Duncan Campbell Scott and Maurice Maeterlinck

Maurice Maeterlinck, hailed in 1892 as "the Belgian Shakespeare," influenced Canadian artistic circles around the turn of the century. A Canadian writer who appears to have been particularly receptive to the influence of Maeterlinck is Duncan Campbell Scott. Evidence suggests Scott drew upon the mystical positivism of Maeterlinck's The Treasure of the Humble in writing "the Forsaken," "On the Way to the Mission" and "Labor and the Angel"

Roberts' "Tantramar Revisited" and Lanier's "The Marshes of Glynn"

Charles G.D. Roberts' "Tantramar Revisited" was probably influenced by Sidney Lanier's "The Marshes of Glynn." There are similarities of rhythm, image, and metaphor between the two poems. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the similarities are coincidental: both poets were enamoured of similar verse styles, and both were familiar with similar landscapes, particularly marshlands

Alchemical Transmutation in Duncan Campbell Scott's "At Gull Lake: August, 1810," and Some Contingent Speculations

One of the most intriguing passages in any of D.C. Scott's Indian poems occurs near the end of "At Gull Lake: August, 1810." In the passage, Keejigo, the half-breed protagonist of the poem, goes through a process of alchemical transmutation, as suggested by Scott's description of the rainbow that forms after her death. Thus, a full understanding of Scott's poem depends on the recognition that in the poem's conclusion Scott draws upon the alchemical notion of a close correspondence, almost an identity, between the transmutation of metals and spiritual purification and regeneration. As well, it can be argued that in a small amount of Scott's work there is the presence of various images and ideas which are evocative of hermeticism and that the poet may have been acquainted with the hermetical writings of such writers as Henry and Thomas Vaughan

Watchful Dreams and Sweet Unrest: An Essay on the Vision of Archibald Lampman

In the visionary poems that must be considered central to Archibald Lampman's canon, there is present the subtle and alert consciousness, the clarity of vision, the unclouded focus on things as they are, that are the requisites for a rational, realistic, and comprehensive understanding of humankind's relation to the world, to the "All," and to Time. By examining Lampman's verse, one can demonstrate that, for Lampman, true insight meant seeing and understanding the world, with all its tensions and opposition, comprehensively. For him, the only acceptable reason for leaving the world of men was to return to it regenerated, with a reformed and reforming humanitarian vision

Charles J. Cameron's Emendations and Annotations to Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death by George Frederick Cameron

Bentley, having purchased a copy of Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death by George Frederick Cameron once owned by Charles J. Cameron (the poet's brother), reproduces in full the emendations and annotations made by Charles Cameron on the poems. These annotations have considerable editorial and biographical importance, identifying, for example, the subject of a number of love poems

Sizing up the Women in Malcom's Katie and The Story of an Affinity

Compares and contrasts Isabella Valancy Crawford's "Malcolm's Katie" with Archibald Lampman's "The Story of an Affinity." Superficially, it appears that Lampman's story is more progressive, in terms of contemporary sexual mores, than is Crawford's poem. In "Malcolm's Katie," the heroine is typically small and timid; Katie's stature (and her actions) are manifestations of romance convention and a reflection of social reality. Lampman's story, perhaps a response to Crawford's poem, envisages women on a socially and morally equal footing with men, which is reflected physically in the stature of Lampman's women. However, there is some suggestion that Crawford's poem is more radically, albeit subtly, subversive

Watchful Dream and Sweet Unrest: An Essay On the Vision of Archibald Lampman

It is necessary to recognize Lampman's humanitarianism in order to appreciate the ironies in some of his poems, such as "Among the Millet," "The Frogs," and "Freedom." A careful reading will suggest that he is not a pastoral poet, but, rather, one who tends to lament the absence of pastoral reflection. The "bower of bliss," in fact, is misleading, seducing us out of our vital day-to-day existence. "The world of men" is our proper place, whatever sympathy can be engendered in us by the natural world. Lampman conceived of the poet's vocation as an idealistic and purposeful movement to and from, from and to nature and society