Reading the Diaries of Henry Trent

As it follows Trent through the different stages of his long life, Reading the Diaries of Henry Trent explores the complexities of class and colonialism, gender roles within the rural family, and the transition from youth to manhood to old age. The diaries provide a rare opportunity to read the thoughts and follow the experiences of a man who who, like many Victorian-era immigrants of the privileged class, struggled to adapt to the Canadian environment during the rise of the industrial age.

J.I. Little is professor emeritus in the Department of History at Simon Fraser University.

J.I. Little is emeritus professor of history at Simon Fraser University and the author of At the Wilderness Edge: The Rise of the Antidevelopment Movement on Canada's West Coast.

« La vie d’Henry Trent démontre la pertinence du principe qu’« aucun homme n’est une île », et Little s’en sert pour prévenir les historiographes que les conven- tions sur l’identité masculine, les sphères séparées et la modernisation de l’agriculture sont à manipuler avec prudence.» Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française

“A welcome resource for teaching not only in its discussion of using diaries as primary sources but also in its ambitious effort to introduce and personalize such diverse topics as migration, colonialism, labour, and the family.” BC Studies