Allen Mandelbaum's"A Millenium <strong>of</strong> Hebrew Poetry <strong>in</strong>Italy" and his comments on the artistic scene<strong>in</strong> Trieste. The book comes with a mov<strong>in</strong>gpreface, published posthumously, by PrimoLevi.E.-M.K.230
NOTESAMONG THE MANY publications spawned bythe Bicentennial <strong>of</strong> the French Revolution,L'Image de la Revolution française au Québec178g- 198 g, éd. Michel Grenon (HMH,$25.95), is probably the most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g toCanadian readers. The cover reproduces Jean-Paul Mousseau's pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g La Marseillaise( 1956). To François-Marc Gagnon, <strong>in</strong> his contribution"La Révolution dans la pensée automatiste,"this work embodies an importantchange <strong>in</strong> Quebec's perception <strong>of</strong> the Revolutionfrom a destructive to an <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>g event.Other essays also chronicle the significance <strong>of</strong>the year 1789 for Quebec art, such as LaurierLacroix's account <strong>of</strong> the Desjard<strong>in</strong>s collection— pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs saved by two French priests fromvandalized churches and museums and shippedto Quebec, where they formed one <strong>of</strong> the firstimportant art collections <strong>in</strong> the country, provid<strong>in</strong>gseventeenth- and eighteenth-centurymodels to local pa<strong>in</strong>ters. Claudette Hould's "LaGravure révolutionnaire et son impact sur lesconsciences" discusses images <strong>of</strong> a differentk<strong>in</strong>d, open<strong>in</strong>g a potentially <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g source<strong>of</strong> comparison with contemporary politicalcomic-strips and cartoons. The enormous resistanceamong Quebec conservatives to the ideasrepresented by the Revolution is discussed particularlywell <strong>in</strong> Pierre Savard's account <strong>of</strong> theCentennial, when French-Canadians (and the<strong>British</strong>!) boycotted the world exposition <strong>in</strong>Paris. Literary allusions are the subject <strong>of</strong>Reg<strong>in</strong>ald Hamel's thorough "Révolution françaiseet littérature québécoise: Paroles geléeset idées gelées." Besides other illum<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g contributions,the volume conta<strong>in</strong>s a meticulouslyprepared annotated bibliography bySerge Leroux. The reader's understand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>the issues raised <strong>in</strong> Grenon's collection is muchenhanced by consult<strong>in</strong>g general works like EmmetKennedy, A Cultural History <strong>of</strong> the FrenchRevolution (Yale UP, £35.00), or A CriticalDictionary <strong>of</strong> the French Revolution, eds.François Furet and Mona Ozouf (Belknap Ρ,US$69.95). The former ranges through a wideselection <strong>of</strong> topics, such as "Paris Milieu andCultural Institution," "Popular Culture," "Enlightenmentand Christianity," literature, thef<strong>in</strong>e arts, and education, while the latter is dividedby the head<strong>in</strong>gs "Events," "Actors," "Institutionsand Creations," "Ideas," and "Historiansand Commentators." Particularly engross<strong>in</strong>gwere the sections <strong>in</strong> both works on therhetoric employed by the revolutionaries. Kennedy'sdiscussion <strong>of</strong> "vandalism" (a wordco<strong>in</strong>ed dur<strong>in</strong>g the Revolution) is exemplaryand, unwitt<strong>in</strong>gly or not, evokes alarm<strong>in</strong>gly closeparallels with recent and present political propaganda.Both books are richly illustrated andwell documented.E.-M. K.THERE HAVE BEEN several rem<strong>in</strong>ders that thecollage is a central technique <strong>in</strong> avant-gardistCanadian art and poetry: a new edition <strong>of</strong> jazzmusician-artist Al Neil's Changes (Nightwood,n.p. ), an autobiographical account <strong>of</strong> ajunkie's life <strong>in</strong> 1960s Vancouver; "Rezon<strong>in</strong>g,"an exhibition <strong>of</strong> assemblages and collages byNeil, bill bissett, and others at the VancouverArt Gallery; and a special issue <strong>of</strong> The CapilanoReview on "Six West Coast artists whosework is <strong>of</strong>ten concerned with the literal andmetaphorical reconstruction <strong>of</strong> the fragmented."Important discussions <strong>of</strong> the collagehave been collected <strong>in</strong> Collage: Critical Views,éd. Kather<strong>in</strong>e H<strong>of</strong>fman (UMI, n.p.), a particularlytightly edited volume <strong>in</strong> which <strong>in</strong>dividualcontributions extensively respond to, and<strong>of</strong>ten challenge, each other. Predictably Schwitters,Picasso, and Ernst receive much attention,but there arc also essays on "femmage" and"montage" and general discussions, such asGregory L. Ulmer, "The Object <strong>of</strong> Post-Criticism," and Donald B. Kuspit, "Collage:The Organiz<strong>in</strong>g Pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>of</strong> Art <strong>in</strong> the Age <strong>of</strong>the Relativity <strong>of</strong> Art." Marjorie Perl<strong>of</strong>f's metaphoricaluse <strong>of</strong> the collage <strong>in</strong> her work onmodernist poetry is not acceptable to HarryPolk<strong>in</strong>horn, who <strong>in</strong>sists that the term is onlylegitimate and useful if applied with<strong>in</strong> a specifichistorical context. The collage also features<strong>in</strong> John Gold<strong>in</strong>g, Cubism: A History andan Analysis igoy-igi4 (Harvard, US$39.95/now mto 19.95), ^ third edition, and <strong>in</strong>Dada/Dimensions, ed. Stephen C. Foster(UMI, n.p.). Collage is <strong>of</strong>ten the work <strong>of</strong> outsiderswhose work cannot be subsumed underestablished categories. Two sem<strong>in</strong>al texts on theart <strong>of</strong> outsiders are Jean Dubuffet's manifestoon "art brut," Asphyxiat<strong>in</strong>g Culture (FourWalls Eight W<strong>in</strong>dows, $17.95), now available<strong>in</strong> a translation by Carol Volk, and John M.MacGregor's The Discovery <strong>of</strong> the Art <strong>of</strong> theInsane (Pr<strong>in</strong>ceton, US$49.50), a richly illustratedwork written from a Jungian perspective.231
NOTESON THE VERGE***** CHARLES TAYLOR, Sources <strong>of</strong> the Self.Harvard UP, $37.50 cl. Sources <strong>of</strong> the Self iswritten by the McGill scholar Charles Taylor,who comb<strong>in</strong>es pr<strong>of</strong>essorships <strong>of</strong> Political Scienceand Philosophy, an appropriate pair<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> view<strong>of</strong> the scope <strong>of</strong> his book. It is an importantwork <strong>of</strong> a stature that one is rarely able towelcome from a Canadian scholar, and it comesat an appropriate time, when outdated concepts<strong>of</strong> historical determ<strong>in</strong>ism are be<strong>in</strong>g challengedrepeatedly by events created by humanbe<strong>in</strong>gs act<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> freedom. Sources <strong>of</strong> the Self isnot a book about the contemporary world perse,but it searches back for the causes — or perhapssometimes for the anti-causes — that over thecenturies s<strong>in</strong>ce Plato have helped to producethat world and its attitudes. Rang<strong>in</strong>g historicallyover the fields <strong>of</strong> philosophy, politics, sociology,artistic creation, Taylor comes to thedefence <strong>of</strong> the modern concept <strong>of</strong> self and itsattendant subjectivity. He hails the "essentiallymodern predicament" that has left "Most <strong>of</strong> us. . . still grop<strong>in</strong>g for answers about what makeslife worth liv<strong>in</strong>g or what confers mean<strong>in</strong>g on<strong>in</strong>dividual lives." The need to question ratherthan the hope <strong>of</strong> answer<strong>in</strong>g has always guidedthe great philosophers, and Charles Taylorshows very conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>gly how modern life, forall its faults, leads us towards identify<strong>in</strong>g thepossible rather than becom<strong>in</strong>g obsessed by thefear <strong>of</strong> the impossible. A major book <strong>of</strong> fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>gdetail and grand simple concepts thatwholly defies summary <strong>in</strong> a s<strong>in</strong>gle paragraph.*** J. L. GRANATSTEIN and ROBERT BOTH-WELL, Pirouette: Pierre Trudeau and Canadian-Foreign Policy. U <strong>of</strong> Toronto P, $35.00. Pirouetteis a curiously mixed study on the waver<strong>in</strong>gcourse <strong>of</strong> Canadian foreign policy <strong>in</strong> the yearsimmediately follow<strong>in</strong>g the Pearson period <strong>of</strong>honest brokerage. But it is also a partial biographicalstudy <strong>of</strong> our own small Canadian roisoleil, past Prime M<strong>in</strong>ister Pierre Elliot Trudeau.And rarely <strong>in</strong> books on recent Canadahas there been a more disturb<strong>in</strong>g study <strong>of</strong> theputt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to practice <strong>in</strong> a democracy <strong>of</strong> theBourbon maxim, "L'état, c'est moi!" It seemsto trace out accurately and honestly the manoeuvresbetween governments and with<strong>in</strong>governments that provided the context forCanadian foreign policy, and <strong>in</strong> do<strong>in</strong>g so italarm<strong>in</strong>gly shows how little say Canadiancitizens or even their parliament have had. Forthis is really a chronicle <strong>of</strong> the activities <strong>of</strong>persons <strong>in</strong> power, whether politicians at them<strong>in</strong>isterial level or high bureaucrats, Canadianand other, and it is strik<strong>in</strong>gly evident that onno occasion did the Canadian parliament playany important role <strong>in</strong> formulat<strong>in</strong>g our country'sforeign policy. As for the public, theciphers to be counted every five years and thendismissed from m<strong>in</strong>d, they not only had no say<strong>in</strong> what Canada did abroad, but were nevertold till afterwards what was happen<strong>in</strong>g andthen not very much <strong>of</strong> it. At one time, yearsago, there was a great outcry aga<strong>in</strong>st secretdiplomacy and the secret arrangements heads<strong>of</strong> government would make among themselves.But diplomacy is by def<strong>in</strong>ition secret, whethercarried on by authoritarian <strong>of</strong> soi-disant democraticgovernments. And, as Pirouette clearlyshows, we are kept <strong>in</strong> the dark about its activitiesuntil success or failure becomes evident; <strong>in</strong>the latter case we are likely to be the firstvictims <strong>of</strong> the failure.**** GWYNNE DYER and TINA VILJOEN, TheDefence <strong>of</strong> Canada: In the Arms <strong>of</strong> the Empire.McClelland & Stewart, $34.95. The Defence<strong>of</strong> Canada is a military history <strong>of</strong> Canada <strong>in</strong>two volumes ; this, "In the Arms <strong>of</strong> the Empire1760-1939," is the first. Its authors, GwynneDyer and T<strong>in</strong>a Voljoen, are already wellknown<strong>in</strong> Canada for their NFB/CBC series,"Defence <strong>of</strong> Canada," and their book, like theirtelevision programmes, approaches its subject<strong>in</strong> a somewhat different way from that <strong>of</strong> themore conformist military histories. For theirthesis is that <strong>in</strong> all its warlike adventures,costly <strong>in</strong> human lives and <strong>in</strong> other resources,Canada has never been truly defend<strong>in</strong>g itself,but has been act<strong>in</strong>g as an appendage to othercountries and further<strong>in</strong>g their policies. Thismakes The Defence <strong>of</strong> Canada a book with athesis, which is the necessity <strong>of</strong> neutrality as aprerequisite <strong>of</strong> true <strong>in</strong>dependence. The case isput well, and <strong>in</strong> the process we are given whatis certa<strong>in</strong>ly the most <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g and wellwrittenhistory <strong>of</strong> our country's military adventures.One looks forward to the second volumewith sharp anticipation.G.W.*** BRIAN FAWCETT, Public Eye: An Investigation<strong>in</strong>to the Disappearance <strong>of</strong> the World.Harper & Coll<strong>in</strong>s, $16.95. Public Eye is a piece<strong>of</strong> bright post-MacLuhanism, a group <strong>of</strong> essays,commentaries and quasi-fictions aimed rathermodishly at describ<strong>in</strong>g the disappearance <strong>of</strong> the"world as a recognizable environment <strong>in</strong> terms232
NOTES<strong>of</strong> reality as well as <strong>of</strong> our conditioned perceptions."It is the k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> book, <strong>in</strong>tricate but notobscure, that could do with more than oneread<strong>in</strong>g and doesn't lend itself to one-paragraphsummary. But every <strong>in</strong>telligent readerwill be able to pick a gem or at least a plumout <strong>of</strong> it. What about this, for example, forreaders <strong>of</strong> Canadian Literature? "I'm not surewhat most literary writers th<strong>in</strong>k they're do<strong>in</strong>gthese days, but it's evident that they don'tth<strong>in</strong>k about it very <strong>of</strong>ten beyond questions <strong>of</strong>how to milk the traditional mach<strong>in</strong>ery <strong>of</strong> literaturefor maximum effect. It's also evident — bythe sheer number <strong>of</strong> university pr<strong>of</strong>essors whomake their liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g literary works —that the primary <strong>in</strong>tellectual <strong>in</strong>terest and energys<strong>in</strong>ce the 1940's has been curatorial."**** JOHN RODDEN, The Politics <strong>of</strong> LiteraryReputation: The Mak<strong>in</strong>g and Claim<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> 'St.George' Orwell. Oxford, $38.50. John Rodden'sThe Politics <strong>of</strong> Literary Reputation is a notablepioneer work on literary sociology, analys<strong>in</strong>gwith a great deal <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tricacy and perceptionthe way <strong>in</strong> which the media, political <strong>in</strong>terests,literary critics, and even personal friends comb<strong>in</strong>edto make a myth about George Orwell sogigantic and so <strong>in</strong>volved that the real Orwell —and even more the prist<strong>in</strong>e Eric Blair — havelong been hard to f<strong>in</strong>d. Of <strong>in</strong>terest to Canadianreaders will be the chapter deal<strong>in</strong>g with the<strong>in</strong>fluence wielded by George Woodcock's TheCrystal Spirit and <strong>of</strong> his other writ<strong>in</strong>gs onOrwell. Woodcock, we have heard, believesthat Rodden has exaggerated his role.L.T.C.* Towards a Just Society: The TrudeauYears. Ed. Thomas S. Axworthy and PierreElliott Trudeau. McClelland & Stewart, $29.95.Politicians rarely have the gift <strong>of</strong> irony,and even when they do they can rarely directit at themselves, which is why their accounts <strong>of</strong>their past achievements are usually so smug,self-serv<strong>in</strong>g, and unconv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g. Towards a JustSociety is no exception. Before it appeared itwas much touted as Pierre Trudeau's book, but<strong>in</strong> fact it is noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the k<strong>in</strong>d. One essay out<strong>of</strong> fifteen is written by Trudeau, and with the<strong>in</strong>troductory notes <strong>in</strong>serted by him and Axworthybefore each section, his contribution tothe book cannot be much more than 10 percent. The rest is written, mostly with impeccabledullness, by m<strong>in</strong>isterial colleagues likeMarc Lalonde, John Roberts and Jean Chrétien,by old friends like Jacques Hébert and GérardPelletier, by civil servants <strong>of</strong> the time like TomShoyama, and by political courtiers like Axworthyhimself and the <strong>in</strong>effable Jim Coutts.The Trudeau Old Guard, <strong>in</strong> other words, withonly one woman among them, though there isone person whose presence <strong>in</strong> this sett<strong>in</strong>g raisesone's curiosity, the historian Ramsay Cook."Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?"THREE RECENT illustrated books record arange <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>terconnections between visual representations<strong>of</strong> places and persons and thepolitics <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tercultural relationships. Brita<strong>in</strong>Portrayed: A Regency Album 1780-1830 (<strong>British</strong>Library, £r8.oo ci.), by John Barr, handsomelydemonstrates ways <strong>in</strong> which picturesqueconventions, <strong>in</strong> watercolours <strong>of</strong> the time, constructedcareful images <strong>of</strong> social contentmentand established order. Flocks graze with<strong>in</strong>sight <strong>of</strong> the shepherd and the estate house;urban dwellers roam freely with<strong>in</strong> territoriesprotected by soldier and cathedral tower; steamserves progress, and the l<strong>in</strong>es <strong>of</strong> perspectivedraw an orderly frame with<strong>in</strong> which relaxed<strong>in</strong>dividuals pursue leisurely aesthetic pleasures.Someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the same impulse directs thedesign <strong>of</strong> the works assembled <strong>in</strong> J. P. Losty'sCalcutta: City <strong>of</strong> Palaces (<strong>British</strong> Library,£12.95 P a -)> but with significant differences<strong>of</strong> "home" and the exoticism <strong>of</strong> "elsewhere."Losty selects from travellers' accounts <strong>of</strong> Calcutta,primarily those from the late 18th andearly 19th centuries, record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> this way ahistory <strong>of</strong> <strong>British</strong>-Indian contact and a history<strong>of</strong> versions <strong>of</strong> order, disorder, and cultural demarcations.Illustrations reiterate these messages.The fasc<strong>in</strong>ation with geometrical perspective,as highlighted <strong>in</strong> Regency architecturaldesign, not only reveals a particularaesthetic taste, for example; it also shows howsize and distance, height and space, prospectand vista, can all function as visual determ<strong>in</strong>ants<strong>of</strong> power. John Merson's Roads toXanadu: East and West <strong>in</strong> the Modern World(Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £17.95, cl.), based onan Australian Broadcast<strong>in</strong>g Corporation series,pursues this notion over time, us<strong>in</strong>g both EastAsian and European illustrations to trace thehistory <strong>of</strong> East-West cultural contact fromMarco Polo to Mao. Partly the contact tells avisual narrative <strong>of</strong> economics and power: thepower <strong>of</strong> paper, gunpowder, money, and belief.Partly it tells how y<strong>in</strong> and yang suggestedsocially useful and culturally variant versions <strong>of</strong>harmony and barbarity, how "Ch<strong>in</strong>a" turned<strong>in</strong>to the fashion <strong>of</strong> "ch<strong>in</strong>oiserie," how car-2ЗЗ
NOTEStoon<strong>in</strong>g propagandizes the politics <strong>of</strong> race, andhow "progress" was <strong>in</strong>vented as a social idealand marketed to others <strong>in</strong> order to serve <strong>in</strong>terventionistends. Merson's own desire is for harmoniousglobal development. This, too, is anideal born <strong>of</strong> perspective and time, and mayyet f<strong>in</strong>d its visual counterpart.W.N.LAST PAGEIT IS SOME TIME s<strong>in</strong>ce I have read a children'sbook as captivat<strong>in</strong>g as Salman Rushdie's Harounand the Sea <strong>of</strong> Stories (Granta/Pengu<strong>in</strong>,$ ! 9-95)· Especially at a time <strong>of</strong> acute politicaltension, it's refresh<strong>in</strong>g to be rem<strong>in</strong>ded that childrenhave m<strong>in</strong>ds and the capacity to wonder —but while Rushdie's fable is, <strong>of</strong> course, relatedto current politics, it can't be bound by that<strong>in</strong>terpretation, just as it can't be bound by as<strong>in</strong>gle sourcebook. The iooi Nights lurks <strong>in</strong> thebackground here; so does Carroll's Alice; so doThe Beatles. The book crosses boundaries. Thenarrative punn<strong>in</strong>gly tells <strong>of</strong> a storyteller who haslost his gift because he's lost his faith <strong>in</strong> wonder,and <strong>of</strong> his son, Haroun, who masterm<strong>in</strong>ds thesolution to this dilemma by encourag<strong>in</strong>g hisfather back to the Sea <strong>of</strong> Stories. The sea ishav<strong>in</strong>g its own problems; it's be<strong>in</strong>g polluted bya tyrant who exercises his control by deny<strong>in</strong>gothers their <strong>in</strong>ventive voices. To such problemsHaroun — with his desire, his imag<strong>in</strong>ation, andhis love — is more than equal, but not beforethe narrative embarks on its wonderful, funny,and emotionally engag<strong>in</strong>g voyage. (For <strong>in</strong>formationon Rushdie's own recent politicalexperiences, see two recent "<strong>in</strong>stant" books: apopular biography based on <strong>in</strong>terviews, W. J.Weatherby's Salman Rushdie Sentenced toDeath [Carroll & Graf, n.p.], and an anthology<strong>of</strong> various people's responses to Khome<strong>in</strong>i'sfatwa <strong>of</strong> 14 February 1989, The Rushdie File,ed. Lisa Appignanesi and Sara Maitland [SyracuseUP, $12.95].)Children's sense <strong>of</strong> wonder perhaps providesan appropriate way to comment on severalother recent works, <strong>of</strong> different k<strong>in</strong>ds. It seemsto me that the fasc<strong>in</strong>ation with biography <strong>in</strong>recent years has someth<strong>in</strong>g to do with voyeurism(the desire to know secrets) and someth<strong>in</strong>gto do with a desire for order (which <strong>in</strong>another sense is also a desire for secret knowledge).Secret understand<strong>in</strong>g also motivatesmuch <strong>of</strong> the appeal <strong>of</strong> religious and fantasticsystems. The approach <strong>of</strong> the year 2000 stirs<strong>in</strong> many people a rage <strong>of</strong> uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty, aga<strong>in</strong>stwhich almost any revealed "truth" will seemacceptable, even miraculous. Interventionism isthus granted <strong>in</strong>direct approval: <strong>in</strong>terventionism<strong>in</strong> others peoples' lives, <strong>in</strong> their m<strong>in</strong>ds, <strong>in</strong>their politics — some notion <strong>of</strong> div<strong>in</strong>e approvalsett<strong>in</strong>g out "sides," and grant<strong>in</strong>g to those whooperate <strong>in</strong> this way the so-called "right" toseparate the acceptable from the un-.Among recent biographies are ChristopherSawyer-Lauçanno's An Invisible Spectator(Ecco, $17.95), which f<strong>in</strong>ds that "the real PaulBowles" was "an <strong>in</strong>dividual alone, isolated <strong>in</strong>his self-<strong>in</strong>volvement, <strong>in</strong> some way drumm<strong>in</strong>gout the music <strong>in</strong> his own head, for his ownbenefit." It's an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g metaphor, onewith reverberations: is isolation an unacceptableposition? or does the metaphor suggestthat <strong>in</strong>dividuals should not benefit from theirown m<strong>in</strong>ds? Or is the problem, if that's whatit is, that "drumm<strong>in</strong>g" can never be altogethersilent, nor <strong>in</strong>dividuals as isolated as they sometimeslike to th<strong>in</strong>k? Peter Ackroyd, <strong>in</strong> his massiveand absorb<strong>in</strong>g Dickens (McClelland &Stewart, $39.95), argues that an <strong>in</strong>dividual canrepresent a time, which is the premise thatunderlies the detail <strong>of</strong> this work. "Trifles makethe sum <strong>of</strong> life," says David Copperfield. Nottrifles but "orig<strong>in</strong>s," says Ackroyd: "what doDickens's own novels tell us, but that a pass<strong>in</strong>ggesture, an image, or mood, can form a wholenetwork <strong>of</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g. ... It is a perception <strong>in</strong>tothe very nature <strong>of</strong> the world, and it is one whichbiography must strive to exemplify. To seeDickens day by day ... is to turn biography<strong>in</strong>to an agent <strong>of</strong> true knowledge. . . ." This isnot, however, a position all biographers — orautobiographers — will<strong>in</strong>gly adopt. The playwrightand poet Dorothy Hewett, <strong>in</strong> WildCard: An Autobiography igs3-igs8 (Pengu<strong>in</strong>,$!9-99)> is concerned to assert her reputationas sexual, l<strong>in</strong>guistic, and political rebel ; writ<strong>in</strong>gher life as poetic process, she represents herself<strong>in</strong> a series <strong>of</strong> present, tense, encounters. PeterF. Alexander's William Plomer (Oxford,$20.50), by contrast, is resistantly lodged <strong>in</strong> thepast but it, too, constructs a version <strong>of</strong> a lifelived at tangents to "respectability." Precocityand homosexuality are recurrent concerns, perceivedas forces govern<strong>in</strong>g life choices. Paula R.Backscheider's dense Daniel Defoe: His Life(Johns Hopk<strong>in</strong>s, $29.95) f<strong>in</strong>ds religion to beDefoe's chief motivator; <strong>in</strong> a world where s<strong>in</strong>is def<strong>in</strong>ed as "<strong>in</strong>difference to God," Defoe constructedCrusoe not (solely) as an allegory <strong>of</strong>imperial expansion, the author writes, but as aPuritan claim that religion can be learned.Learn<strong>in</strong>g "truths" — discover<strong>in</strong>g "the co<strong>in</strong>cidence,the chance remark, the unexpectedmeet<strong>in</strong>g" that (as Ackroyd says <strong>of</strong> Dickens'234
NOTESworld) "can change a human be<strong>in</strong>g" — can <strong>of</strong>course be a product as well as an activity; if"changes" can take place "naturally," arguethose who would sell us "solutions" to theworld's (or our own) ills, then why not arrangenature, as it were, and <strong>in</strong>duce "proper"changes for a "better" life? Better for whom,one might ask. Better for those who sell thechange, is one answer. Utopias and fantasiesare filled with alternative designs, and as many<strong>of</strong> these are economic plans as they are virtuousdreams — but while many Utopias and politicalfantasies probe <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g rearrangements <strong>of</strong>familiar forms <strong>of</strong> social order, most <strong>of</strong> themdiscover either the virtues <strong>of</strong> accept<strong>in</strong>g oneselfor the imperfections <strong>of</strong> the so-called IdealWorld (itself a glimpse <strong>of</strong> the flawed present).Frances Bartkowski's Fem<strong>in</strong>ist Utopias (U NebraskaP, $21.50) exam<strong>in</strong>es a variety <strong>of</strong> theseplans, from Herland onwards, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g TheHandmaid's Tale and The Euguelionne, less forthe "success" <strong>of</strong> the designs than for the "gaps"they show <strong>in</strong> conventional "normal" reality,and for their signs <strong>of</strong> social desire. (The bookcould have drawn more on Nan Alb<strong>in</strong>ski's workon Utopian <strong>in</strong>tent <strong>in</strong> women's writ<strong>in</strong>g, but itdidn't; the two writers do complement eachother, however.)And what <strong>of</strong> the science fiction imag<strong>in</strong>ation ?There's a lot <strong>of</strong> anti-academic snark<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>the <strong>in</strong>terviews (with William Gibson, UrsulaLe Gu<strong>in</strong>, and eight other sf authors) collected<strong>in</strong> Larry McCaffery's Across the WoundedGalaxies (U Ill<strong>in</strong>ois P, $29.95), and a lot <strong>of</strong>curious faith <strong>in</strong> generalizations. The <strong>in</strong>terviewwith Larry McMurtry observes that religionand technology (technology because it represents,we are told, human be<strong>in</strong>gs' drive forefficiency <strong>in</strong> Capitalism) are related to people'sfear <strong>of</strong> death and their desire for immortality.Some fantasy consequently <strong>in</strong>vents technocraticfutures <strong>in</strong> order to probe religion's illusions andvice versa. But the choice between these optionsrema<strong>in</strong>s a b<strong>in</strong>ary one, apparently, and thereforeas limited as anyth<strong>in</strong>g Defoe could design. Formore options, one can at least re-read Dickens,and f<strong>in</strong>d multiple possibilities aga<strong>in</strong>, <strong>in</strong> worldsas rich with imag<strong>in</strong>ation as Utopians couldwish: transcend<strong>in</strong>g boundaries by <strong>in</strong>sist<strong>in</strong>g onconcurrences — good as well as bad and middl<strong>in</strong>gand ord<strong>in</strong>ary; imag<strong>in</strong>ary as well as knownand unknown ; young as well as aged and ag<strong>in</strong>gand old.F<strong>in</strong>ally, there is R. K. Narayan's recent novel,The World <strong>of</strong> Nagaraj (Vik<strong>in</strong>g, $26.95),which returns to the South Indian author'sfavourite <strong>in</strong>vented locale, Malgudi, to tell <strong>of</strong> ascholar whose commitment to privacy — hecalls it his mission — is upset by his nephew,and by the younger generation generally; forcedto accommodate to the new world that is beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>gto take over the orderly society he hadthought he knew, he realizes that <strong>in</strong> his old agehe has to become more active. He beg<strong>in</strong>s, therefore,to take on local politicians, to confrontthem with values, and (this is a fiction) thepoliticians shrivel before the force <strong>of</strong> goodnessand worth. It's a gentle sort <strong>of</strong> rebellion. But asHaroun rem<strong>in</strong>ds us about the Sea <strong>of</strong> Stories, itis a terrible world we live <strong>in</strong> if imag<strong>in</strong>ation andlove are thought fanciful.235