Come, bright improvement! : the literary societies of nineteenth-century Ontario / Heather Murray.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murray, Heather, 1951- author.

Series:

Studies in book and print culture.

Studies in Book and Print Culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English literature--Appreciation--Ontario.

English literature.

Books and reading--Ontario--History--19th century.

Books and reading.

Book clubs (Discussion groups)--Ontario--History--19th century.

Book clubs (Discussion groups).

Ontario--Intellectual life--19th century.

Ontario.

Genre:

History.

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (366 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Toronto, [Ontario] ; Buffalo, [New York] ; London, [England] : University of Toronto Press, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The forerunner of today's book clubs, nineteenth-century literary societies provided a lively social and intellectual forum where people could gather and discuss books, cultural affairs, and current events. In Come bright Improvement!, Heather Murray explores the literary societies of Ontario between 1820 and 1900 - some of which are still in existence today - and examines the extent to which they mirrored or challenged contemporary social, political, and intellectual trends. Based on a wealth of original research with periodicals and local archival materials, Murray traces the evolution from early political and debating clubs to more dedicated literary and cultural societies, such as Shakespeare or Browning groups. Many people formed literary societies, including workers, women, Black fugitives, and members of religious denominations such as Quakers and Methodists. Murray studies the societies in detail, exploring everything from the reading materials they favoured to the other kinds of social and civic activities in which they participated. Of additional interest to scholars of book history if the book's resource guide, which records the location, history, and archival deposits of several hundred societies. A first in the study of the book club phenomenon, Come, bright Improvement! is a wonderful introduction to nineteenth-century Ontario, the history of book studies, and the history of reading.

Contents:

Contents

Preface: The Immigration of Improvement

Maps

CHAPTER ONE: A Legacy of Literary Culture

CHAPTER TWO: Early Societies in Toronto

CHAPTER THREE: Culture and Conflict in the Western District

CHAPTER FOUR: Circle to Circle

CHAPTER FIVE: The Rise of the Women's Societies

CHAPTER SIX: Literary Study in the Literary Societies

CHAPTER SEVEN: Literary Societies as a Source for History and Theory

Appendix A: Literary and Debating Club Pledge, Hamilton, 1893

Appendix B: Readings and Recitations of the Barrie Literary Society, 1881�1893

Appendix C: Programs of Study of the Browning Club of Toronto, 1897�1905Literary Societies of Nineteenth-Century Ontario: A Preliminary Resource Guide

Notes

Sources Cited

Illustration Credits

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Illustrations

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-282-02263-6

9786612022630

1-4426-7313-3

OCLC:

1013938119