The Victorian Short Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century.
Current Theme: Colonial Short Stories: Canada
Continuing our exploration of Victorian colonial short stories, from this autumn we will consider and discuss tales of and from Canada. These will cover portrayals of new settlers, indigenous first nations people, the landscape, and the flora and fauna.
The Idyl of the Island, by Susan Frances Harrison
(First published in The Week, a Canadian literary periodical, 1886)
A sleeping, unnamed lady, becomes the subject of the male gaze. The gentleman, transfixed by beauty, wishes to claim both the lady and the island as his own, raising parallels to colonialism, which we can discuss.
Upon registration you will receive a link to an on-line copy of the text and, as it is a short story group, it will require no more than an evening’s preparation to read the required material.
Sessions take place monthly between October and June at a venue in Chiswick, London, W4 1TT, between 7 and 8.30 pm. At each session there is a brief introduction to the work, followed by a group discussion in a relaxed atmosphere, with wine and nibbles supplied.
Image: A map of Canada dated 1904
A short history of England (1904) (14777886795) – Category:1904 maps of Canada – Wikimedia Commons
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