Looking Back: Canadian Women’s Prairie Memoirs and Intersections of Culture, History and Identity

Mathews (literature, Thomson Rivers U., British Columbia) critically examines memoirs written by white, female settlers on the Canadian Prairie from the 1870's to the 1940's. Rather than the stereotypes of prairie women as either the suffering farm wives or wide-eyed adventurers, she uncovers a more nuanced view of these women and their world. A number of memoirs are excerpted contrasting the women's goals, expectations, and desires with the accepted notion of Victorian society. Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)