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

BOOKS IN REVIEWbued with idealist or historicist perspectives.For the contemporary reader, much ofwhat follows Scott's Indian and Metispoems seems weak, with numerous landscapelyrics containing virtually no Canadianfeatures; indeed, few detailedfeatures of any kind. In these pretty butinsipid poems, Scott offers pictures of thechanging seasons, which then allow him,rather abrutly in most cases, to posit hisintuition that a "diviner thing" or a"peace deeper than peace" exists behind"the changeful hour." These are largelyamateur pieces, although a number suchas "The Ghost's Story" and "Afterwards"offer some piquancy.With poems such as "In the CountryChurchyard," dedicated to Scott's father,Powassan's Drum begins to reveal a newdirection, indicating that one of Scott'sstrengths derives from his handling of thelonger poem in which he introduces hisuncertainty about the nature of romanticabsolutes. This strength develops furtherin "The Height of Land" where Scott,following his Wordsworthian model, finallycombines his meditations with actuallyperceived landscape details. Herehe ends with the question of whetherman will eventually evolve beyond hispresent condition — confined to brief,ecstatic sensations about the meaning ofthe universe — to a comprehensive intellectualknowledge based on an understandingof divine law which allows for"closer commune with divinity." Takenas a whole, Powassan's Drum leaves theimpression that Scott overworks themoonlight-and-roses motif, that he toooften indulges in derivative language.Still, in his Indian poems, and especiallywith the hesitations in which he coucheshis later work, one feels that here was agenuine poet in the making.In Windflower, however, a wholly differentimpression emerges: Carman appearslargely as a popular versifier in lovewith his own music. While it is possibleat times to be caught up in his boyishexuberance about the open road, andwhile the swing and delight of his optimismcan be enjoyed for short periods,yet to give oneself over to Carman proveslargely an act of nostalgia. A surprisinglysmall number of poems prove worthkeeping, and these are mostly poems ofmood which capture Carman's own violentswings of feeling. "Low Tide onGrand Pré," "The Eavesdropper," and afew of the Sappho poems stand out asquite exceptional. All too frequently Carman'simage of man's life as a journeyalong a narrow road hedges his visionround so that the poems cannot expandinto the open countryside on either side.Obsessed with the God-figure who waitsin various allegorical disguises at the endof life, Carman turns everything alongthe path into trite and standardized imagery.He rarely seems to look at whathe describes, with the result that thesymbol overtakes and overwhelms theparticular.Given Carman's enormous reputationin his own day, and the fact that heseems to be sinking rapidly in contemporaryesteem, the appearance of a newbiography appears serendipitous. MurielMiller probably knows more about Carmanthan anyone else alive today, for shehas been writing about him for most ofher life. Bliss Carman: Quest & Revoltis intended as "a replacement" for her1935 biography with Ryerson Press —Bliss Carman: A Portrait. For this newbiography, Miller has collected an enormousamount of additional informationabout Carman's life. At times it seems asthough one could retrace every foot ofCarman's many journeys across NorthAmerica. While Miller offers an excellentdiarylike account of Carman's activities— his employment, his friendships, andhis love affairs — she throws little light224