De l’hydre au castor. Représentations de la Confédération dans la presse de l’Amérique du Nord britannique (1844-1867), (Anne Trépanier, Department of French, School of Canadian Studies)
Dr. Anne Trépanier’s new book De l’hydre au castor. Représentations de la Confédération dans la presse de l’Amérique du Nord britannique (1844-1867) will be released Frebruary 13th.
At a time when historical events and figures are celebrated, criticized, or toppled, and as Canadians contemplate the continuity and uses of the British monarchy, this book seeks to answer a historical question: how was the Confederation of Canada perceived without knowing its fate in advance?
The book draws from a rich tapestry of representations found in newspapers and satirical publications from the four provinces of British North America before their entry into Confederation: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada East, and Canada West. Through an exploration of diverse media, including editorial writings, whimsical illustrations, and biting satire, the author examines whether there were common representations of what Canada would become in 1867. Tensions, twists, monsters, drapery, and exaggerations emerge as a baroque world in the mirrors of paper held up by newspapers.
The book examines the tension between the peril of assimilation and the belonging to a great people, as reflected in the fears and hopes surrounding Confederation. The imaginary map of a projected Canada becomes a canvas for interpreting the roles of various communities, including French Canadians, Irish, Scots, English, First Nations, Catholics, Protestants, Loyalists, and Americans.
Newspapers are employed as a primary source, emphasizing their unique ability to reflect the contemporary concerns and thoughts surrounding Confederation projects. The press becomes a lens through which the reader can witness the thematic occurrences that populated the satirical newspapers of the time.
This book goes beyond a mere historical exploration; it presents a curious and careful examination of images that gave substance and form to the commonplaces of argumentation during the formative years of political and human Canada in 1867. The representations, whether depicting gain and loss, unity, and rupture, or change and tradition, are analyzed as artifacts of anticipation, providing historical traces of a projected, feared, or desired future.
