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Memoirs #1
Roughing It in the Bush
In 1832, Susanna Moodie immigrated to Canada from Britain with her husband and daughter in search of comfort and independence in the unsettled Canadian backwoods. She went on to chronicle her experiences in this personal, accurate, and often humorous account.Ìý This Norton Critical Edition of Roughing It in the Bush provides everything that a student needs to analyze and enjoy Moodie’s tale.
A thorough “Backgrounds� section includes images, a map, contemporary reviews of Roughing It , and letters written by Moodie to her husband during the winter of 1839, at which time he was serving a military appointment in the Victoria District and she and her children were facing life-threatening illnesses.
“Criticism� contains ten essays by leading Canadian scholars and authors, among them Margaret Atwood, Carl Ballstadt, D. M. R. Bentley, Susan Glickman, and Michael Peterman.
A Chronology of Susanna Moodie’s life and a Selected Bibliography are also included.
A thorough “Backgrounds� section includes images, a map, contemporary reviews of Roughing It , and letters written by Moodie to her husband during the winter of 1839, at which time he was serving a military appointment in the Victoria District and she and her children were facing life-threatening illnesses.
“Criticism� contains ten essays by leading Canadian scholars and authors, among them Margaret Atwood, Carl Ballstadt, D. M. R. Bentley, Susan Glickman, and Michael Peterman.
A Chronology of Susanna Moodie’s life and a Selected Bibliography are also included.
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1852
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About the author
Susanna Moodie
188Ìýbooks19ÌýfollowersSusanna Moodie (born Strickland; 6 December 1803 â€� 8 April 1885) was an English-born Canadian author who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada, which was a British colony at the time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
June 28, 2009
is one of those books that is undeniably important (within its own limited sphere of influence). But it is also way more important than it is readable.
As an icon of Canadian Literature, has particular importance for Feminist Canadian writers. Her work has directly inspired many Canadian memoirs by women, and Margaret Atwood, one of Canada's most honoured writers, found inspiration in it for her poetry cycle, .
But Moodie's memoir, , is an excruciating read. Moodie was a bourgeois English woman who immigrated to Upper Canada when her military husband retired after the Napoleonic Wars. details the "immigrant experience" as Moodie sees it, and one is unlikely to find a more bitter, whiny, unsavory expression of an immigrant's tribulations anywhere else in literature.
Moodie complains about everything. She hates the weather, she hates the work, she hates the lack of culture, and she hates life. And all I could think when I read her whining, and all I can still think, is "Waaaah, waaaah, f*cking waaaah! Suck it up!" Moodie was a spoiled, miserable woman -- at least during the period she covers in -- and I, for one, found it almost impossible to sympathize with her.
Add to that the fact that Moodie's writing style, very much of her time and place in the world, was painfully boring, and you can imagine the joy this book can bring to anyone who reads it from cover to cover.
Had I not been reading this for a course, and had I not chosen to write my final essay on Atwood's (which I much prefer), I would never have finished .
And yes, I hated it, but I am giving a second star simply because it is important, and I can't deny Moodie's place in Canadian literary history.
But still...ugh!
As an icon of Canadian Literature, has particular importance for Feminist Canadian writers. Her work has directly inspired many Canadian memoirs by women, and Margaret Atwood, one of Canada's most honoured writers, found inspiration in it for her poetry cycle, .
But Moodie's memoir, , is an excruciating read. Moodie was a bourgeois English woman who immigrated to Upper Canada when her military husband retired after the Napoleonic Wars. details the "immigrant experience" as Moodie sees it, and one is unlikely to find a more bitter, whiny, unsavory expression of an immigrant's tribulations anywhere else in literature.
Moodie complains about everything. She hates the weather, she hates the work, she hates the lack of culture, and she hates life. And all I could think when I read her whining, and all I can still think, is "Waaaah, waaaah, f*cking waaaah! Suck it up!" Moodie was a spoiled, miserable woman -- at least during the period she covers in -- and I, for one, found it almost impossible to sympathize with her.
Add to that the fact that Moodie's writing style, very much of her time and place in the world, was painfully boring, and you can imagine the joy this book can bring to anyone who reads it from cover to cover.
Had I not been reading this for a course, and had I not chosen to write my final essay on Atwood's (which I much prefer), I would never have finished .
And yes, I hated it, but I am giving a second star simply because it is important, and I can't deny Moodie's place in Canadian literary history.
But still...ugh!
July 4, 2023
Truth be told from an academic and literary history, cultural point of departure, it indeed needs to be pointed out that many (and in particular women) scholars do tend to now consider and approach British/Canadian author and memoirist Susanna Moodie as a 19th century (and therefore early) feminist (and yes, Susanna Moodie and her sisters certainly did seem to have had both an enviable amount of both basic and advanced education, ample opportunities for writing and even having their authorial endeavours published at a time when this was not at all common for girls and women both in England and most likely globally, and furthermore that all of the Strickland sisters indeed presented for the 19th century quite emancipatory attitudes with regard to gender issues and slabery in particular).
However and the above having been said, I also and personally have to admit and categorically claim that I have since I first had to in detail peruse Susanna Moodie’s Roughing it in the Bush (her memoirs about immigrating to and settling with her husband in 19th century Canada) for a grade eleven English term paper on early Canadian writing considered Susanna Moodie’s musings and details about her and her husband’s immigrant experiences not much more than basically and sadly just a generally constant and bickering whine-fest, a litany and laundry list of one complaint after another.
For while of course and naturally, settling in 19th century Canada (or rather in what would later become the country of Canada, and the province of Ontario) could be harsh and difficult, the recurring and overwhelming complaints and even at times angry outbursts seemingly always emanating from Susanna Moodie’s pen in Roughing it in the Bush about basically everything from the weather to the fact that her new home was not like the genteel British countryside she and her husband had left behind upon emigration, this to and for my reading eyes (both when I read Roughing it in the Bush for school and when I recently tried a reread) have certainly and very quickly become both tedious and annoying, leaving me with the indelible and sad impression that Susanna Moodie’s writing talents and her sense for and of adventure and imagination notwithstanding, she is I am sorry to say and in my opinion first and foremost a frustratingly pampered and rather spoiled British bourgeois who whines and bellyaches way way too much in Roughing it in the Bush when her immigrant and settlement experiences are not what she had assumed they would and probably should be (for it is indeed abundantly clear that Susanna Moodie obviously and wrongfully expected that her settling in the “bush� would not be all that unlike living in rural England).
However and the above having been said, I also and personally have to admit and categorically claim that I have since I first had to in detail peruse Susanna Moodie’s Roughing it in the Bush (her memoirs about immigrating to and settling with her husband in 19th century Canada) for a grade eleven English term paper on early Canadian writing considered Susanna Moodie’s musings and details about her and her husband’s immigrant experiences not much more than basically and sadly just a generally constant and bickering whine-fest, a litany and laundry list of one complaint after another.
For while of course and naturally, settling in 19th century Canada (or rather in what would later become the country of Canada, and the province of Ontario) could be harsh and difficult, the recurring and overwhelming complaints and even at times angry outbursts seemingly always emanating from Susanna Moodie’s pen in Roughing it in the Bush about basically everything from the weather to the fact that her new home was not like the genteel British countryside she and her husband had left behind upon emigration, this to and for my reading eyes (both when I read Roughing it in the Bush for school and when I recently tried a reread) have certainly and very quickly become both tedious and annoying, leaving me with the indelible and sad impression that Susanna Moodie’s writing talents and her sense for and of adventure and imagination notwithstanding, she is I am sorry to say and in my opinion first and foremost a frustratingly pampered and rather spoiled British bourgeois who whines and bellyaches way way too much in Roughing it in the Bush when her immigrant and settlement experiences are not what she had assumed they would and probably should be (for it is indeed abundantly clear that Susanna Moodie obviously and wrongfully expected that her settling in the “bush� would not be all that unlike living in rural England).
October 3, 2017
A timeless book that is beautifully written and each story is either led by or accompanied with terrific poetry. Susannah Moodie was a settler in Upper Canada in Pre-Confederation days. The interesting thing is that this book is relevant to anyone in North America. The shared history of moving to a new world and starting off roughing it in the wild is one that has been experienced in North America for nearly 500 years.
The writing of Moodie is brilliant and you can really feel what living in that time and in those conditions, was like. She has a way of describing her surroundings and the people she meets with such clarity; your mind easily envisions it. A fantastic read that everyone should enjoy.
My Rating: 5 stars
This review first appeared:
The writing of Moodie is brilliant and you can really feel what living in that time and in those conditions, was like. She has a way of describing her surroundings and the people she meets with such clarity; your mind easily envisions it. A fantastic read that everyone should enjoy.
My Rating: 5 stars
This review first appeared:
October 8, 2022
Alright.
After finishing this *excruciatingly* long book and spending way too many hours (ones that I will never get back) writing an essay on it’s worth in the present world, I think I can now recite my thoughts on this book in my sleep.
Let me just quote my thesis real quick for you to make this much easier for my worn-out brain: *clears throat*
“Despite the historical value, Susanna Moodie’s memoir is not worth reading due to the whiny expression, embedded racism, and outdated prejudices woven into the story that does not satisfy the tastes of the modern reader.�
The book’s content is basically just one complaint after the other. Moodie is entitled and constantly basking in her dismay and own self-pity, making it so freaking hard to sympathize with her. For a book acclaimed for its representation of Canadian history during a particular period, it sure spreads more negativity than cultural knowledge which does nothing other than give me a headache.
Moodie also had very strong biases and prejudices in terms of race, class, and gender and while this is understandable (not justified) due to the time period this takes place in, it still isn’t pleasant to read about. She even goes out of her ways several times to critique views that don’t match her own in a forceful manner. And yes while she had her own plethora of struggles to deal with…literally so did everyone else yet she chose to go forth and be narcissistic about them at times. It was just…wholly unpleasant to get through.
All this to say, I am not trying to disvalue an experience of a settler in Canada or to erase them from Canada’s intellectual and cultural history. There are just other more shorter and engaging ways to learn about the emigration experience in eighteenth century Canada without reading 600 pages of outdated negativity. I acknowledge the influence Moodie has had on Canadian literacy and still consider her significant in terms of that, but simply do not believe this book is worth the read.
After finishing this *excruciatingly* long book and spending way too many hours (ones that I will never get back) writing an essay on it’s worth in the present world, I think I can now recite my thoughts on this book in my sleep.
Let me just quote my thesis real quick for you to make this much easier for my worn-out brain: *clears throat*
“Despite the historical value, Susanna Moodie’s memoir is not worth reading due to the whiny expression, embedded racism, and outdated prejudices woven into the story that does not satisfy the tastes of the modern reader.�
The book’s content is basically just one complaint after the other. Moodie is entitled and constantly basking in her dismay and own self-pity, making it so freaking hard to sympathize with her. For a book acclaimed for its representation of Canadian history during a particular period, it sure spreads more negativity than cultural knowledge which does nothing other than give me a headache.
Moodie also had very strong biases and prejudices in terms of race, class, and gender and while this is understandable (not justified) due to the time period this takes place in, it still isn’t pleasant to read about. She even goes out of her ways several times to critique views that don’t match her own in a forceful manner. And yes while she had her own plethora of struggles to deal with…literally so did everyone else yet she chose to go forth and be narcissistic about them at times. It was just…wholly unpleasant to get through.
All this to say, I am not trying to disvalue an experience of a settler in Canada or to erase them from Canada’s intellectual and cultural history. There are just other more shorter and engaging ways to learn about the emigration experience in eighteenth century Canada without reading 600 pages of outdated negativity. I acknowledge the influence Moodie has had on Canadian literacy and still consider her significant in terms of that, but simply do not believe this book is worth the read.
January 24, 2015
I once saw Jon Stewart on Just for Laughs doing a bit of standup, talking about Canadians (paraphrased here). " It's amazing", he said, "that your ancestors got off the boat at the first frozen port and, looking around at the snow and ice and wilderness, said, 'Yep, looks good to me'. And stayed. 'What's that? You heard they've got palm trees and sunshine if we keep heading south? Nah, this is good right here'." I've marvelled at that myself: that my own ancestors chose Canada, and having survived their first winter here, decided it was worth staying.
In , Susanna Moodie explains what circumstances led to her family emigrating to Canada from Mother England and what hardships and privations that decision led to. I found her account fascinating and funny in so many places. She relates the following story right at the beginning:
And another story that made me laugh about the habit of "borrowing";
Amused, I followed her family from farm to bush, marvelling at their resourcefulness, hard work, love of nature and good cheer in the face of adversity. This book needs to be read with some sympathy for the Moodies, well educated and of some status back in England, but reduced to the hardest circumstances-- near starvation, taken advantage of at every turn, poor financial decisions, cold and exhausted or hot and exhausted. And yet, they must have been better off than those who worked as their servants, and those whom they had to dismiss as their servants when they could no longer afford to keep them. But it was the very fact of their education and self-regard that no doubt bore them through the hard times-- an unfailing belief in God and that the hand of Providence would reward them in the end.
I could have skipped the heart-rousing poetry-- it was true to its time period, but of little interest for me reading now except to imagine Susanna scribbling away at her rhymes by candlelight. I could have also skipped the chapters written by Susanna's husband-- in which he tries to justify his poor financial decisions, and then later, gives a dry account of the history and politics of what had become the Province of Ontario during their residency.
As Susanna herself ends the book (in an afterword written twenty years after the events described):
I have given you a faithful picture of a life in the backwoods of Canada, and I leave you to draw from it your own conclusions. To the poor, industrious working man it presents many advantages; to the poor gentleman, none! The former works hard, puts up with coarse, scanty fare, and submits, with a good grace, to hardships that would kill a domesticated animal at home. Thus he becomes independent, inasmuch as the land that he has cleared finds him in the common necessaries of life; but it seldom, if ever, in remote situations, accomplishes more than this. The gentleman can neither work so hard, live so coarsely, nor endure so many privations as his poorer but more fortunate neighbour. Unaccustomed to manual labour, his services in the field are not of a nature to secure for him a profitable return. The task is new to him, he knows not how to perform it well; and, conscious of his deficiency, he expends his little means in hiring labour, which his bush-farm can never repay. Difficulties increase, debts grow upon him, he struggles in vain to extricate himself, and finally sees his family sink into hopeless ruin.
If these sketches should prove the means of deterring one family from sinking their property, and shipwrecking all their hopes, by going to reside in the backwoods of Canada, I shall consider myself amply repaid for revealing the secrets of the prison-house, and feel that I have not toiled and suffered in the wilderness in vain.
The secrets of the prison-house! In the end, Susanna Moodie said that she did not regret emigrating to Canada, and that if she had been given the chance to go back home to England, she would not have taken it. Neither did my own ancestors, those hopeful émigrés whose stories I shall never know, and I am grateful for it. Would I ever leave this land of snow and ice and wilderness? Nah, this is good right here.
In , Susanna Moodie explains what circumstances led to her family emigrating to Canada from Mother England and what hardships and privations that decision led to. I found her account fascinating and funny in so many places. She relates the following story right at the beginning:
And another story that made me laugh about the habit of "borrowing";
Amused, I followed her family from farm to bush, marvelling at their resourcefulness, hard work, love of nature and good cheer in the face of adversity. This book needs to be read with some sympathy for the Moodies, well educated and of some status back in England, but reduced to the hardest circumstances-- near starvation, taken advantage of at every turn, poor financial decisions, cold and exhausted or hot and exhausted. And yet, they must have been better off than those who worked as their servants, and those whom they had to dismiss as their servants when they could no longer afford to keep them. But it was the very fact of their education and self-regard that no doubt bore them through the hard times-- an unfailing belief in God and that the hand of Providence would reward them in the end.
I could have skipped the heart-rousing poetry-- it was true to its time period, but of little interest for me reading now except to imagine Susanna scribbling away at her rhymes by candlelight. I could have also skipped the chapters written by Susanna's husband-- in which he tries to justify his poor financial decisions, and then later, gives a dry account of the history and politics of what had become the Province of Ontario during their residency.
As Susanna herself ends the book (in an afterword written twenty years after the events described):
I have given you a faithful picture of a life in the backwoods of Canada, and I leave you to draw from it your own conclusions. To the poor, industrious working man it presents many advantages; to the poor gentleman, none! The former works hard, puts up with coarse, scanty fare, and submits, with a good grace, to hardships that would kill a domesticated animal at home. Thus he becomes independent, inasmuch as the land that he has cleared finds him in the common necessaries of life; but it seldom, if ever, in remote situations, accomplishes more than this. The gentleman can neither work so hard, live so coarsely, nor endure so many privations as his poorer but more fortunate neighbour. Unaccustomed to manual labour, his services in the field are not of a nature to secure for him a profitable return. The task is new to him, he knows not how to perform it well; and, conscious of his deficiency, he expends his little means in hiring labour, which his bush-farm can never repay. Difficulties increase, debts grow upon him, he struggles in vain to extricate himself, and finally sees his family sink into hopeless ruin.
If these sketches should prove the means of deterring one family from sinking their property, and shipwrecking all their hopes, by going to reside in the backwoods of Canada, I shall consider myself amply repaid for revealing the secrets of the prison-house, and feel that I have not toiled and suffered in the wilderness in vain.
The secrets of the prison-house! In the end, Susanna Moodie said that she did not regret emigrating to Canada, and that if she had been given the chance to go back home to England, she would not have taken it. Neither did my own ancestors, those hopeful émigrés whose stories I shall never know, and I am grateful for it. Would I ever leave this land of snow and ice and wilderness? Nah, this is good right here.
June 12, 2007
Never want to enter Moodie's bush again. Boring book.
April 2, 2008
I usually enjoy the stuff I read in school but this was brutal. The whole time I wanted her to get eaten by a bear or something. Her husbands writing (which is put into the novel in different parts) is even more brutal than hers. Prof's who make their students read this are performing cruel and unusual punishment on their students!
November 14, 2018
Five stars for readability, fascinating detail and historical importance of this document of farmstead life in Upper Canada.
September 14, 2016
I read this book because the author was living in the same area of Canada, at the same time, as my ancestor Peter Huffman (near Port Hope, Ontario in the 1830s). It was fascinating to hear of her account and see just how "rough" the American immigrants were (and Peter was an ex-American). Also, Peter was black, and I wanted to see how that small community was treated by the white (Americans and British). There was one story about a black ex-American barber who met with a tragic end. Although Susannah had a favorable opinion (well, at least not automatically negative) of black people, there were plenty who were racist. It was an unusual way for me to "experience" what it might have been like for my ancestor--so this was definitely a genealogical read for me. I was frustrated by her use of the old "Mr. H________" style of identifying people with whom she interacted, because I had wanted to look them up in Canadian censuses to get more info about them. The squatters on her land near Cobourg (her first dwelling) sounded like good candidates, at first, for maybe even BEING Peter's family, but I figured out it was a Harris family and not a HUFFMAN family; and, even though they were described as black eyed, black haired and even once called "niggers," they were a white family from America (and just about the trashiest folk you'll ever read about). Great job, Susannah, on taking the time to write about your experiences (while surviving in the bush)! I surely appreciate it!
April 26, 2009
A very interesting book about one woman's experience in settling in Canada from England and the difference between what they were told in England and the reality in Canada.
I really enjoyed reading about her interactions with the First Nations people and the Americans who were settled in southern Ontario. The First Nations were described as a very kind and friendly people while she seemed to have a very low opinion of the Americans who came off as thieving dishonest.
Format was easy to read, her writing style pleasant and funny at times. Really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking to get a first person's account of settling in Canada in the 1800's and everything associated with it. Makes you really appreciate all the modern conveniences we have today.
I didn't actually finish this book, but this is one I will come back to.
I really enjoyed reading about her interactions with the First Nations people and the Americans who were settled in southern Ontario. The First Nations were described as a very kind and friendly people while she seemed to have a very low opinion of the Americans who came off as thieving dishonest.
Format was easy to read, her writing style pleasant and funny at times. Really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking to get a first person's account of settling in Canada in the 1800's and everything associated with it. Makes you really appreciate all the modern conveniences we have today.
I didn't actually finish this book, but this is one I will come back to.
June 12, 2014
I was initially put off by the verbosity and exaggeration of her writing style. I did not appreciate the poetry and after slogging through the first few, chose to skip the rest. I felt she over played the many characters who seemed to live all around her. Even some of the hardships she endured seemed to be exaggerated or downright unbelievable.
That said as I read, I got into the rhythm of her prose and stopped resisting. I became interested in her encounters with the Indians. I also saw her changing, becoming stronger and taking charge especially when Mr. Moody was away. Fitting this book into the historic period in Canada gives it worth from the historic point of view. Seeing the different "classes" of settlers and servants was also interesting. I can give 3 stars but would not recommend this unless someone was looking for an account of Canadian life in the late 1800's.
That said as I read, I got into the rhythm of her prose and stopped resisting. I became interested in her encounters with the Indians. I also saw her changing, becoming stronger and taking charge especially when Mr. Moody was away. Fitting this book into the historic period in Canada gives it worth from the historic point of view. Seeing the different "classes" of settlers and servants was also interesting. I can give 3 stars but would not recommend this unless someone was looking for an account of Canadian life in the late 1800's.
March 22, 2020
Susanna Strickland, a published writer in England, married half-pay officer John Moodie and emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 to homestead in the bush. Her sister Catherine also emigrated with her husband Thomas Traill in 1832, and homesteaded in the same area. Both Susanna and Catherine wrote books about their homesteading experiences.
In contrast to Catherine’s descriptions of homesteader life, Susanna’s writing is much more down-beat. One senses that she feels that she has not been given the respect and deference due to the wife of a British officer. I think that Susanna’s and Catherine’s books are best read together to provide a wider (although still incomplete) view of the bush homesteader experience.
In contrast to Catherine’s descriptions of homesteader life, Susanna’s writing is much more down-beat. One senses that she feels that she has not been given the respect and deference due to the wife of a British officer. I think that Susanna’s and Catherine’s books are best read together to provide a wider (although still incomplete) view of the bush homesteader experience.
August 1, 2018
J'ai décidé de lire ce livre parce que je suis au milieu d'une séquence Margaret Atwood. Cette grande écrivaine soutienne la thèse que Susanna Moodie est la grande fondatrice de la littérature anglo-canadienne depuis presque cinquante ans. En 1970, Atwood a publié un recueil de poésie les "
Journals of Susanna Moodie 1970 qui a été un bombe littéraire dans les milieux culturels en Ontario. J'aurai du lire quelque chose de Moodie à l'époque mais mes études en comptabilité occupaient trop de mon temps. Il a deux semaines j'ai lu "Alias Grace"/"La Captive" qui est basé en partie sur des écrits de Moodie ce qui m'a finalement poussé à lire "Roughing it in the Bush" qui est généralement considéré son chef-d'oeuvre.
Comme littérature "Roughing it in the Bush" est exécrable. Pourtant Atwood a sans doute raison de dire qu'il représente le point de départ de notre littérature. À mon avis, on lit "Roughing it in the Bush" parce que c'est une témoignage extraordinaire de l'époque où les traditions politiques et sociales de notre pays sont nées. Il vaut comprendre bien entendu que l'auteur était une archiconservatrice qui détestaient les américaines, les catholiques, les méthodistes et les anglais des classes populaires. Bref elle aimaient seulement les gens de classe moyenne nés en Angleterre et membres de l'église anglicaine.
"Roughing in the Bush" raconte la vie de la famille de Susanna Moodie pendant ses huit premières années au Canada. Son mari qui était un officier à demi-solde dans l'armée britannique avait reçu un octroi de terre dans la région de Belleville. Le jeune couple l'ont accepté parce qu'il n'avaient pas les moyens de vivre selon leurs attentes en Angleterre. Malheureusement, ils n'avaient pas
le moindre idée ni comment défricher ni gérer une ferme. Comme tous les gens dans leur situation ils vivaient dans la misère et se dirigeaient vers la ruine.
Mme Moodie a constaté que les gens de sa condition ne réussissaient jamais au Canada tandis que les ouvriers avec des bonnes habitudes réussissaient toujours bien. Les salaires étaient beaucoup plus élevées au Canada qu'en Angleterre pour les bons ouvriers. Ils savaient vivre avec peu, faisaient des épargnes et s'enrichissaient.
Pendant tout son livre Mme. Moodie exprimaient son haine envers les Canadiens nés aux pays et les immigrants Yankees (à savoir les américains) qui ne lui accordaient jamais l'estime que lui était du en fonction de sa classe sociale en Angleterre. Ils prennai ent les gentlemen pour des idiots et les déplumaient à chaque tour.
Un coup de théâtre a sauvé les Moodies. Les rébellions se sont éclaté dans les deux Canadas. M. Moodie a pu réintégrer son régime et pendant trois ans il a recu son plein salaire ce qui lui a permis d'éponger ses dettes. Après la suppression des rébellions, les Britanniques ont décidé de mettre des hommes surs dans les poste d'administration. On a nomme M. Moodie shérif de Belleville. Alors il abandonné son terrain agricole afin de s'occuper de sa poste en ville et sa famille devenue prospère.
Journals of Susanna Moodie 1970 qui a été un bombe littéraire dans les milieux culturels en Ontario. J'aurai du lire quelque chose de Moodie à l'époque mais mes études en comptabilité occupaient trop de mon temps. Il a deux semaines j'ai lu "Alias Grace"/"La Captive" qui est basé en partie sur des écrits de Moodie ce qui m'a finalement poussé à lire "Roughing it in the Bush" qui est généralement considéré son chef-d'oeuvre.
Comme littérature "Roughing it in the Bush" est exécrable. Pourtant Atwood a sans doute raison de dire qu'il représente le point de départ de notre littérature. À mon avis, on lit "Roughing it in the Bush" parce que c'est une témoignage extraordinaire de l'époque où les traditions politiques et sociales de notre pays sont nées. Il vaut comprendre bien entendu que l'auteur était une archiconservatrice qui détestaient les américaines, les catholiques, les méthodistes et les anglais des classes populaires. Bref elle aimaient seulement les gens de classe moyenne nés en Angleterre et membres de l'église anglicaine.
"Roughing in the Bush" raconte la vie de la famille de Susanna Moodie pendant ses huit premières années au Canada. Son mari qui était un officier à demi-solde dans l'armée britannique avait reçu un octroi de terre dans la région de Belleville. Le jeune couple l'ont accepté parce qu'il n'avaient pas les moyens de vivre selon leurs attentes en Angleterre. Malheureusement, ils n'avaient pas
le moindre idée ni comment défricher ni gérer une ferme. Comme tous les gens dans leur situation ils vivaient dans la misère et se dirigeaient vers la ruine.
Mme Moodie a constaté que les gens de sa condition ne réussissaient jamais au Canada tandis que les ouvriers avec des bonnes habitudes réussissaient toujours bien. Les salaires étaient beaucoup plus élevées au Canada qu'en Angleterre pour les bons ouvriers. Ils savaient vivre avec peu, faisaient des épargnes et s'enrichissaient.
Pendant tout son livre Mme. Moodie exprimaient son haine envers les Canadiens nés aux pays et les immigrants Yankees (à savoir les américains) qui ne lui accordaient jamais l'estime que lui était du en fonction de sa classe sociale en Angleterre. Ils prennai ent les gentlemen pour des idiots et les déplumaient à chaque tour.
Un coup de théâtre a sauvé les Moodies. Les rébellions se sont éclaté dans les deux Canadas. M. Moodie a pu réintégrer son régime et pendant trois ans il a recu son plein salaire ce qui lui a permis d'éponger ses dettes. Après la suppression des rébellions, les Britanniques ont décidé de mettre des hommes surs dans les poste d'administration. On a nomme M. Moodie shérif de Belleville. Alors il abandonné son terrain agricole afin de s'occuper de sa poste en ville et sa famille devenue prospère.
January 26, 2014
I read this after 'Two sisters in the Wilderness', a biography of Susanna Moodie and her sister, Catherine Parr Traill, who emigrated to Ontario in the 1830s. The jury seems out on whether this book is autobiographical or a shaped, partly-fictional account. The descriptions in the start of the book were interesting and vivid, but once Moodie got out to the wilderness ... oh, dear. I found it hard to keep going, because of everyone else's behaviour towards her: the family from hell were in the house they'd bought and not only refused to move when they'd said they would, but constantly 'borrowed' items which the Moodies desperately needed themselves; almost everyone they tried to hire or bargain with cheated them; if any bad luck could befall, from weather or domestic accident, it did. Then my sympathy began to evaporate, as it became obvious that Moodie had the idea that manual labour (and remember she'd come out to pioneer country) was degrading to her position as a gentlewoman. She'd never, for example, washed clothes before, or baked bread, and in all the years she was there, she never managed to overcome her fear of cows sufficiently to milk them, in spite of the difficulty they had in getting and keeping female servants (and why was that, I wonder?) Eventually, when she was forced to actually work, we got a couple of pages about the satisfaction of labour. She did make it clear through her book that such emigration wasn't suitable for gentlemen and ladies - that only honest yeoman folk could (and did) expect to make a success of it. I certainly ended up feeling it wasn't suitable for her ... but to do her justice, she stuck it out until her husband (through her eloquent pleading letter to the Governor) got a position in town, and the book ended with them moving.
On the plus side, the book was filled with vivid portraits of the people she met, eccentrics one and all. An interesting light on people and (in her) morality of the time - I wonder if she knew the niece of Jane Austen who tlaked about 'Jane and Cassandra being rather common' because they mended their own stockings...
On the plus side, the book was filled with vivid portraits of the people she met, eccentrics one and all. An interesting light on people and (in her) morality of the time - I wonder if she knew the niece of Jane Austen who tlaked about 'Jane and Cassandra being rather common' because they mended their own stockings...
September 18, 2022
Moodie was a badass. Left England for the backwoods of Canada with DH and a baby. DH made a bunch of poor investment decisions that left them penniless, surviving on milk and potatoes and their garden, she birthed a bunch more kids (I lost count) in a drafty cabin so cold there were icicles on their blankets in the morning. The edition I read has an afterward by a woman who criticized Moodie for complaining? I’d like to see someone plucked from the comfort of a modern city and asked to do what she did. And, she was a feminist, earning her own I come through writing. I could not, for the life of me, read this book when it was assigned in university, because i found it excruciatingly dull, and it is still a bit of a slog, but now that I spend a lot of time reading boring reports, it was easier for me to read this, because everything is relative. She’s not a bad writer, either. I mean, she was a writer of her time, so it’s stilted and sentimental to us, but she’s engaging enough, especially when compared to the few chapters her husband writes. I think this book is a valuable historical document and I’m glad I read it. I would have enjoyed more chapters about the Indigenous peoples she met, but although she gives them a chapter, she didn’t seem as deeply interested in them as she was about the various fellow immigrants who blew through their lives. They offered a lot of insight into the English class system, though, and what that was like. It’s amazing how much people helped each other in the backwoods. Basically, if someone knocked on your door, you fed them, and if they needed a place to stay, you housed them, at your own expense, even if they did not contribute in any way.
July 25, 2015
Moodie's memoir appealed to me because:
1. her first settlement in Canada is near where I live
2. I am passionate about Canadian history
3. I am interested in social geography, in particular the settlement of people
4. Consequently I teach Canadian geography and history to high school students and I'm always looking for something new.
Although the book is long, there are wonderful nuggets that are educational and/or entertaining. I especially enjoyed reading about her first impressions of Cobourg and subsequent move to a farm nearby. She wasn't too fond of her first farming neighbours and her life as a bush wife. She later moved to the Lakefield area to be near her brother, sister and their families, and it's not surprising that Moodie's tune changed and she became less critical of her impressions of Upper Canada.
If you are familiar with the geography of Cobourg/Port Hope, Young's Point (Druro Township), and Belleville, I think that you'd enjoy reading Moodie's account of life in the 1830's.
I'm planning on retracing Moodie's journey from Cobourg to Druro soon with her memoir as my guide.
1. her first settlement in Canada is near where I live
2. I am passionate about Canadian history
3. I am interested in social geography, in particular the settlement of people
4. Consequently I teach Canadian geography and history to high school students and I'm always looking for something new.
Although the book is long, there are wonderful nuggets that are educational and/or entertaining. I especially enjoyed reading about her first impressions of Cobourg and subsequent move to a farm nearby. She wasn't too fond of her first farming neighbours and her life as a bush wife. She later moved to the Lakefield area to be near her brother, sister and their families, and it's not surprising that Moodie's tune changed and she became less critical of her impressions of Upper Canada.
If you are familiar with the geography of Cobourg/Port Hope, Young's Point (Druro Township), and Belleville, I think that you'd enjoy reading Moodie's account of life in the 1830's.
I'm planning on retracing Moodie's journey from Cobourg to Druro soon with her memoir as my guide.
December 4, 2011
A classic must-read. Incredible insight - as if reading a diary - into life in the backwoods of Ontario before Confederation. The details of what life was like and how hard the work was for women - and the isolation particularly in winter, are incredible.
Interesting to read about the culture shock that Susanna experiences and how she retains her strong personality and snobbiness in spite of the hardship.
A wonderful companion read to her sister, Catharine Par Traill's book, as their personalities are so different and yet they are companions in the backwoods experience.
The chapter about the fire was memorable - I just cannot imagine what a fire in the backwoods in winter would be like - with children and no help!
Interesting to read about the culture shock that Susanna experiences and how she retains her strong personality and snobbiness in spite of the hardship.
A wonderful companion read to her sister, Catharine Par Traill's book, as their personalities are so different and yet they are companions in the backwoods experience.
The chapter about the fire was memorable - I just cannot imagine what a fire in the backwoods in winter would be like - with children and no help!
March 31, 2009
I have immense admiration for those gentlewomen from cultured Europe who found themselves hacking out a life - literally - in the backwoods of Canada. This account of immigrant life in what is now Ontario (Upper Canada then) certainly details the hardships and struggles, making me question whether I could have survived with those challenges. If Susanna Moodie's voice grates a little, we have to remember the privileged society from which she came.
October 21, 2013
I found this book to be long and writen sometimes in a language that is nowadays non-existant. Considering it was first published in 1852 it is understandable that the words and writing styles seem so far from the modern.
Although a true account of the story of Susanna Moodie and her family during their travel and settling in Canada, there were (admittedly stated in the forward) a few stories interwoven to keep content a reader tired of hearing about the bush and crops.
There were points throughout that brought out emotion at the happenings that the Moodies and those they came to know endured, some of hilarity and some of sorrow.
An interesting read if you like knowledge from a time before you were born of places you have been and seen since. It is like visiting a Pioneer Village but with words. It gives a great idea of what people went through to survive at that time and what was required to make our country of Canada what it has become. It also describes the early construction of government and trade. Somewhat of a history lesson in the pages. Took me awhile to finish it but I came away knowing things I didn't know before reading it.
Although a true account of the story of Susanna Moodie and her family during their travel and settling in Canada, there were (admittedly stated in the forward) a few stories interwoven to keep content a reader tired of hearing about the bush and crops.
There were points throughout that brought out emotion at the happenings that the Moodies and those they came to know endured, some of hilarity and some of sorrow.
An interesting read if you like knowledge from a time before you were born of places you have been and seen since. It is like visiting a Pioneer Village but with words. It gives a great idea of what people went through to survive at that time and what was required to make our country of Canada what it has become. It also describes the early construction of government and trade. Somewhat of a history lesson in the pages. Took me awhile to finish it but I came away knowing things I didn't know before reading it.
July 3, 2010
Roughing It in the Bush is an account of the middle-class Moodies' first years in North America. Susanna and her husband John were woefully unprepared for life in the "bush," which made for lots of good material for Susanna to write about. Although it's supposed to be non-fiction, it seems pretty clear that the character "Susanna Moodie" is a lot ditzier than the writer Susanna Moodie was, i.e. that the stories were embellished to make them more funny and entertaining. While the writer Susanna Moodie was writing by candlelight and sending her stories and poems to magazines and newspapers (when she could afford stamps), the character "Susanna Moodie" was busy acting clueless and getting into scrapes to provide fresh material.
September 17, 2011
it was very interesting to see how it really was during the pioneer days of canada this was the first account of what it was actually like bc most literature pertaining to settling was euphemistic, trying to convince people to move here. she was snobby, though, she almost always had hired help and she wasnt really the salt of the earth type we always envisioned or at least i always do. most often with a long book I get so into it that the length doesn't fase me. With this book yiu have to push through a little more than I normally do.
February 15, 2020
3.5â�
Canadian classic describing the life of British immigrants to Canada circa the 1830's. It was important in its day for pointing out the realities of life in the "bush" (Ontario), as opposed to the rosy picture painted by those encouraging immigration. Also an important record of early English Canadian society. Pretty funny in parts, I liked how she got rid of some annoying "American" (Loyalist) neighbours...by lending them money. Dated, of course with many archaic opinions and attitudes but still providing many insights into the country's evolution.
Canadian classic describing the life of British immigrants to Canada circa the 1830's. It was important in its day for pointing out the realities of life in the "bush" (Ontario), as opposed to the rosy picture painted by those encouraging immigration. Also an important record of early English Canadian society. Pretty funny in parts, I liked how she got rid of some annoying "American" (Loyalist) neighbours...by lending them money. Dated, of course with many archaic opinions and attitudes but still providing many insights into the country's evolution.
June 11, 2014
Reading this book was a bit like taking medicine--helpful in the long run while not necessarily pleasant on the short term. Definitely worth wading through the language of the times (although after one poem I could not read more)in order to learn about the settlement of Canada in the mid-eighteen hundreds. And to learn a little about the arduous experience of women as homemakers, mothers, wives, neighbours. Susanna Moodie was an excellent writer and story teller of her day.
May 30, 2016
I've studied this book in two separate classes. I like the idea of the historical look back at early Canada from a woman coming over with her husband. I like how it is published at almost the moment of in time where the Canadian wilderness narrative was born. I can see where Margret Atwood's surfacing could have come from from this text. The writing is dry, but informative. Its not notable to me, but I know its very important text for Canadian Literature, and for female Canada
June 5, 2016
This is a true story about a woman's struggles and experiences in Canada when it was still a colony of the British, not long after the Civil War. Although the style of writing in a bit outdated, and there is a lot of poetry I didn't particularly like so I skipped over it, for the most part I thought this was a very interesting read about the daily struggles and observations of early Canadian settlers.
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August 7, 2018Roughing It in the Bush is a Canadian classic in literature. Based on the true experiences of the author, Susanna Moodie, who is from a middle class family in Great Britain, who writes about her seven years in the back country of Canada with her husband and their five children. They survive extreme weather and extreme hardship both financially and socially, but would not promote this life style to anyone.
October 5, 2020
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. The first time I read this book, I loved it, and disliked it. That sounds paradoxical, but there it was. The second time, I really enjoyed it. The information about 1830s Canada and the backwoods is very interesting. There are some beautiful poems, interesting stories, hilarious sketches, very interesting characters (John Managua is my favourite <3), and beautiful passages on nature and life. On the other hand, Mrs. Moodie did not whitewash the circumstances. Life was hard and people were rough and often coarse. (If you are American, you might not be too pleased with certain remarks. ;) ) I did not make any notes, so some content may have slipped my mind. Mentions of people swearing constantly, much drinking, lack of modesty, and a woman with a unsavoury past. On another note, I found it fascinating how the Moodies brought their prejudices and way of living with them to the woods, and how surprised they were at the lack of rank in Canada. Here, all were equal. Their condescension, well-meant and probably often unnoticed by themselves, was quite interesting against our way of living. I recommend this book for readers 16+, unedited; if edited, 12+. It is not coarse in itself, but it might make a dark impression on younger or less tough readers. I am a very tough reader in hard matters, so my opinion mayn’t be the best for a sensitive one.
A Favourite Quote: “A young Canadian gentleman is as well educated as any of his compeers across the big water, and contrasts very favourably with them. Social and unaffected, he puts on no airs of offensive superiority, but meets a stranger with the courtesy and frankness best calculated to shorten the distance between them and to make his guest feel perfectly at home.�
A Favourite Beautiful Quote:Ìý“The day was warm, and the cloudless heavens of that peculiar azure tint which gives to the Canadian skies and waters a brilliancy unknown in more northern latitudes. The air was pure and elastic, the sun shone out with uncommon splendour, lighting up the changing woods with a rich mellow colouring, composed of a thousand brilliant and vivid dyes. The mighty river rolled flashing and sparkling onward, impelled by a strong breeze, that tipped its short rolling surges with a crest of snowy foam.â€�
A Favourite Humorous Quote:Ìý“‘Any births [happened on board]?’Ì�
�...‘Births? Why, yes; now I think on't, gentlemen, we had one female on board, who produced three at a birth.�
“‘That's uncommon,� said the Scotch doctor, with an air of lively curiosity. ‘Are the children alive and well? I should like much to see them.� ...
“‘The young ones all males—fine thriving fellows. Step upon deck, Sam Frazer ... bring them down for doctors to see.�
“‘Sam vanished ... and quickly returned, bearing in his arms three fat, chuckle-headed bull-terriers[.]�
A Favourite Quote: “A young Canadian gentleman is as well educated as any of his compeers across the big water, and contrasts very favourably with them. Social and unaffected, he puts on no airs of offensive superiority, but meets a stranger with the courtesy and frankness best calculated to shorten the distance between them and to make his guest feel perfectly at home.�
A Favourite Beautiful Quote:Ìý“The day was warm, and the cloudless heavens of that peculiar azure tint which gives to the Canadian skies and waters a brilliancy unknown in more northern latitudes. The air was pure and elastic, the sun shone out with uncommon splendour, lighting up the changing woods with a rich mellow colouring, composed of a thousand brilliant and vivid dyes. The mighty river rolled flashing and sparkling onward, impelled by a strong breeze, that tipped its short rolling surges with a crest of snowy foam.â€�
A Favourite Humorous Quote:Ìý“‘Any births [happened on board]?’Ì�
�...‘Births? Why, yes; now I think on't, gentlemen, we had one female on board, who produced three at a birth.�
“‘That's uncommon,� said the Scotch doctor, with an air of lively curiosity. ‘Are the children alive and well? I should like much to see them.� ...
“‘The young ones all males—fine thriving fellows. Step upon deck, Sam Frazer ... bring them down for doctors to see.�
“‘Sam vanished ... and quickly returned, bearing in his arms three fat, chuckle-headed bull-terriers[.]�
November 1, 2024
This was pretty good overall. Enthralling, beautifully written, and particularly especial as a British-Canadian. A perfectly excellent book for only ¢50.
That said, it was also fifty cents for a reason.
It certainly shows its historical staleness in its reference to black people and indigenous peoples, and these references were jarring to me. Nevertheless, Moodie was a product of her time, and would certainly write in words of her time. In that regard, and in the censorship of personal names, was this novel banally defocusing at times.
Alike to that, Moodie spent the majority of the book whining about her life away from England. It was a little grating after a while. It made the bush at that time, and mostly those who resided within the bush, seem like an entirely unappetizing bunch of humans. It certainly made me glad to be living today.
Otherwise I found that I could read it through and through, especially in its natural, free-flowing descriptions of the Canadian backwoods. I wish Moodie had written more books just like it.
That said, it was also fifty cents for a reason.
It certainly shows its historical staleness in its reference to black people and indigenous peoples, and these references were jarring to me. Nevertheless, Moodie was a product of her time, and would certainly write in words of her time. In that regard, and in the censorship of personal names, was this novel banally defocusing at times.
Alike to that, Moodie spent the majority of the book whining about her life away from England. It was a little grating after a while. It made the bush at that time, and mostly those who resided within the bush, seem like an entirely unappetizing bunch of humans. It certainly made me glad to be living today.
Otherwise I found that I could read it through and through, especially in its natural, free-flowing descriptions of the Canadian backwoods. I wish Moodie had written more books just like it.
January 17, 2022
This is a book I read because it shows up on lists of adventure books, lists of homesteading books, lists of Canadian books. It was more an "ought to" book than a "want to" book, but I didn't know that when I picked it up.
Initially I found Susanna Moodie's condescending writing off-putting. But, you know, she grew on me. I really can't imagine the deprivations and bone-breaking work they endured.
I laughed at her description of life at their first settlement, where the neighbors' unorthodox views of borrowing amounted to unashamed extortion.
I'm glad I read it, but I have no desire to read more. It was fun to trace some places and see how close she lived to where my childhood friend lives now.
Initially I found Susanna Moodie's condescending writing off-putting. But, you know, she grew on me. I really can't imagine the deprivations and bone-breaking work they endured.
I laughed at her description of life at their first settlement, where the neighbors' unorthodox views of borrowing amounted to unashamed extortion.
I'm glad I read it, but I have no desire to read more. It was fun to trace some places and see how close she lived to where my childhood friend lives now.
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