Ethel Wilson was born in South Africa and was orphaned after moving to England in 1890. Eventually she came to Canada where she received her teaching certificate. She did not publish her first works until the 1940’s, and she did not receive great recognition until 1964 when she was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Lorne Pierce Medal and the Canadian Council Medal.
The experiences of Ethel Wilson are strongly reflected in her writing, specifically in “The Innocent Traveller.” The main character, Topaz Edgeworth travels to Canada from England after growing up in a Victorian Methodist household like Wilson herself. Later in the novel, the character Rose comes to Vancouver to stay with her maternal great aunt, Topaz, following the death of her father. This was surely influenced by Wilson’s 1898 departure to Vancouver from England to stay with her maternal grandmother following the death of her father. The entire novel has a definite childlike spirit embodied in the timelessly innocent and relentlessly talkative Topaz. In many ways, Topaz has the persona of a young child in elementary school and it’s no coincidence that Wilson, a woman who taught for thirteen years in Vancouver elementary schools, created such a character.
The novel, which is comprised of short stories, is autobiographical albeit quite unrevealing. However, Wilson manages to convey the importance of several themes of human nature. Likely from her experiences of loss at a young age, Wilson comments on the importance of time, and hints about how it plays a character in one’s life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I never considered that Wilson would get her ideas for characters from the children she taught during her teaching years. I think its a great possibility that there is a child out there in particular who Wilson based some of her Topaz character on. I teach children in dance and there are a lot of children with really great and not so great personalities, so I can see where Wilson may get her ideas from in that perspective.
The story of her life seems to be fairly interesting yet her that interest just didn't transfer to her semi-autobiographical novel "Innocent Traveller". I wonder of her other works are a little more interesting since she does have a basis for cool literature, like death of family at young age or world wide travel.
Post a Comment