Canadian Women on the Move, 1867–1920 ed. by Beth Light, Joy Parr (review)

REVIEWS 439 personthanemergesfrom the pagesof thisbook,Duncan'sperspective on Canadian,American,andBritishsociety, her views on theBritishraj andthe roleof womenin society, deserve closer scrutiny thanFowler's bookprovides. In short,then,wehavehereareadable, entertaining, butsuperficial account of Duncan's lifeandliterature,nota criticalbiography. CARMAN MILLER McGill University Canadian Women ontheMove,•867-•r92o. EditedbybETHLIGHTandjoY PARR. Toronto:co-published by New HogtownPress& The Ontario Institutefor Studies in Education •983. Pp.iii, 3oo.$•8.oopa. In Canadian Women onthe Move,editorsBethLightandJoyParrprovidearare glimpse intotheheartsandmindsofCanadian womeninthehalfcenturyafter Confederation.This secondvolume in the Women in Canadian History Documentary Series contains selections from awiderangeof originalsources whichreflectthe great variationsin the femaleexperienceacross regional, class,and ethnic lines. Extracts from letters, diaries, reminiscences,contracts, andcourtproceedings, to mentiononlya fewof themanysources explored, furnisha finelytextured,sensitive portrayalof thelivesof Canadianwomen, the illiterate as well as the literate. While the voices of conventional and respectable womenpredominatehere,astheyno doubtdid in theirday,the unconventional and disreputable alsoreceivea hearing:overworked farm wivesandexhausted factorywomenarejoined in thesepages bytheladies' hockeyteamof La Tuque, Quebec,the prostitutes of DawsonCity,and such remarkable womenasMissLucilleMulhall,the •9•2 champion ladybucking horse rideroftheworld.The vividaccounts oftheresponsibilities andduties, thesorrows andthetriumphsof Canadian womenareablypresented in their contextby the editors in a seriesof effectiveintroductorynotes.These commentsprovide the economicand socialbackgroundso vital to an appreciation of the sources, alert readersto the moreinteresting questions raised intherecentliteratureinCanadian women's history andsupply relevant demographic information. The femalelife cycleis the centralthemeand organizingprincipleof Canadian Women onthe Move.Chaptersaredevotedtothevarious phases of the lifecycle, beginning withchildhood andcontinuing throughadolescence and marriagetowidowhood, oldage,anddeath.To thedifferences in experience derivedfrom region,class, andethnicityisaddeda furthervariable, age.The focus hereisonchange, overasingle lifetimeandovertheperiod;thetitleitself suggests thatCanadianwomenwere'onthemove'in these years. Withineach phaseof the life cyclethe editorshaveselected documents whichreflecta diversity ofexperience overtime.Thisapproach isparticularly effective inthe chaptersdealingwith women'swork and lessconvincingin the chapters 440 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW dealingwith very young or very old womenø With so much emphasis on change,it is unfortunatethat the editorsdo not manageto establish closer causallinks betweenthe changingexternalenvironmentand the altering patterns ofwomen's lives. Finally,theattention paidtothechanging character ofthefemaleexperience, bothduringtheperiod•867-• 92oandoverasingle lifetime,overshadows the equallyimportantthemeof continuity. The biological realityof motherhood andtheconflicting pressures of familylifeand social responsibility remain,evenin 1984,thecentralfactors shaping thelives of most Canadian women. LEILA MITCHELL MCKEE University ofToronto The appearance of thecodeatthebottom of thefirstpageof anarticlein this journal indicates thecopyright owner's consent thatcopies of thearticlemaybe madefor personal or internaluse,or for the personal or internaluseof specific clients. This consent isgiven onthecondition, however, thatthecopier paythestated per-copy fee through theCopyright Clearance Center, Inc.forcopying beyond thatpermitted by lawincluding Sections lO7 and lO8of theusCopyright Law.Thisconsent doesnot extend toother kinds ofcopying, such ascopying forgeneral distribution, foradvertising or promotionalpurposes, for creatingnewcollective works,or for resale. ...