The Rock Observed: Studies in the Literature of Newfoundland 9781487577834

Citation preview

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

----·---

__' ___ ;

...:------

-- -- :-

..

--- .:. .: ..

~~--:

· - - - ,-~ -

..•

~- :

- - - :: ~ .-

---··-----.- ··-

·- -·

'- - •- - .

.- -~---

·~ - - - - - - ·-· ···

·- =; ;; -- --

---.:.: - ·-

gin 25 A n ori

al Grenfell

·· ··

- - - --

cartoon

. •· • • -

·· -

- ---

Maps

UNGAVA

BAY

150 MILES

~==,