259 65 11MB
English Pages 256 [254] Year 1979
The Rock Observed
The Rock Observed Studies in the Literature of Newfoundland
PATRICK O'FLAHERTY
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto Buffalo London
©
University of Toronto Press 1979 Toronto Buffalo London Printed in Canada Reprinted in 2018
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data O'Flaherty, P.A., 1939The rock observed Includes index. 0-8020-2351-7
ISBN
ISBN 978-1-4875-7882-4 (paper) 1 . Canadian literature (English) - Newfoundland History and criticism.• 2. Newfoundland in literature. 3. Newfoundland - History- Sources. 1. Title.
PS8131.N4045 PR9198.2.N4045
c810'.9'9718
For Frankie and our sons, Keir, Peter, and Padraic
Contents
Preface/ ix 1
2
'It passeth England' I 3 Literature of discovery and early settlement, 1497-1670
Fishers of men I 16
Three missionaries in eighteenth-century Newfoundland, 1764-98
3 Walking new ground I 32 Books by two Newfoundland pioneers, 1770-1822 4 The triumph of sentiment I 49 History and commentary, 1793-1895 5 The lure of the north I 82 Fiction and travel literature, 1850-1905 6
Emigrant muse I 111
E.J. Pratt and Newfoundland, 1882-1907
7 Bridging two worlds I 127 Margaret Duley's fiction, 1936-42 8 Visions and revisions I 144 Some writers in the new Newfoundland
9 The case of George Tuff I 184 A concluding note Notes I 189 Credits for illustrations/ 215 Index/ 217
Preface
My purpose in this book is to provide a survey of literary responses to Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders over the centuries . The study will, I hope, prove of interest to students of Newfoundland (and hence Canadian) literature and culture, but I trust it will have an appeal to a wider audience. The general Canadian view of Newfoundland and, more significantly, Newfoundlanders' conceptions of their own history and character have been shaped to some extent by the written word, and if this book helps in some way to indicate the nature of this influence, then my purpose will have been achieved. I have tried to relate the literature of Newfoundland to the context of Newfoundland history, since without such a context discussion of books has limited value. In these brief excursions into Newfoundland history, I have leaned heavily on the work of recent scholars, whose books and articles have been acknowledged . Needless to say, such errors as remain in this study, whether of fact or interpretation, are my own. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Canada Council, which provided me with a Leave Fellowship to enable me to write this book. The Vice-President (Academic) of Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dr Leslie Harris, kindly recommended me for two grants from his research fund, to help defray the costs of travelling and typing. I am grateful for the continuous help I received from librarians and researchers at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies in Memorial University's Henrietta Harvey Library, the A.C. Hunter Library in The Arts and Culture Centre, St John's, and the Public Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr Ben Hansen allowed me to take advantage of his expertise in photography. D.G. Pitt, head of the Department of English Language and Literature at Memorial Univer-
x Preface
sity, willingly offered deparhnental co-operation. G.M. Story, professor of English at Memorial University, read my manuscript in a late draft and made a number of valuable suggestions. I wish to acknowledge the advice and encouragement of Frankie O'Flaherty, who has put up with my talking about Newfoundland for many years. Peter Neary, too, has influenced my thinking on many matters, and first got me interested in writing about Newfoundland . Mrs Paulette Evans typed my manuscript with speed and accuracy. Mrs Mary Doyle prepared the index . Publication of this book has been made possible by a grant from the Canada Council. P.O'F. 11 December 1978
Illustrations
1
Migratory f.is hermen, C· 1700
2
George Cartwright
3 William Cormack
4 William Carson
5 Patrick Morris
6 Charles Pedley
7 D.W. Prowse
8 Moses Harvey
9 R.T.S. Lowell
10
Norman Duncan
11
A house in northern Newfoundland, c. 1900
12
A scene in Labrador, c.
13
A family in Labrador, c.
1900 1900
14 Flatrock, c. 1930
15 A Bell Island miner
16 Gunner A.N . Ryan of Bonavista Bay, in Italy, 1944
17 Pouch Cove, c. 1930
18 E.J. Pratt
19 Margaret Duley
20
Arthur Scammell
21
Ron Pollett
22
Harold Horwood
23 Ted Russell
24 Percy Janes
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Maps
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