The Clergy in English-Canadian Fiction

Abstract

<p>The stress in the study of the clergy in Canadian fiction is on the clergyman's position in both the Church and society. The early novels, those written before 1920, are divided into two categories according to their common traits. The novels in the first category, the "evangelical romance," which is discussed in the first chapter, are found to have a surprisingly large number of common traits. Of these evangelical romances those of Ralph Connor were immensely popular when they were first written and until well on into the 1930's. Various factors in the novels account for the popularity. Although many of these features are no longer popular, Connor's novels ae still valuable for what they reveal of life in the early Canadian West and especially of the importance and nature of its religious life and its clergyman. Of the seven evangelical romances studies, Ernest Seton's The Preacher of Cedar Mountain is judged to be the best by modern standards.</p> <p>In the second chapter, seven "ecclesiastical" novels ae discussed. These novels have a number of features which clearly distinguish them from the evangelical romances. The seven are subdivided into two major groups. The first four novels discussed, The Lone Furrow, Committed to His Charge, Sunshine Sketches, and Arcadian Adventure's are all fairly objective in point of view and critical of laity and clergy. The miniters in the remaining three ecclesiastical novels are more like those in the evangelical novels, as are the laymen.</p> <p>The majority of clergymen and laymen in modern Canadian fection, which is discussed is chapter three, follow in the tradition of the first four ecclesiastical novels. The clergymen are discussed in two groups: six "prêtres manqué's" and three successful hypocrites. Ministers like those in the evangelical romances seem to have vanished from Canadian fiction, as do the devout churchmen of the second group of ecclesiastical novels. The peculiar nature of most of the clergymen in modern Canadian fiction reflects a decline in the importance of the church in society in general.</p>