All Things in Common : A Canadian Family and Its Island Utopia / Ruth Brouwer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brouwer, Ruth Compton, author.

Series:

Canadian social history series.

Canadian Social History Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

B. Compton Limited.

Collective settlements--Prince Edward Island--History--20th century.

Collective settlements.

Utopias--Prince Edward Island--History--20th century.

Utopias.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (234 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Toronto, Ontario : University of Toronto Press, [2021]

Summary:

"In the first decade of the twentieth century, a few closely related families established a utopian community in Canada's smallest province. Known officially as B. Compton Limited but described by a journalist in 1935 as "Prince Edward Island's unique 'brotherly love' community," this utopia owed its longevity to the cohesion provided by its communal organization, dense kin ties, and long-held millenarianism - and to a decidedly pragmatic approach to business. All Things in Common demonstrates how "un-utopian" such a community could be while problematizing the contention that the inevitable end of all utopian experiments is a full-blown dystopia. Beginning with a compelling backstory and locating the Compton community in the historiography of North American utopias, the author goes on to explore the community's business endeavours, its religious, familial, and transgressive aspects, and its brief period of international fame before assessing the factors that led to its dissolution in 1947. Providing a strong narrative framework, All Things in Common draws on rich family and archival records and diverse secondary sources, concluding with a consideration of the community's legacy for its alumni and their descendants."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I: Unsettled Maritimers. 1. Loyalist William and His Namesake in the Maritime Colonies : "Movement Became a Habit"

2. The Comptons and Colonial Prince Edward Island : Settlement and Spirituality

3. On the Road Again : Sojourners and Religious Renegades in the Post-Confederation Era

Part II: Prince Edward Island's Unique "Brotherly Love" Community. 4. The Founding and Growth of an Island Utopia

5. Living in Community : Family, Faith, and Fame

6. Restiveness Within, Pressures from Without : The Road to Dissolution

7. Life beyond Community : Diverse Paths in an Era of Change

Concluding Reflections.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4875-3729-8

1-4875-3728-X

OCLC:

1243319167