The Canadian Short Story Interpretations

Edited by Reingard M. Nischik

CAMDEN HOUSE Rochester, New York Contents

Preface ix

The Canadian Short Story: Status, Criticism, Historical Survey 1 Reiujjard M. Nischik

1: Canadian Animal Stories: Charles G. D. Roberts, "Do Seek Their Meat from God" (1892) 41 Martina Seifert

2: Tory Humanism, Ironic Humor, and Satire: Stephen Leacock, "The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias" (1912) 53 Heinz Antor

3: The Beginnings of Canadian Modernism: Raymond Knister, "The First Day of Spring" (written 1924/25) 67 Julia Breitbach

4: From Old World Aestheticist Immoralist to Prairie Moral Realist: Frederick Philip Grove, "Snow" (1926/1932) 83 Konrad Grqfs

5: Psychological Realism, Immigration, and City Fiction: Morley Callaghan, "Last Spring They Came Over" (1927) 95 Paul Goetscb

6: Modernism, Prairie Fiction, and Gender: Sinclair Ross, "The Lamp at Noon" (1938) 105 Dieter Meindl

7: "An Artful Artlessness": Ethel Wilson, "We Have to Sit Opposite" (1945) 117 Nina Kiick

8: Social Realism and Compassion for the Underdog: Hugh Garner, "One-Two-Three Little Indians" (1950) 129 Stefan Ferguson vi • CONTENTS

9: The Perils of Human Relationships: Joyce Marshall, "The Old Woman" (1952) Rudolf Bader

10: The Social Critic at Work: Mordecai Richler, "Benny, the War in Europe, and Myerson's Daughter Bella" (1956) Fabienne C. Quennet

11: Myth and the Postmodernist Turn in Canadian Short Fiction Sheila Watson, "Antigone" (1959) Martin Kuester

12: The Modernist Aesthetic: Hugh Hood, "Flying a Red Kite" (1962) Jutta Zimmermann

13: Doing Well in the International Thing?: Mavis Gallant, 'T"he Ice Wagon Going Down the Street" (1963) Silvia Mergenthal

14: (Un-)Doing Gender: Alice Munro, "Boys and Girls" (1964) Reiugard M. Niscbik

15: Collective Memory and Personal Identity in the Prairie Town of Manawaka: Margaret Laurence, "The Loons" (1966) Caroline Rosenthal

16: "Out of Place": Clark Blaise, "A Class of New Canadians" (1970) Wolfyang ICloofi

17: Realism and Parodic Postmodernism: Audrey Thomas, "Aquarius" (1971) Lothar Honnighausen

18: "The Problem Is to Make the Story": Rudy Wiebe, "Where Is the Voice Coming from?" (1971) Heinz Ickstadt

19: The Canadian Writer as Expatriate: Norman Levine, "We All Begin in a Little Magazine" (1972) Gordon Boiling

20: Canadian Artist Stories: John Metcalf, "The Strange Aberration of Mr. Ken Smythe" (1973) Reinjjard M. Nischik CONTENTS • vii

21: "A Literature of a Whole World and of a Real World": Jane Rule, "Lilian" (1977) 299 Christina Strobel

22: Failure as Liberation: Jack Hodgins, "The Concert Stages of Europe" (1978) 313 Waldemar Zacharasiewicz

23: Figures in a Landscape: William Dempsey Valgardson, "A Matter of Balance" (1982) 321 Maria and Martin Liischnigg

24: "The Translation of the World into Words" and the Female Tradition: Margaret Atwood, "Significant Moments in the Life ofMy Mother" (1983) 331 Reinjjard M. Nischik

25: "Southern Preacher": Leon Rooke, "The Woman Who Talked to Horses" (1984) 341 Nadja Gemalzick

26: Nativeness as Third Space: Thomas King, "Borders" (1991) 353 Eva Gruber

27: Digressing to Inner Worlds: Carol Shields, "Our Men and Women" (1999) 365 Brijjitte Glaser

28: A Sentimental Journey: Janice Kulyk Keefer, "Dreams:Storms:Dogs" (1999) 375 Georgiana Banita

Further Reading on the Canadian Short Story 387 Time Chart: The Short Story in the LISA, Canada, and Great Britain 389 Notes on the Contributors 399 Index 405