ENGL 228 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Thomas Chandler Haliburton, English Americans, Print Culture
16 Aug 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
ENGL 228
Lecture 6
Course Questions:
-What can this work tell us about Canada?
-What can this work tell us about literature?
Thomas Chandler Haliburton (1796-1865) — Author of The Clockmaker
-Satire author — humorous author who writes to make the reader laugh
-Lesson behind laughter — literature definition of satire
Question: What is the art of Thomas Chandler’s satire?
Loyalist Conservatism Voice: that helped form Canada — Chandler’s influence
-Rivalry with the United States
-Connection with Nova Scotia to reach prosperity within the British Empire — rather than
succumbing to the commercial superiority of the United States
Canadian Pre-culture
-Haliburton was successfully published within his lifetime — bestselling book that was pirated
in the United States and England
-Embodies the early Canadian print culture: unstable publishing availability allowed people
to steal these works and claim them as their own
In Contrast to Thompson
-Thompson is a voice for the fur-trade (interactions between traders and First Nations)
-Interactions that were constitutive to the country
-Mapping and settlement advancements that left history within our country
-Canada would not exist without Thompson’s influence on the fur-trade in Canada
Samuel de Champlain (not reading, but influential on Canadian history)
-Champlain is known for his help with expansion of the Native trade, and the alliances with
the Algonquin
-English settlement was restricted to the sea
-Speaks to the founding and establishment of Quebec
-Canada would not exist without Champlain — foundation for culture and space that
didn’t succumb to republicanism due to Quebec being French and Roman Catholic
Life of Thomas Chandler Haliburton
-Came from a family of Monarchists, born in Nova Scotia
-Grandfather came from the English American colonies in the Southern United States
-Haliburton family hails from the Scottish borders
-Father and Grandfather were successful lawyers who became judges — Thomas later
became a judge too (upper class family)
-Mother (Lucy Grant) was a loyalist family who came north during the American Revolution
who were marked by the trauma of the migration and Revolution — forced to survive the
harsh weather of Canada into New Brunswick
- Attended schools run by the Church of England
-Graduated in 1815 from King’s College of Windsor — remembered the War of 1812
-Unable to participate in it as he was too young, but recalls seeing two ships fight in the
Halifax harbour
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-English Shannon towing the latter ship covered in blood and cannon blasts (Canada
defeated the United States
-Defined by this war
-Grew up in a colony that was influenced by the wars in Europe — Nova Scotia
-Golden age of Nova Scotia in 1815 (shipbuilding based economy)
-The economic boom ended in 1815, and Nova Scotia began to decline
-Increased interest in democratic reform — undermined the position of Haliburton’s family
-Began legal and political career in Nova Scotia — became a practising lawyer in 1820
-Political character was unpredictable: he was independent enough to decide for himself
-Defended Tory causes — defended the Church of England
-Conservative cause: the Church of England had rights to much of the land that other
Churches didn’t agree with
-Haliburton replaced his judge father in
-1840 — Nova Scotia became the first place to receive responsible government
-1848 Nova Scotia had an elected group of members who had the power to influence the
major government
-Wrote first book — not literary: A Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia
-Describes Nova Scotia as a place to settle and create industry — wanted to enhance Nova
Scotia as a colony
-Praised by other like-minded people, but didn’t sell
-Began to write satirical pieces to surpass his first book — wanted to capture the interest of
readings
-Turned to character, humour and satire
-The Clockmaker — his best piece of writing
-Appointed judge of Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 1841
-Ambitious to be selected colonial of Nova Scotia and resigned from his judicial duties and
moved permanently to England where he remarried
-Elected to British house of commons in 1859
-Gravitated to England — centre of Canadian government and to achieve ultimate success
Conservative Writer — resisted American Domination
-Thomas describes a condition of Canada that remains today — remains in the shadow of
England
-Growing up in a country with a great powerful American neighbour
Publication of The Clockmaker, Series 1
-Example of literary creation that was born in a Halifax newspaper — reflection of its genesis
and serialization
-Work of literature that was progressively written
-Speaks to a local readership — writing for a Nova Scotia readership (which was well
received)
-Canadian authors writing for Canadian readers
-Didn’t sign his work at first — wanted people to value the arguments not the mans name
-Signed “The Gentleman”
-Rational interest and evaluation that he wanted, not people to read his work for his name
-21 articles in Joseph Hoe’s newspaper, The Novascotian; Sept 1835 - Feb 1836
-Joseph Howe
-Howe didn’t share Thomas Chandler’s politics — Howe was a Liberal Reformer
-Younger than Thomas Chandler Haliburton and bought the newspaper at 23 years old
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Thomas chandler haliburton (1796-1865) author of the clockmaker. Satire author humorous author who writes to make the reader laugh. Lesson behind laughter literature de nition of satire. Loyalist conservatism voice: that helped form canada chandler"s in uence. Connection with nova scotia to reach prosperity within the british empire rather than succumbing to the commercial superiority of the united states. Haliburton was successfully published within his lifetime bestselling book that was pirated in the united states and england. Embodies the early canadian print culture: unstable publishing availability allowed people to steal these works and claim them as their own. Thompson is a voice for the fur-trade (interactions between traders and first nations) Interactions that were constitutive to the country. Mapping and settlement advancements that left history within our country. Canada would not exist without thompson"s in uence on the fur-trade in canada. Samuel de champlain (not reading, but in uential on canadian history)
