The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from First Holograph Draft , f75-80 (MsC 53.5.12)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 80-page holograph and typescript first draft and jottings.
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.5.12

The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from Third Draft, f160-164 (MsC 53.6.3)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 164-page typescript with holograph revisions. Original final third draft. With unidentified holographs comments, possibly by Rudy Wiebe.
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1980
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.5.12

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: First Draft [stage play]
subject: plays (performed work)
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Excerpt from 76-page first draft of stage play.
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1967
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 14
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
identifier: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe Playhouse Theatre Co. production

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: Second Draft [stage play]
subject: plays (performed work)
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Excerpt from 80-page second draft of stage play.
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1967
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 14
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
identifier: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe Playhouse Theatre Co. production

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: Third Draft [stage play]
subject: plays (performed work)
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Excerpt from 105-page third draft of stage play.
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1967
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
coverage: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe Playhouse Theatre Co. production

Letter from George Ryga to Malcolm Black, Playhouse Theatre Company, Forwarding Outline of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: [stage play]
subject: letters
subject: Summerland -- British Columbia
description: Letter (repository copy) from George Ryga to Malcolm Black, Playhouse Theatre Company, forwarding outline and establishing date of outline.
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1966
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
identifier: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: Twilight to a long, long,day

Twilight to a Long, Long Day: An Outline of Intention for a Stage Play for the Playhouse Theatre Company
subject: plays (performed work)
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Typescript
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1966
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 14
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
identifier: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: Twilight to a long, long,day

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: An Outline of Intention for a Stage Play for the Playhouse Theatre Company
subject: plays (performed work)
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Probably second draft of outline of intent of stage play. Typescript title Twilight to a long, long day replaced with holograph title The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. Annotations on MsC 20.38.12f2 indicate date commission was granted.
creator: Ryga, George
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1967
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 14
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 20
identifier: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe: Twilight to a long, long,day

Sam, Soren, and Ed: [short story]: holograph fragments
subject: short stories
subject: Saskatoon -- Saskatchewan
description: Excerpts from 27 pages of holograph fragments pertaining to the short story collection Man Descending. Excerpts show 5 different fragment versions of the ending of Sam, Soren, and Ed.
creator: Vanderhaeghe, Guy, 1951-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: Man Descending

Where Is the Voice Coming From?: Preparatory Work (MsC 26.21.10.8)
subject: short stories
subject: Saskatchewan
subject: fiction
description: Holograph notes
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: image/jpeg
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 26.21
identifier: Almighty Voice

Where Is the Voice Coming From?: Short Story (MsC 26.21.10.9)
subject: short stories
subject: fiction
subject: Saskatchewan
description: Typescript miscellaneous pages with holograph revisions
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 26.21
identifier: Almighty Voice

Where Is the Voice Coming From?: Research Material (MsC 26.21.10.10)
subject: short stories
subject: fiction
subject: Saskatchewan
description: Typescript with holograph revisions
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11; 6.5 x 7.4
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 26.21
identifier: Almighty Voice

Where Is the Voice Coming From?: Short Story (MsC 26.21.10.11)
subject: short stories
subject: fiction
subject: Saskatchewan
description: Typescript with holograph revisions
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 26.21
identifier: Almighty Voice

Where Is the Voice Coming From?: Short Story (MsC 26.21.10.14-16)
subject: short stories
subject: fiction
subject: Saskatchewan
description: Typescript (mimeograph). Three copies.
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 26.21
identifier: Almighty Voice

Old West Vancouver Ferry 1925: [poem]
subject: poems
subject: West Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: File consists of three drafts of poem. Item two is a duplicate copy of item one with holograph revisions pertaining to capitalization and spacing; item three has holograph annotation "final." Items one and two have variant title West Vancouver Ferry.
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1925
date: 1945
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: Old West Vancouver Ferry : [poem]

The Mammoth Corridors: [poem]
subject: poems
subject: Stanley Park -- Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: Draft of poem.
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1965
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: The Mammonth Corridors

The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from Fifth Draft, f177-181 (MsC 53.6.7)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 181-page typescript (photocopy) with holograph revisions. Includes revised first twelve pages. Identified in author's separate holograph note as "Original final final draft (4th and 5th) and setting draft 1980."
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1980
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.6.7

The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from Third Draft, f150-159 (MsC 53.6.3)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 164-page typescript with holograph revisions. Original final third draft. With unidentified holographs comments, possibly by Rudy Wiebe.
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1980
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.6.3

The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from First Typescript Draft, f213-218 (MsC 53.5.13)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 218-page typescript with holograph revisions and holograph first complete draft.
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.5.13

The Tent Peg: Novel: Excerpt from Fifth Draft, f165-176 (MsC 53.6.7)
subject: novels
subject: Yukon Territory
description: Excerpt from 181-page typescript (photocopy) with holograph revisions. Includes revised first twelve pages. Identified in author's separate holograph note as "Original final final draft (4th and 5th) and setting draft 1980."
creator: Van Herk, Aritha, 1954 -
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1980
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 53
identifier: MsC 53.6.7

Arrivals (locals): Wolfville -- 30 mins L: [poem]
subject: poems
subject: Wolfville -- Nova Scotia
description: Part of second draft and drafts six, seven, eight and nine of poem. Includes holograph insert by E. Birney: "various drafts of Arrivals".
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: Arrivals : [poem]

Buildings: [poem]
subject: concrete poems
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia
description: File consists of drafts of poem. Item two has E. Birney's holograph annotation "not final form."
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8 x 11; 8 x 8.5
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: Buildings : [poem]

Ajijic: [poem]
subject: poems
subject: Chapala, Laguna de -- Mexico
description: File consists of second and final drafts of poem written in Mexico.
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1956
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: Ajijic : [poem]

Alaska Passage: [poem]
subject: concrete poems
subject: Vancouver -- British Columbia; Alaska
description: File consists of draft of poem.
creator: Birney, Earle, 1904-1995
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1934
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: image/jpeg
language: English
type: Text
identifier: MsC 13
identifier: Alaska Passage : [poem]

Absolute Statement for my Mother
subject: concrete poems
description: Concrete poetry
creator: Nichol, B. P., 1944-1988
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1979
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: Varied
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: Acc# 10627 C.01
identifier: Absolute Statement for my Mother

Going to Russia [holograph fragments]
subject: short stories
description: Holograph fragments of "Going to Russia."
creator: Vanderhaeghe, Guy, 1951-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: n.d.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 14
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text

The Angel in the Athabasca Tar Sands: Excerpt from Rough Drafts of Stories for Alberta / A Celebration
subject: short stories
subject: Alberta
description: Holograph fragment of "The Angel of the Tar Sands"
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1978-11-09
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: Alberta Fiction / Rough

The Angel in the Athabasca Tar Sands: Excerpt from Rough Drafts of Stories for Alberta / A Celebration
subject: short stories
subject: Alberta
description: Holograph fragment of "The Angel of the Tar Sands"
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1978
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
coverage: Alberta Fiction / Rough

The Angel of the Tar Sands: Excerpt from Rough Drafts of Stories for Alberta / A Celebration
subject: short stories
subject: Alberta
description: Typescript draft of "The Angel of the Tar Sands"
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
date: 1978-11-30
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: Alberta Fiction / Rough

The Angel of the Tar Sands: Typescript drafts (photocopies) of Stories for Alberta / A Celebration
subject: short stories
subject: Alberta
description: Typescript draft of "The Angel of the Tar Sands"
creator: Wiebe, Rudy, 1934-
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary : University of Calgary
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/services/digitization-and-repository-services/copyright
relation: University of Calgary
format: 8.5 x 11
format: application/pdf
language: English
type: Text
identifier: Alberta Stories / Good Copy

Diamond Advertisement in Harper's Weekly [text]
description: This diamond advertisement is shown in Harper’s Weekly’s May 30, 1868 issue. The advertisement is seen as “sensational advertising” due to the fact that it is eye catching. The letters are different fonts and sizes. Once the advertisement catches the readers attention, the reader notices that they have the “finest” diamonds. This differs from the older style of advertisements, where advertising had long instructive and detailed description. The only detailed description that is given about their diamonds are that they are the “Finest.” This advertisement is placed here purposely for the readers to do a tessellated reading between this ad and The Moonstone. This shows up a page or two before The Moonstone instalment. Therefore, when reading The Moonstone, the readers mind will keep going back to the diamond ad that caught their eye. This part of The Moonstone, has Franklin Blake coming back from England for one purpose, which is to solve the mystery of the Moonstone. It would be pretty hard for a reader, not to recall the diamond ad while reading this instalment.
creator: Harper's Weekly
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-05-30
contributor: Banerjee, Brenden
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: text

Feb. 8, 1868 Advertisement page - Harper's Weekly
description: This page is covered in fiscally influenced words. These words include: free, warranted, merchants, bankers, coppers, sells, lower classes, poor, economy, wealth, gold, savings, rich, ounce, stock, and reduced prices, among others. Almost every advertisement emphasizes the ability of the product to either save the consumer money, or make the consumer rich. “White china dinner sets” are a display of wealth, but can still be purchased at reduced prices. Coffee is referred to as gold and is “for sale everywhere”. A certain soap is very cheap, and the ensuing “savings will make you rich”. There is a Horse Doctor who will answer questions in a column for free. Even the stereotyped “Colored Individuals” are able to enhance their social standing by pointing out that a poorer person sifting through ashes will “pick[] ‘em over, an…sell[] to de lower classes”. Every statement and image on this page emphasizes a society that is built on the obtaining and trading of material wealth. Everything is commodified, including written column advice, and discarded ashes. As the last page that viewer’s would see in the magazine, the information would be foregrounded in their minds and deeply influence how they proceeded in their daily lives.
creator: Harper's Magazine
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-02-08
contributor: Friesen, Sammi
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: text

All the Year Round Title Page [text]
description: The ascetic differences between the two journals can be easily spotted. While the inclusion of illustrations in Harper’s appears to further accommodate a middle-lower class readership and a taste for the sensational, All the Year Round’s exclusion of those elements perhaps forces readers to gather the sensational genre and class struggle from the text alone. Another major theme in the novel is the idea of “book as religion.” This is exhibited through one of the many narrators, Gabriel Betteredge, who narrates this section of the periodical. As Lanning states in her essay “Tessellating Texts: Reading The Moonstone in All the Year Round”: “Betteredge immediately establishes a connection with his reading audience by presenting himself as a reader.” (2). Through the text alone, All the Year Round attempts to engage the new, common reader in a similar way Harper’s illustrations attempt to do the same. By naming Betteredge, a working class man, an individual worthy of both readership (of Robinson Crusoe) and narrator-ship, Collins reaches out to the middle-lower classes to say they too are worthy. Both Betteredge and Miss Clack demonstrate the importance of material, physical books in the Victorian’s life. To both characters, their materials are considered religious, and the act of reading them like worship. In many ways, by relying on text alone (no sensational illustrations or news) in All the Year Round, Dickens send a similar message to those reading the periodical: literature can be as important as religion in raising the spirit. As mentioned by Altick, the enjoyments of lower-class Victorians were far and few between, and so, both Collins and Dickens appear to suggest reading as an appropriate antidote to the mundanity of common life. Lanning, Katie. “Tessellating Texts: Reading The Moonstone in All the Year Round.” Victorian Periodicals Review 45.1 (2012): 1-22. Alitck, Richard. The English Common Reader : A Social History of the Mass Reading Public, 1800-1900. Chi…
creator: Collins, Wilkie
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-02-01
contributor: Mitchell, Sydney.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: text

Ezra Jennings in Waiting [image]
description: The visual scene of Ezra Jennings waiting for Mr. Blake in Harper's Weekly is the key illustration for chapter X. The object details of this scene follow closely to the description of the novel, from the "book-case filled with dingy medical works, and ornamented at the top with a skull", to the "copious ink" stain on the table (Collins 378). However, the composure of Ezra Jennings is not presented to the reader through the text. Rather, the illustration seen here presents Ezra in a pensive, and thoughtful composure. What the text does not mention, the illustration presents in this moment. It is an example of the relationship between illustration and text, the "complex interplay of realist detail and sensational events" (Leighton 75). This pictorial representation demonstrates the approach of two fold literacy in Victorian literature. Ezra's composure, which is a sensationalism beyond the realistic realm of the textual representation, creates an expectation in sensational genre.
creator: Harper's Weekly
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-07-11
contributor: Tuckey, Andrea
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: image

All the Year Round: Advertisement Page [text]
description: Unmistakably, the advertisement section of All the Year Round is much different than that of Harper’s. All the Year Round’s exclusion of illustrations in the advertisement section continues to place an emphasis on text alone. Furthermore, the inclusion of only literary advertisements solidifies this emphasis. Only two advertisements appear in All the Year Round. One, advertising a “Holiday Romance” and another for “George Silverman’s Explanation.” Notably, both of these texts would appear in All the Year Round itself, and both are written by Charles Dickens, editor of the periodical. Placing emphasis on the text itself underlines the importance of literature in Victorian society, whether intentional or unintentional. The reader is left only to engage with text (and minimal advertisements for more text), giving the literature inside the periodical more significance than it perhaps would with the inclusion of pictures and accompanying advertisements. The use of textual emphasis in All the Year Round is also particularly fitting for The Moonstone. The text itself is riddled with letters, correspondences, and the presence of an “editor” (Blake) who overlooks the narratives within the novel. In many ways, the structure of The Moonstone’s narrative mirrors the editorial presence of Charles Dickens in All the Year Round. Overall, the relationship between editor, writer, and reader is strongly portrayed in this periodical and in The Moonstone. Both Harper’s and All the Year Round must cater to the new, common reader. The preferences and abilities of the masses are taken into account when assembling both materials, making The Moonstone a perfect piece of sensational fiction for the Victorian middle-lower class reader.
creator: All the Year Round
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-02-01
contributor: Mitchell, Sydney.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: image

Harper's Weekly Title Page
description: On the front page of Harper’s Weekly, February 1, 1868, is a full page spread featuring the poetry of John Thompson. The poem is reminiscent of Anderson’s “The Little Match Girl” (1845) and it sits atop an illustration of the young boy in the poem. In both illustration and poem, the poor boy has succumb to the cold and died in front of a building. As previously argued, the sensational nature of the Victorian periodical and newspaper was directly associated with the middle-lower classes and “new” or “common” readership. Therefore, the accompanying literature, illustrations, and other materials included into each weekly instalment must adhere to the sensational or, at the least, be familiar in nature to those reading. This front page spread does both. By placing an image and story of a dying boy on the front page, the paper immediately recalls “shocking” or “horrifying” elements of sensationalism. Furthermore, they cater to the sensational material throughout Harper’s, and serve as a preface to other sensational fiction inside the newspaper, including The Moonstone. Secondly, the nature of the boy’s death- a lower class individual- would be a familiar story for many that had been touched by poverty or hard times during the Victorian era. By implementing the familiar and the sensational, Harper’s Weekly introduces itself as a newspaper that caters to the common reader.
creator: Harper's Weekly
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-02-01
contributor: Mitchell, Sydney.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: text

Harper's Weekly: Page Featuring The Moonstone [text]
description: As Loesberg writes in her essay titled “The Ideology of Narrative Form in Sensation Fiction”: “Class fear was distinctive in this period” (118). In such a rapidly changing world, middle-lower class individuals encroaching on the practices and lifestyles of the elite members of Victorian society was a real fear. As Altick points out, initially, lower class individuals were discouraged from education and literacy due to these class fears. However, with increased commerce and industry, it was discovered “A reasonable bit of elementary schooling made better workers” (Altick, 142). Thus, the lower-middle classes begun to experience an increase in literacy. As a result, periodicals and newspapers alike capitalized on a new type of readership. In response, the sensation novel was born. The Moonstone, featured on this page, in many ways comments upon a fear of the lower-classes and vapid social change during the era. A major theme in the novel is a “loss, shift, or reversal of identity” (Loesberg, 129). Throughout the book, the intentions of upper and lower class individuals are questioned: such as Rosanna Spearman and Rachel Verinder. In the end, the “false identity” of Godfrey Ablewhite proves to be the cause of the moonstone’s disappearance. Perhaps, though, the moonstone itself represents a loss of identity so commonly introduced in sensation fiction. The loss of the precious stone could come to represent the loss of British identity and the mixing, blurring, and mingling of social classes during the era. Regardless, the inclusion of The Moonstone into a sensationalized newspaper such as Harper’s Weekly again only caters to the new, common reader. The theme of shifting or misleading class identity is one the middle-lower classes would have sympathized with and found enjoyment in reading. Loesberg, Jonathan. "The Ideology of Narrative Form in Sensation Fiction." Representations 13 (1986): 115-38. Print. Alitck, Richard. The English Common Reader : A Social History of the…
creator: Collins, Wilkie.
source: Archives and Special Collections
publisher: Calgary: University of Calgary
date: 1868-02-01
contributor: Mitchell, Sydney.
rights: http://library.ucalgary.ca/copyright/images
language: English
type: text