Wacousta
Encyclopedia
Wacousta is a novel by John Richardson
. Published in 1832, it is sometimes claimed as the first Canadian
novel,, although in fact it is preceded by Julia Catherine Beckwith
's St Ursula's Convent; or, The Nun of Canada (Kingston, 1824). Wacousta is better categorized as the first attempt by a Canadian born author at Historical Fiction.
However, it is one of the first novels written by a Canadian-born author about Canada, and, in spite of its overwrought sentimentalism, it has been treated as a seminal work in the development of a Canadian literary sensibility.
Its themes include prophecy
and opposites, such as manliness
vs. effeminacy
, wilderness
/wildness vs. civilization
, sensibility
vs. compassion
and the natural
vs. the supernatural
among others.
In the period of publication, Wacousta was quite popular not only in Canada, but also in the United States. A contemporary novel it competed with was James Fenimore Cooper
's The Last of the Mohicans
. Where they differ is that Cooper's novel focuses on the efforts of the individual within the whole, but Richardson's novel concerns itself with broader cross-cultural motivations.
Setting is sound in Wacousta, it takes in more than just locale. Richardon's wilderness is a place of sound - a place of curves within that auditory sound-setting. The Indians are also vehicles of sound, of whom Wacousta is a member. The constant reiteration of sound within, particularly in moments of howling, refers to the voice of an outcast culture, one that like sound does not respect borders. Auditory space is an important character within the novel.
In Survival, Margaret Atwood suggests that "man attempted to change Nature's order (which may look to man like chaos) into the shape of human civilization [...] man tends to squares [...] the Canadian pioneer is a square man in a round whole; he faces the problem of trying to fit a straight line into a curved space" (120). One observes in Richardson's use of the 'curve' within the novel as representative of the native voice. Richardson writes: "Less seen than felt"(238). This line is indicative of the British presence within a curved environment.
John Richardson (author)
John Richardson was a British Army officer and the first Canadian-born novelist to achieve international recognition....
. Published in 1832, it is sometimes claimed as the first Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novel,, although in fact it is preceded by Julia Catherine Beckwith
Julia Catherine Beckwith
Julia Catherine Beckwith was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick on March 10, 1796. She spent much of her early life in Nova Scotia and Quebec. Her mother Julie-Louis Le Burn, daughter of Jean Baptiste Le Brun de Duplessis came from a wealthy French family who immigrated to Canada during the 17th...
's St Ursula's Convent; or, The Nun of Canada (Kingston, 1824). Wacousta is better categorized as the first attempt by a Canadian born author at Historical Fiction.
However, it is one of the first novels written by a Canadian-born author about Canada, and, in spite of its overwrought sentimentalism, it has been treated as a seminal work in the development of a Canadian literary sensibility.
Its themes include prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
and opposites, such as manliness
Manliness
Manliness is book by Harvey C. Mansfield first published by Yale University Press in 2006. Mansfield is a professor of government at Harvard University...
vs. effeminacy
Effeminacy
Effeminacy describes traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles....
, wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
/wildness vs. civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
, sensibility
Sensibility
Sensibility refers to an acute perception of or responsiveness toward something, such as the emotions of another. This concept emerged in eighteenth-century Britain, and was closely associated with studies of sense perception as the means through which knowledge is gathered...
vs. compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
and the natural
Natural
Natural is an adjective that refers to Nature.Natural may refer too:In science and mathematics:* Natural transformation, category theory in mathematics* Natural foods...
vs. the supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
among others.
In the period of publication, Wacousta was quite popular not only in Canada, but also in the United States. A contemporary novel it competed with was James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
's The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in February 1826. It is the second book of the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy and the best known...
. Where they differ is that Cooper's novel focuses on the efforts of the individual within the whole, but Richardson's novel concerns itself with broader cross-cultural motivations.
Setting is sound in Wacousta, it takes in more than just locale. Richardon's wilderness is a place of sound - a place of curves within that auditory sound-setting. The Indians are also vehicles of sound, of whom Wacousta is a member. The constant reiteration of sound within, particularly in moments of howling, refers to the voice of an outcast culture, one that like sound does not respect borders. Auditory space is an important character within the novel.
In Survival, Margaret Atwood suggests that "man attempted to change Nature's order (which may look to man like chaos) into the shape of human civilization [...] man tends to squares [...] the Canadian pioneer is a square man in a round whole; he faces the problem of trying to fit a straight line into a curved space" (120). One observes in Richardson's use of the 'curve' within the novel as representative of the native voice. Richardson writes: "Less seen than felt"(238). This line is indicative of the British presence within a curved environment.