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Charles Clarke, Pen and Ink Warrior |
eBook Available
A compelling look at the public and private life of a nineteenth-century radical.
When Charles Clarke settled in Elora, Ontario, in 1848 he joined the ranks of the province's radical reformers, becoming a vigorous critic of everything in Canada that smacked of the old regime - rank, privilege, and monopoly - and an enthusiastic supporter of everything promised by the new - equity, democracy, and individual opportunity. He played a prominent role in drafting the "Clear Grit" platform of 1851, supporting such ideas as a householder's suffrage, the secret ballot, and representation by population. He later espoused the two great causes of nineteenth-century Anglo-Canadian liberalism - provincial rights in Canada and Irish Home Rule in Britain.
Equally involved in local affairs - from the Sons of Temperance to the Natural History Society - Clarke tirelessly promoted the natural beauties of Elora and tried to protect the environment of the Grand River gorge from the ravages of industry and human carelessness. Using Clarke's journalistic writings, his private diary, and a memoir he wrote later in life, Kenneth Dewar paints a vivid picture of Clarke's evolving sense of himself and his world in an age of profound transformation.
Equally involved in local affairs - from the Sons of Temperance to the Natural History Society - Clarke tirelessly promoted the natural beauties of Elora and tried to protect the environment of the Grand River gorge from the ravages of industry and human carelessness. Using Clarke's journalistic writings, his private diary, and a memoir he wrote later in life, Kenneth Dewar paints a vivid picture of Clarke's evolving sense of himself and his world in an age of profound transformation.
Details
352 Pages, 6 x 9
ISBN 9780773525207
May 2004
Formats: Paperback, eBook
"With this fine book, handsomely illustrated and produced, there is Y an intriguing vista of village Ontario and the impact of 19th-century changes on its people." P.B. Waite, Choice
"What Dewar has done is to give us the intellectual and cultural biography of Clarke; by focusing on the purpose, content and form of Clarke's journalism, diary and memoir, Dewar has thoroughly described the thoughts and beliefs of a Victorian Canadian, a reformer and believer in progress who waged his wars with a pen. Even more important, Dewar has made interesting and relevant what would have otherwise remained an obscure chapter in our nation's history." Jonathan Burkinshaw, Literary Review of Canada
"Dewar's scholarship is exemplary. This is a superbly researched study with a nicely inflected mode of analysis of the various stages of Clarke's career and writings. An excellent example of the sort of cultural and intellectual history that can and should be written for early Canada." Heather Murray, Department of English, University of Toronto
"A considerable accomplishment, and exceptionally well-written. Dewar reconstructs a past life deftly and provides convincing answers to the questions he asks of the material." Ramsay Cook, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, University of Toronto
"Beautifully written . This is a fine book. Taking up the life of a man of 'middling historical significance,' it illuminates local history, politics, and Victorian culture, following interesting byways en route." The Canadian Historical Review
"What Dewar has done is to give us the intellectual and cultural biography of Clarke; by focusing on the purpose, content and form of Clarke's journalism, diary and memoir, Dewar has thoroughly described the thoughts and beliefs of a Victorian Canadian, a reformer and believer in progress who waged his wars with a pen. Even more important, Dewar has made interesting and relevant what would have otherwise remained an obscure chapter in our nation's history." Jonathan Burkinshaw, Literary Review of Canada
"Dewar's scholarship is exemplary. This is a superbly researched study with a nicely inflected mode of analysis of the various stages of Clarke's career and writings. An excellent example of the sort of cultural and intellectual history that can and should be written for early Canada." Heather Murray, Department of English, University of Toronto
"A considerable accomplishment, and exceptionally well-written. Dewar reconstructs a past life deftly and provides convincing answers to the questions he asks of the material." Ramsay Cook, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, University of Toronto
"Beautifully written . This is a fine book. Taking up the life of a man of 'middling historical significance,' it illuminates local history, politics, and Victorian culture, following interesting byways en route." The Canadian Historical Review
Kenneth C. Dewar is associate professor and chair of the Department of History, Mount Saint Vincent University.
