Peter Trower: a Poet Laureate for British Columbia
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PETER TROWER: A POET LAUREATE FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA Mark Vincent Diotte Bachelor of Arts, Simon Fraser University 2003 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of English O Mark Vincent Diotte 2006 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2006 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author APPROVAL Name: Mark Vincent Diotte Degree: Master of Arts in the Department of English Title of Thesis: Peter Trower: A Poet Laureate for British Columbia Examining Committee: Chair: Margaret Linley Assistant Professor, Department of English David Stouck Senior Supervisor Professor Emeritus, Department of English Jeff Derksen Supervisor Assistant Professor, Department of English Laurie Ricou External Examiner Department of English University of British Columbia Date Defended: 15 November 2006 SIMON FRASER UNWERS~Ibrary DECLARATION OF PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essqy to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep pr make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the "Institutional Repository" link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http:llir.lib.sfu.calhandlell8921112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesislproject or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall npt be allowed without the author's written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Revised: Fall 2006 ABSTRACT While poet, author, and musician Peter Trower has been part of the literary community of Canada for over forty years, his work has largely been ignored by academics. This thesis attempts to rectify this deficiency by presenting Trower's poetry as crucial to understanding aspects of British Columbia's history and culture, and the flow of poetic tradition from Europe to Canada in the twentieth century. Further, this project delineates the unique poetic of Trower and how it affirms typically negative human experiences such as absence and sorrow. For contemporary readers, Trower's poetry addresses concerns of gender; it reveals how masculinity is constructed in terms of a systemic hegemony as well as how the view of masculinity as homogenous and inevitable is inadequate. This project solidifies Trower's proper location and importance in the literary and academic community. DEDICATION To my wife Laura and my family on both sides, all of whom worried excessively that this project would never get started, let alone completed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to those who have supported and encouraged me, especially in my intellectual endeavours, and in this work, in particular: David Stouck, Eric Swanick, Margaret Linley, Tom Grieve, Jeff Derksen, Laurie Ricou and Mary Hooper, Literary Executor for Milton Acorn. A special note of thanks to Geoff Madoc-Jones who made both The Trower Collection at Simon Fraser University and my own research possible, and of course to Peter Trower, a poet and a gentleman who abided my naiveti: and persistent questioning in the undertaking of this project. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Approval ............................................................................................................................ 11 ... Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 111 Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi .. Glossary ........................................................................................................................... vll Chapter One: Biography ...................................................................................................1 Chapter Two: Logging. Working Class Concerns & Peter Trower ...........................23 The Resource Economy .................................................................................................25 Chapter Three: The Channeling of Poetic Tradition ...................................................55 The Romantic-Humanist Tradition ...............................................................................-61 Canadian Modernism .....................................................................................................69 The Georgian Influence ..................................................................................................74 The Tears in Things ........................................................................................................83 Chapter Four: Constructions of Masculinity in the Poetry of Peter Trower ............. 96 Masculinity in the Woods ............................................................................................100 Triangulation. Desire and Homosocial Bonds .............................................................113 Multiple Masculinities and the Self-Made Man ...........................................................123 Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 134 Appendix A: "Remembering Al. A Tribute to A1 Purdy" ............................................135 Appendix B: "The Ballad of Peter Trower" .................................................................138 Appendix C: Works of Peter Trower ...........................................................................140 Works Cited ....................................................................................................................143 GLOSSARY cat skinner A slang term for the operator of a bulldozer. caulk boots Traditional footwear worn by loggers. Heavy leather boots with spiked soles. chokerboy syn. Chokerman. The logger who applies chokers, or wire cables with couplings, around cut timber to drag or skid it out of the bush. The lowest paid job in the woods. crummies Company bus or truck used to transport loggers to and from the job site. donkey Originally a steam powered engine mounted on a sled. Later, donkey engines were fuelled by gas and diesel. donkey puncher Adapted from bull puncher when, prior to the advent of the engine, oxen were used to pull logs from the setting to the landing. A goad was used to drive the oxen, and thus the name bull puncher. A donkey puncher operated the donkey engine. greenhorn An inexperienced or foolish person; new recruit. hooker Refers to steam logging days. The hooktender or hooker was a man who set out lines for the hauling roads. He would also be responsible for the crew bringing logs from the stumps or setting to the landing. setting The area of timber to be logged by a single spar-tree. sidehill A term used by loggers to indicate a hillside or slope. side-rod The foreman of the side or unit of trees worked by a single crew of men. skidding To draw logs from the stump to the skidway, landing or mill. skid road Sometimes incorrectly called Skid Row. Originally referred to the corduroy roads made of logs greased with oil on which timber was skidded out of the bush. The term was picked up in Seattle and Vancouver to signify the waterfront areas where loggers came to spend their wages on alcohol, gaming, and entertainment. These areas were known as skid roads after the occupation of their patrons. snoose Powdered chewing tobacco, from the Swedish "snustobac." In days when it was used widely by loggers it was sometimes referred to as "summer cigarettes" as it was not banned by fire regulation. spar-tree A tall standing tree that was at the centre of high-lead logging claim where all the wires tied or ran through blocks to drag logs in from the setting to the loading area. Replicas stand in Campbell River, Nanaimo, and Sooke. strawline A small cable or chain which is used in changing the skidding lines from one run of timber to another. suicide show A particularly dangerous logging claim. Svenska Swede, Swedish. whistlepunk The person who operates a steam whistle or horn as