February Reading Visits a "Feminist" in the Western Canadian Frontier

[mattiescottage.livejournal.com]

In February, I think I must have spent more time getting in and out of woolens, snowsuits, and insulated boots than I did reading.  

Thanks to the magic of Microsoft Reader Text-to-Speech, I managed to listen to the following book over a few sessions of weekend kitchen activity:

• The Black Creek Stopping-House and Other Stories by Nellie McClung (1912), avaliable for free download at Project Gutenberg.

The book is a compilation that includes the multi-chapter mini-novel, The Black Creek Stopping-House, and  seven short stories, most of them highlighting life in the sparsely-settled areas of Western Canada.  I was pleasantly surprised and cheered by the sympathetic, kind-hearted practicality of the author toward and with her characters.  Hers was a spirit I enjoyed having in my kitchen.  I determined I need to try some more of her works.  

It seemed to me that the author excelled in showing the contributions of people wherever they happened to be, in their homes and with their neighbors. In one story, a couple who were active in the Salvation Army Church while in the city exercise heart and kindness in their new rough frontier neighborhood. In another story, a female author at a speaking engagement surprises her hosts with her love of her own rural home and family above time she could have with their (presumably) more culturally-educated and progressive social group.  One story showed the emptiness and futility of small-town political games and maneuvering.

I must say that I was more than a bit surprised when I later did some quick research and found that Nellie McClung is best known for her role in political activism in the liberal issues of her day and is considered a "feminist."  Upon reflection, I gather that McClung's writings attempt to show us that her political aims rested on a real heart for helping individuals find their place and their rest.

I look forward to learning more about Nellie McClung, not by what the encyclopediae say, but through another of her works.

Comments

[mattiescottage.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading about it. :-)