Rereading History

Monday, we headed up to Wolfville. I could not resist a quick stop at the Odd Book. Within minutes, I had found two keepers.

The Practice of the Wild, essays by Gary Snyder. It seemed very appropriate to the battle we face trying to preserve the forested landscape in Nova Scotia. The first essay, The Etiquette of Freedom talks about the words, Nature, Wild and Wilderness. The second essay, The Place, the Region and the Commons covers the world is places, understanding the Commons and Bio-regional perspectives.

The second book published by Gorsebrook Studies in the Political Economy of the Atlantic region, Contested Countryside : rural workers and modern society in Atlantic Canada 1800-1950, edited by Daniel Samson. Within the chapter by Erik Kristiansen, Time, Memory and Rural Transformation: Rereading History in the Fiction of Charles Bruce and Ernest Buckler, it places Buckler into the economic context after the Second World War. Not an easy read, but thought provoking. There is also an Afterword by Daniel Samson Capitalism and Modernization in the Atlantic Canada countryside. With that in mind, move forward to 2020.

The third book is by Antony Berger and is the biography of his mother, Ella Manuel. This one came from the Lawrencetown library. Heather has snagged it, so this is an indirect review. It describes her life in Western Newfoundland, after the Second World War, a single Mother with young children, and the economic life in Lomond and Bonne Bay. Interestingly, Berger has also written about Bonne Bay: This Good and Beautiful Bay, a History of Bonne Bay to Confederation and a little beyond. Berger now spends his time between Wolfville and Woody Point.

All three books raise the question: what is the impact of the surrounding landscape and rural economy on the writers view of the world?

In the case of Gary Snyder, it is the Yuba River country in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California. For Ernest Buckler, it is the Annapolis Valley. For Ella Manuel and Antony Berger it is Bonne Bay, Western Newfoundland.

I would encourage reading the chapter in Contested Countryside, Rereading of History, by Eric Kristiansen; challenging, but definitely relevant to our times.

Last weekend, we attended the Dave Gunning concert in Bridgetown. We came away with two CDs. This week, I have been listening to ‘These Hands’ and ‘Circle of Boots’.

Finally, I had the chance to drop off some excess books at Endless Shores in Bridgetown and thus obtain a credit. The ones that were not of interest to Jennifer, I took to the Bridgetown post office.

Acknowledgements

The Odd Book in Wolfville, close to the university, is a readers’ goldmine. Jaki at the library obtained the Ella Manuel biography. Heather for her comments on the book. Edward for his graphics.

References

Gary Snyder, 1990. The Practice of the Wild. North Point Press.

David Samson (Ed.), 1994. Contested Countryside. Rural workers and modern society in Atlantic Canada 1880-1950. Acadiensis Press.

Antony Berger, 2014. The Good and Beautiful Bay: A History of Bonne Bay to Confederation and a little beyond. Flanker Press.

Antony Berger, 2020. No Place for a Woman. The life and Newfoundland stories of Ella Manuel. Breakwater Books.

Dave Gunning CDs No more Pennies 2012. Up against the Sky. 2019.