JOAN FINNIGAN:AN ESSAYAND BIBLIOGRAPHY by M. CATHARINE CARROLL, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of Master of Arts Department of English Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario 30 September 1999 Copyright O 1999 by M. Catharine Carroll National Library Bibliothhue nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bi bliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rwWellington OtlawaON KIA ON4 OnawaON KIAONQ Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduke, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent &re imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Although Ottawa Valley writer Joan Finnigan has been writing steadily for many years. virtually no critical analysis of her works exists. This thesis paper therefore examines the writer's works with a view to creating an awareness of their volume and variety. The thesis paper comprises an essay and a descriptive bibliography (including selected reviews) of the writer's published works from 1957 to 1999. The essay focuses on the interrelated genres of poetry and prose (oral history and fiction). while the accompanying bibliography provides an overview of Finnigan's published writings. Also included are appendices describing relevant library holdings, awards and recognitions. plays, as well as film. television and radio productions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I wish to acknowledge and thank Joan Fimigan. whose writings provided the inspiration for this project. When I interviewed the writer during 1998 and 1999 at her farmhouse at Hambly Lake, north of Kingston. she welcomed me with grace and hospitality. and was eager to answer my questions. She also gave me access to her personal papers which were consulted in the preparation of this thesis paper. I would like to thank my supervisor. Dr. Michael Gnarowski of the English Department, Carleton University. for sharing his time. expertise and more important, for his encouragement. I also wish to thank Dr. Larry McDonald, Chair of the English Department, Carleton Univeristy, for his enthusiasm for this project and for making my transition into the Graduate Program possible. From the library community. my thanks go to Janice Scamrnell, reference librarian at Carleton University. Thomas Rooney. librarian and manager of The Ottawa Room. Ottawa Public Library and Paul Banfield of Queen's University Archives. These three information experts put me on the "right track" to retrieve the information required for this paper. Finally. I would like to thank my husband. Roy G. Lidstone. for his support and encouragement. Table of Contents Page.- Abstract 11.. - Acknowledgements 111 Table of Contents iv Methodology v Part A: The Works of Joan Finnigan Introduction B iography Environment and Influences Poetry Prose Oral History Fiction Part B: A Bibliography of the Works of Joan Fi~igan (including selected reviews) Notes to Part A Additional Works Consulted Appendix 1 : Archival and Library Holdings Appendix 2: Awards and Recognitions Appendix 3 : Media Productions The thesis paper consists of an essay (Part A) and a bibliography (Part B), including excerpts from selected reviews, of Joan Finnigan's works from the earliest to the most recent publication (1957 - 1999). Although contributions to anthologies and other publications. as well as newspaper and magazine articles. may be cited in Part A. they are not dealt with extensively either in that section. or in Part B. Part A consists of a discussion of major elements in Fimigan's poetry and prose (oral history and fiction). Although she has written works in several other genres. one of the main assertions of the present work is that her poetry. oral histories and fiction are closely interrelated. which accounts for the critical emphasis in Part A. Poetry. in turn, receives the most attention because it emerges as the writer's most consistent genre in a somewhat eclectic body of work. Most of the biographical information in Part A was culled from interviews (cassette recordings are included with the original copy of the thesis) with the writer at her home on Harnbly Lake, north of Kingston. which took place during 1998 and 1999. Other sources of biographical and literary information include the writer's curriculum vitae. as well as her personal collection of literary magazines, newspapers and popular magazines containing her writings. All other sources of information used in Part A are documented in notes and as additional works consulted. The bibliography is based on the model in Fraser Sutherland's 1984 work, John Glassco: An Essay and Bibliography. It is included as Part B because it is an v integral part of the thesis, representing the first comprehensive bibliography of Joan Finnigan's published works. Part B is divided into poetry and prose, but unlike Part A, the prose section includes oral history, fiction, children's books and literary miscellany. Each section, in turn, is ordered chronologically. The specifics of Part B are as follows: titles are transcribed exactly as they appear in the publications (this also holds true for Part A). major sections in collections of poetry are printed in small caps and bolded, while sub-sections are printed in small caps; individual poems which appear in more than one published collection are cross- referenced and finally, any irregularities or anomalies in individual poems or collections are explained in a note. As well, poems written by Fi~iganto which she accorded the same title. but different text. are differentiated in a note- Accompanying the bibliography are escerpts from selected reviews, many of which were included in the author's personal papers. As well. an additional reference source for reviews was the Canadian Periodical Index. Finally. to provide hrther clarification. listings of library holdings, a~vards. recognitions and media productions are included as appendices. In September 1997. while researching Irish influences on Ottawa Valley literature, I came across Joan Finnigan's retold oral history Some of the srories I told you were true. While I knew that Finnigan had written extensively on the Ottawa Valley, I had no idea of how prolific and diverse her literary career has been. When I decided to undertake additional research. I discovered that there was virtually nothing written on her. So. with the encouragement of Carleton University's reference librarian. Janice Scammell. I set out to compile a descriptive bibliography of the writer's published works. While working on the project. I became intrigued by the diversity of Fimigan's writings and decided to write the explanatory essay which prefaces the bibliography. Joan Fimigan's literary reputation has been largely based on her recording and publishing of the Ottawa Valley oral histories -- the stories. anecdotes and folktales told by the "old timers." Not so readily known, however. is the fact that she wrote the award- winning screenplay The Best Damn Fiddler From Calabogie to Kaladar. the plays Wintering Over and Songs From Both Sides of rhe River. which have played at the Canadian Musewn of Civilization and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. respectively. as well as the long poems Entrance to the Greenhouse. In the Brown Cotrage on Lorrghborough Lake and "May Day Rounds: Renfiew County. " Over the course of some thirty years, she has published almost thirty books of poetry, oral histories, fiction, childrens' books, as well as literary miscellanies; this figure does not take into account the large output of writings for newspapers and magazines, both in Canada and abroad. While the writer acknowledges the fact of diversity, she contends that most of her works were labours of love which were born of the creative process and then sold; still others were commissioned works and, finally, there were works written for purposes of income. When publisher and friend Jack McCleliand told Fimigan that she was too prohse a writer, it caused her to ponder the matter. She explains, I believe that I diversified to survive. If I had gone at a genre in a single manner. my life would have been different. I really do believe that I would have concentrated on fiction and poetry. 1 might have done more children's literature, especialIy for my grandchildren. Diversification diluted [my work] but did it] to survive. ' Following her husband's death in 1965. Finnigan was adamant about working at home to stay with her children; such determination. coupled with financial considerations. required that she diversify her writings. In addition to the literary works discussed in this paper. Fimigan also engaged in journalism writing for newspapers and magazines, and worked as a freelance writer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). In the introduction to Fimigan's most recent collection of poetry, Second Wind; Second Sight, she reveals that poetry, her "primary steadfast genre,"' has been the one constant in an eclectic body of work. She has been writing steadily since age nine when she began to write verse and, to a lesser extent, fiction. Although she may not have been 3 aware of it at the time, writing allowed her to escape the tension surrounding her parents' marriage -- a tension which permeated the household. Such escapism became a hdlrnark of Fimigan's writing in that she used it as a way to cope with personal tragedy, including unhappy familial relationships and the deaths of loved ones.