IOOI-2. TRANSACTIONS. 9 



Canadian Novels and Novelists. 



By Mr. Lawrence J. Burpee. 



[Read February 8th^ igor. 



I have interpreted the title of this paper in the broadest 

 sense, as including all branches of fiction, the novel proper, 

 the romance, the short-story, etc. When the subject first 

 suggested itself to me, I felt that there was scarcely sufficient 

 substance in it for even a short paper, but upon making a 

 careful examination of the field it appeared tliat instead of the 

 existing material being meagre, I should have to resort to 

 rigid compression to keep the paper within reasonable bounds. 

 The very interesting section of French-Canadian fiction is 

 consequently omitted altogether, to be dealt with perhaps on 

 some future occasion, and in reviewing the course of the 

 English section of our fiction, I have confined anything like 

 a full treatment of the novelists and their books to the earlier 

 and little-known writers, passing over more recent names as 

 briefly as p<>>sible. i 



Under the adverse conditions of pioneer life in a new 

 country the first feeble efforts towards literature, semi-conscious 

 at best, are found to be rather practical and utilitarian than 

 intellectual. This applies especially to the case of Canada. 

 Going back to the earliest beginning of our literary history we 

 find, first, certain rough and ready accounts of explorers and 

 navigators, descriptions of the country, its natives, etc. Then, 

 books of advice (wise or otherwise) to immigrants, and other 

 things of the kind. Following these, we come upon a mass of 



1. A somewhat full consideration of the contemporary group of 

 Canadian novelists will be found in an article by the writer, in the 

 Foruin, New York, August, 1899. 



