The Imperialist
The Imperialist
A Canadian classic, loved for its ironic and dryly humorous portrait of small-town life as portrayed in the fictional Ontario town of Elgin at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is also a fascinating representation of race, gender, and nationalism in Britain's "settler colonies."
Book Excerpt
e arrival of a new baby until the important Sunday of the christening, nothing was discussed with such eager zest and such sustained interest as the name he should get--there was a fascinating list at the back of the dictionary--and to the last minute it was problematical. In Stella's case, Mrs Murchison actually changed her mind on the way to church; and Abby, who had sat through the sermon expecting Dorothy Maud, which she thought lovely, publicly cried with disappointment. Stella was the youngest, and Mrs Murchison was thankful to have a girl at last whom she could name without regard to her own relations or anybody else's. I have skipped about a good deal, but I have only left out two, the boys who came between Abby and Stella. In their names the contemporary observer need not be too acute to discover both an avowal and to some extent an enforcement of Mr Murchison's political views; neither an Alexander Mackenzie nor an Oliver Mowat could very well grow up into anything but a sound Liberal in that part o
Editor's choice
(view all)Popular books in Fiction and Literature, Canadian Literature
Readers reviews
0.0
LoginSign up
Be the first to review this book