шш in review DISCOURSE OF THE OTHER - University of British ...

BOOKS IN REVIEWtaining love in his world and to stopusing his grandfather as a sort of scapegoatfor his own weaknesses. In a climacticpassage near the end of the novel,Wayne says, "'Karen, I don't need to goto Trail. My grandad's not there. He'swaiting in the book I have to finish. He'ssure to see me get my share of pain. Butmaybe we can see to it that our son getsnone.'"If Williams' Eye of the Father is thebook that Wayne has to finish, then trulyWayne has found his grandfather and,in doing so, has also achieved a sort ofrebirth, a life of his own beyond hisgrandfather's 'eye' that has not been possiblefor his mother, his aunt, or hisgrandmother. The Baldr figure of thelast section would seem to sanction thisoptimism since Baldr was, in the Norsemyths, the primary figure in the rebirthof the gods. It is as though Wayne himselfbecomes the Odin figure, writhingon the world-ash tree Yggdrasil, reachingin his agony to the ground to pluckup the runes that will restore him andgive him even greater wisdom. Hence,are the runes that begin each section ofthe novel those that Wayne has securedand articulated?It is impossible for any brief commenton Williams' novel to do justice to itsrichness of texture and its imaginativeforce. For example, one immediate problemthat faced the author was that ofhow to have Magnus tell his part of thenarrative when the character at thatpoint knew no English. Williams solvesthis problem by giving us Magnus' recollectionsand his dialogue with other WestScandinavian speakers in English, butusing blanks to indicate actual Englishwords that Magnus hears but cannotunderstand. Such presentation leads toconsiderable humour in scenes such asMagnus' encounter with the immigrationofficer at Ellis Island after his ship hasreached New York.The techniques of the novel, as well asits Norse trappings, provide considerableand unusual challenge to the reader, butthe result, as with Williams' other novels,is that the reader comes to feel an activeparticipant in the creative experience ofthe novel. It is as though the reader, too,is struggling to take up and compose therunes which lie on the ground for thetaking.WILLIAM LATTABONDS OF DIGNITYM. o. HESSE, Gabrielle Roy. Twayne, $30.00.PROFESSOR HESSE'S BOOK is a useful introductionto the works of Gabrielle Royfor those who know nothing about theauthor and her writing and who read noFrench. It is written in English and allquotations are in English, with the originalFrench provided in the notes."The Development of a Writer" givesa very brief outline of Gabrielle Roy'sbackground and career. There follows achapter on "The Urban Novels" (Bonheurd'occasion and Alexandre Chenevert)and one titled "Idyllic Interludes,"which presents La Petite poule d'eau andCet Eté qui chantait. Mention is made,in the latter chapter, of the children'sstories, Ma Vache Bossie and Courte-Queue, "A Pilgrimage to the Past" is astudy of Rue Deschambault and LaRoute d'Altamont. "An Artist's Credo"is devoted to La Montagne secrète. LaRiviere sans repos is treated in a chaptertitled "Worlds in Conflict." Un Jardinau bout du monde and Ces Enfants dema vie are grouped together under therubric "The Canadian Mosaic." The sixpage"Summary" is a brave and by andlarge successful attempt to put into focussome of the themes discussed in the bodyof the text. The bibliography is very briefand selective but the choices are reliable.193