Wacousta; or, A Tale of the Canadas

by John Richardson, James Reaney

Set in the 1760s at the time of Pontiac’s Indian alliance against the British, Wacousta combines elements of revenge tragedy and gothic romance in reconstructing a violent episode in Canadian frontier history. In Major John Richardson’s vivid depiction, Pontiac’s campaign against Fort Detroit is masterminded by the mysterious Wacousta, a Byronic anti-hero whose thirst for vengeance against the fortress commander borders on madness. Turning upon binary oppositions – garrison against wilderness, restraint against passion, mercy against justice – this suspenseful novel creates a world of deception and terror in which motive is ambiguous and the boundary between order and anarchy unclear.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Classics, Canadian Literature, Literature, Read For School, Horror

552 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1832

About the author

John Richardson (4 October 1796 – 12 May 1852) was a Canadian officer in the British Army who became the first Canadian-born novelist to achieve international recognition.

Richardson was born at Queenston, Ontario on the Niagara River in 1796. His mother Madelaine was the daughter of the fur trader John Askin and an Ottawa woman. His father, Dr. Robert Richardson, was a surgeon with the Queen's Rangers.

His later military service took him to England and, for two years, to the West Indies. While in the West Indies, Richardson was appalled by the treatment of slaves there. Richardson stated that his mixed racial background made him uneasy with his fellow officers in the West Indies.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Esss Consonant · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generally considered to be the first Canadian novel, this was required reading for my Early Canadian Lit class. There's not many people who have heard of this book. Far less have read it, and even less than that are those who actually got through the whole thing. I am proud to say... that I really can't remember if I finished it or not, so dull was the writing. And it's not the language or era in which is was written that's to blame, either. Robinson Crusoe was written in 1719, well over a century before Wacousta, and it's a wonderful book that has stood the test of time.

Let this dry Saltine of a book remind us that just because it's the first of something doesn't mean it's the best of anything.

[Chi-Chi A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pontiac is pretty badass, even though he's not the star of this novel! Wacousta is also very badass! All in all, this book was an amazing read... even though it's racist, sexist, classist, the works. Don't read it if you're looking for something light and fun; it's heavy, hard to understand, gory, sad, did I mention racist? The creation of this novel is racist in itself so there you go. You've been warned. But if you like some historical fiction from an English colonialist perspective, of the Canadas, great book to read.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storyline and the mystery in this book, despite it being difficult to follow at times (maybe most of the time). I wouldn't recommend it as a "beach read." You definitely get bragging rights if you finish this book... bonus points if you don't fall asleep while reading it. :)

[carpe diem · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 19c novel about the 18c conflict between the first nations coalition lead by chief Pontiac against Canadian forces stationed inside Detroit fort. The story assumes that the conflict was masterminded by Wacousta, an ex- British army officer turned into a vicious and powerful warrior with a vengence against the fort commander. This is a story about lack of empathy, communication and strategy in approaching a totally new nation on their own territory. The book is well written and brings value as the first Canadian historic novel: there are areas in the storyline where the author attempts to bring into view both sides` point of view.

[Teneisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5 stars. A really great and suspenseful novel! I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it. Writing is really dense and tedious but that's pretty common of 17th century literature. Wacousta is considered the first novel written by a Canadian-born writer so I think every Canadian should definitely give it a try! Slow beginning but it gets good later on. And no I did not read this for fun. It's for school hehe

[Lucas C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wacousta gives great insight into the Early Canadian frontier battles, and the moral dilemmas suffered by those at the time, as well as the complexity and intensity of a blood-thirsty hunt for revenge. However, it is quite a slug-fest of a story picking up about two-hundred pages in and the setting-building and character depth is nothing to ride home about. Leaving this book in the 19th century.

[Dessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard to rate this book because it is what it is. Obviously it doesn’t hold up. Anyway, maybe don’t read this unless you, like me, have to read this for comps.

[Míchílín · Rating 1 out of 5]

Othering, colonial drivel. The worst of early CanLit. I resent being forced to read this simply because its ostensibly the "first Canadian novel".

[Isobel Totten · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most horribly racist thing I've ever read, and I've read a lot of racist garbage.

[Manraj Johal · Rating 1 out of 5]

booo the nation yayyyy destabilizing the nation even at the inception of its forgery !!! (vile settler-colonial narrative)

[Izzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This shit is so boring it was so evil of my Canadian fiction prof to assign it. Dnf but I got like 2/3 in which is an achievement in of itself so I’m counting it as read.

[Hailey Mul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wacousta, a 19th century fiction about Canada, contains all the descriptions of the harsh wilderness and racist descriptions of the "savages" as one would exprect from a Canadian book of its time. What suprised me most about this novel was the story-telling techniques which I recognized from some of my favorite novels such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Richardson gives vivid descriptions of the Canadian world, painting a very detailed picture in the mind of the reader. I thought this was brilliant considering many of his reader's would have been from the old world and had yet to see the new frontiers. Like George Martin, Richardson gives his tale a variety of view points. As a chapter would end with many questions of what had gone on and intrigue, the next would give a new view point to give answers to some of the previous events. The only downfall of this technique was that Richardson had his "Wacousta" character spend an unnessarily long time tying it all together at the end. Overall, it was a delightful surprise for a Canadian book of its time.

[Vivian Zenari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I re-read Wacousta for old times' sake and also because I needed to mention it in an article I was writing. It is a silly book. I thought it was hilarious the first time I read it, and I still think it's hilarious. It is a homage to Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper. Beware of heavy anti-aboriginal and Canadien racism: the racism is extreme. The funny part about the racism is that the actual villain of the story is neither of these. If you want a taste of Canadian-style Scott, give it a shot.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew! A challenge to get through with such heavy gothic melodrama and heavy-duty, romantic characterizations, but it was worth it. Richardson's Wacousta has been rewritten and sanitized in other versions but reading this, his full novel, gives a better appreciation of Richardson's value as a writer of his time. The Afterword by the literary genius James Reaney is helpful in putting the novel and its writer in perspective.

[Anjelica.ab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though at times difficult to read, Richardson really wanted to pioneer Canadian literature as sensational as he could. Too bad centuries later, you have groaning university students unable to keep up with his Wordsworthian descriptions of the Canadian wilderness. I have to admit though, this relic had me during its climatic and almost laughable moments.

[Kate Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only a true literary madman could write this book, and I am convinced Richardson is exactly that. At one point I had to put the novel down because it was too scary to read at night. Yes, it's long. Yes, sometimes the writing gets a bit dry. But the characters kick ass and the adventure is epic. It's pretty sad that no one knows about this book.

[Krystina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, but also extremely tragic. Not perhaps a story that I could say I actually liked, or enjoyed reading, because of the tragic outcome of the plot, but that it not to say I hated it either.

[Yi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was required reading for my sophomore year early Canadian Literature course. At 19, I didn't like it that much. Will have to re-read it at a later time.

[Kaeli Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

if this wasn’t so horrifically racist it would make a very thrilling CBC mini-series. wacousta makes a compelling anti-hero but that’s about it