Recognition and Revelation: Short Nonfiction Writings

Margaret Laurence

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Recognition and Revelation

Short Nonfiction Writings

Margaret Laurence
Edited by: Nora Foster Stovel and Nora Foster Stovel
Afterword by: Aritha van Herk and Aritha van Herk
Preface by: David Laurence and David Laurence

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2020

About this book

Margaret Laurence, best known for her germinal novels set in the Canadian prairies, is one of the nation's most respected authors. She was also an accomplished essayist, yet today her nonfiction writing is largely unavailable and therefore little known. In Recognition and Revelation Nora Foster Stovel brings together Laurence's short nonfiction works, including many that have not previously been collected and some that have never before been published. These works, including over fifty essays and addresses that span Laurence's writing career from the 1960s to the 1980s, reveal her passionate concern for Canadian literature and for the land and peoples of Canada. Based on extensive archival research, Stovel's introduction contextualizes Laurence's nonfiction writings in her life as a creative artist and political activist and as a woman writing in the twentieth century. The texts range from essays on Laurence's own writings and on other works of Canadian literature to autobiographical essays, several focusing on environmental concerns, to sociopolitical essays and writing advocating for peace and nuclear disarmament. By revealing Laurence as a socially and politically committed artist, this collection of lively and provocative essays illuminates the undercurrents of her creative writing and places her fiction - often informed by her nonfiction writing - in a new light.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Margaret Laurence Margaret Laurence (1926-1987), the recipient of two Governor General's Literary Awards, was the author of The Stone Angel, A Jest of God, and The Diviners. --- Contributor: Nora Foster Stovel Nora Foster Stovel is professor emerita, University of Alberta, and the author and editor of several books including Divining Margaret Laurence and Recognition and Revelation: Margaret Laurence’s Short Nonfiction Writings.

Reviews

"In collecting all these essays, Stovel provides a sweeping and comprehensive look at an iconic Canadian writer which hasn't been previously available." David Staines, University of Ottawa --- "We have long needed such an edition of Laurence's uncollected essays and speeches, to make this important aspect of her oeuvre available to both scholars and the general public. Selecting among all these for a single volume is a daunting project, which Nora Foster Stovel has judiciously accomplished." Carol Beran, Saint Mary's College of California --- "Throughout the collection, Laurence's wry sense of humour, moral compass, and eye for the ridiculous and the subtly moving shine through. For anyone who loves her fiction, these writings will complement and deepen their relationship to one of our most important Canadian authors." Montreal Review of Books

Topics

Literary Studies Literature of other Nations and Languages Other Nations and Languages

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Front Matter
i

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Contents
vii

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Chronology of Margaret Laurence's Life and Works
xi

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Foreword
xv

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Acknowledgments
xvii

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Introduction: “A Natural-Born Reformer”
xix

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Notes on the Text
xliii

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Essays about Laurence’s Writing: “Gadgetry or Growing”
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Sources
3

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Ten Years' Sentences
8

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Time and the Narrative Voice
15

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Half War – Half Peace: A Writer's Working Relationship with Publishers
20

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Gadgetry or Growing: Form and Voice in the Novel
28

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On “The Loons”
38

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Eye on Books: The Writer as Performer
40

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A Tale of Typewriters
45

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Ivory Tower or Grassroots? The Novelist as Socio-political Being
50

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Personal and Creative Essays: “The River Flows Both Ways”
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Where the World Began
63

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Love and Madness in the Steel Forest
69

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Upon a Midnight Clear
74

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Don't Whisper Sudden; I Scare Easy
80

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The River Flows Both Ways
87

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Salute of the Swallows
92

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The Shack
97

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A Fantasy Fulfilled
101

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The More Interesting Country
104

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Down East
114

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Journey from Lakefield
119

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Essays on Canada and Canadian Literature: “The Case for Canadian Literature”
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Canadian Novels: Change in the Past Decade
127

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Canada Still Too Canada-Focused
137

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Voices from Future Places
143

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The Case for Canadian Literature
150

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Canadian Writers: From Neglect to Special Treatment
154

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When You Were Five and I Was Fourteen
158

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Books That Mattered to Me
161

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(a) Introductions to New Canadian Library Editions
171

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(b) Unpublished Speeches and Tributes
197

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Essays on Nuclear Disarmament: “The Most Pressing Practical, Moral, and Spiritual Issue of Our Times”
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A Message to the Inheritors
221

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A Matter of Life or Death
226

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The Artist Then, Now, and Always
231

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A Statement of Faith
234

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“Peace”: A Word's Meaning
239

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Operation Dismantle
242

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My Final Hour
246

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Socio-political Essays: “Listen, Just Listen”
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“Listen, Just Listen”
259

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Quebec's “Freedom” Is a Vital Concern, but Freedom Itself Is That and More
265

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Open Letter to the Mother of Joe Bass
268

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The Greater Evil: Pornography or Censorship?
272

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Statement – PEN
280

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A Constant Hope: Women in the Now and Future High Tech Age
283

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Afterword Rediscovering Margaret Laurence
291

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Annotations
297

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Works Cited
325

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Index
335

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Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

July 12, 2023

eBook ISBN:

9780228004752

Edition:

2nd edition

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780228004752

eBook ISBN: 9780228004752

Audience(s) for this book

For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research

Mcgill-queen's University Press

Recognition and Revelation

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Reviews

Topics

Table of contents

Front Matter

Contents

Chronology of Margaret Laurence's Life and Works

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction: “A Natural-Born Reformer”

Notes on the Text

Sources

Ten Years' Sentences

Time and the Narrative Voice

Half War – Half Peace: A Writer's Working Relationship with Publishers

Gadgetry or Growing: Form and Voice in the Novel

On “The Loons”

Eye on Books: The Writer as Performer

A Tale of Typewriters

Ivory Tower or Grassroots? The Novelist as Socio-political Being

Where the World Began

Love and Madness in the Steel Forest

Upon a Midnight Clear

Don't Whisper Sudden; I Scare Easy

The River Flows Both Ways

Salute of the Swallows

The Shack

A Fantasy Fulfilled

The More Interesting Country

Down East

Journey from Lakefield

Canadian Novels: Change in the Past Decade

Canada Still Too Canada-Focused

Voices from Future Places

The Case for Canadian Literature

Canadian Writers: From Neglect to Special Treatment

When You Were Five and I Was Fourteen

Books That Mattered to Me

(a) Introductions to New Canadian Library Editions

(b) Unpublished Speeches and Tributes

A Message to the Inheritors

A Matter of Life or Death

The Artist Then, Now, and Always

A Statement of Faith

“Peace”: A Word's Meaning

Operation Dismantle

My Final Hour

“Listen, Just Listen”

Quebec's “Freedom” Is a Vital Concern, but Freedom Itself Is That and More

Open Letter to the Mother of Joe Bass

The Greater Evil: Pornography or Censorship?

Statement – PEN

A Constant Hope: Women in the Now and Future High Tech Age

Afterword Rediscovering Margaret Laurence

Annotations

Works Cited

Index

Bibliographic data