Other editions of book The Imperialist

In Elgin, Ontario, a burgeoning community in young Canada, Lorne Murchison must balance his political aspirations and his support for the imperialist ideal with his romantic aspirations. Meanwhile, his sister, Advena, falls in love with a young minister, who is already engaged to another woman.An examination of Canadian values in the late nineteenth century, The Imperialist serves as a comedy of manners and an important depiction of life in small-town Ontario. The novel has since become Sara Jeanette Duncan’s best-known work.HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Duncan is best known today for her 1904 novel The Imperialist, which tells the story of Lorne Murchison, a young lawyer in the fictional town of Elgin, Ontario who becomes an advocate of imperial preferential trade and unsuccessfully runs for the Parliament of Canada for the Liberal Party. The book has been widely praised by scholars as a sensitive and perceptive portrait of small-town Ontario at the turn of the twentieth century, and at the social mores of the time and place. While it has been lauded for its subtle grasp of women's place in society, it has also been criticized for focusing on upper-class and middle-class people over workers and the poor, and for its brutally racist depiction of Aboriginal people.

Although she was a product of a small Ontario town in the late nineteenth century, Sara Jeannette Duncan belongs to the cosmopolitan tradition. In "The Imperialist" she brings us to the centre of the social life of the imaginary town of Elgin, through which she observes the Ontario scene with witty and observant eyes. The "imperial idea" embraced by Lorne Murchison is as contemporary now as it was then, and the conflict between the old and new world will prove as meaningful to today's reader as it was at the turn of the century.

I T vould have been idle to inquire- in tothe antecedents, or even the circumstances,of old Mother Beggarlegs. She vouldnever tell; the children, at all events, vereconvinced of that; and it was only thechildren, perhapsJ vho had the time and theinclination to speculate. Her occupation vasclear; she presided like a venerable stoopinghawk, over a stall in the covered part of theElgin n1arket-place, vhere she sold gingerbreadhorses and large round gingerbreadcookies, and brovn sticky squares of ,vhatwas kno~n in all circles in Elgin as taffy ..She came, it was understood J vi th the dawn ;,vi th the night she vanished, spending theinterval on a not ilnprobable brOOlnstick.Her gingerbread vas better than anybody's;but there ,vas no comfort in standing, first onone foot and then on the other, while you madeup your n1ind-the horses vere spirited, andyou could eat them a -leg at a time, but therevas more in the cookies-she beTable of Contents PAGE; CHAPTER I I; CHAPTER II 19; CHAPTER III 32; CHAPTER IV 47; CHAPTER V 61; CHAPTER VI 74; CHAPTER VII 88; CHAPTER VIII 102; CHAPTER IX 114; CHAPTER X 126; CHAPTER XI 138; CHAPTER XII 149; CHAPTER XIII • 165; CHAPTER XIV • 174; CHAPTER XV 185; CHAPTER XVI 195; CHAPTER XVII • 208; CUAP'l'ER XVIII 227; CHAPTER XIX • • 240; Vll; CHAPT1!R XX; CHAPTER XXI; CHAPTER XXII; CHAPTER XXIII ; CHAPTER XXIV -; CHAPTER XXV; CHAPTER XXVI; CRAPTER XXVII; CHAPTER XXVIII; CHAPTER XXIX ; CHAPTER XXX; CHAPTER XXXI; CHAPTER XXXII ; CHAPTER XXXIII; CONTENTS; 250; 264; 279; 294; 307; 320; 340; 356; 370; 385; 410; 4 23; 43 2; 450About the P

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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