Settlers of the Marsh Penguin Black Classics Edition - Hardcover

Grove, Frederick Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670065099 ISBN 13: 9780670065097

Publisher: Penguin Canada, 2006

Synopsis

Settlers of the Marsh was first published in 1925 to widespread charges of obscenity.

It is the story of Niels Lindstedt, a virginal Swedish immigrant and homesteader on the Canadian prairies, who as he works dreams of domestic happiness married to his neighbour’s daughter, Ellen Amundsen. Shattered by Ellen’s refusal of his marriage proposal, Niels is seduced by a local widow, Clara Vogel. The consequences are devastating for all three.

Settlers of the Marsh is a philosophical drama set on the land. It deals with themes of marital isolation, betrayal, and tragic breakdown.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Settlers of the Marsh was first published in 1925, after a struggle by the author to persuade publishers that his first novel would meet public acceptance. Some critics immediately condemned this hypnotic story of the loss of innocence on the Manitoba frontier, calling it ?obscene? and ?indecent.? Churches issued warnings to their congregations to avoid its scandalous contents. Only several decades later was Settlers of the Marsh recognized for what it is ? a landmark in the development of the Canadian novel, and a work of realism in the tradition of Thomas Hardy.

A psychological portrait of life in the Canadian West, Settlers of the Marsh presents with chilling accuracy the hopes, passions, and anxieties of young pioneers.

About the Author

Frederick Philip Grove, born in West Prussia, began his career as a poet and translator into German. After emigrating from Germany to the United States, he moved again to Manitoba, where he worked as a teacher and wrote Settlers of the Marsh, his first novel in English.
From the eBook edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Canada
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0670065099
• ISBN 13: 9780670065097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272