Penguin Black Classics:The Backwoods of Canada

by Catharine Parr Traill

Catharine Parr Traill’s The Backwoods of Canada, first published in 1836, gives an intimate and vivid picture of life in the bush country of Upper Canada. The series of letters that make up the book cover a period of two and half years. Though most were originally written to her mother, the letters were later compiled and published for an intended audience of future female emigrants. Traill’s account of life in the New World is cheerful and buoyant despite the hardships she relays—from the three-month journey to Upper Canada by ship to settling in the bush near Peterborough, Ontario. The letters offer remarkable insight into the skills a well-suited woman might be expected to learn, but the lasting appeal of her work is due to her astute observations of changing notions of class and economy, which reached well beyond her stated audience. Traill typified a new type of woman—the pioneer—and contributed much to an emerging understanding of Canada and Canadian identity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, Classics, Canadian Literature, Memoir, 19th Century

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1836

About the author

Catharine Parr Strickland Traill was an English-Canadian author and naturalist who wrote about life as a settler in Canada.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although and of course, in many ways, Catharine Parr Traill and her sister Susanna Moodie's experiences immigrating as British upper class women (and wives) to 19th century Canada (or more to the point to what in 1867 would become Canada and in this here case the province of Ontario) were very much similar and as such also consisted of many hardships and unpleasant surprises (much physically backbreaking work, harsh winter weather conditions, encounters with dangerous wild animals such as bears and wolves which had in fact not been known to exist in Western Europe for centuries), I also and personally have always enjoyed Catharine Parr Traill's epistolary memoirs of her and her husband's immigrant experiences in Canada, I have always appreciated her The Backwoods of of Canada (with its general emphasis on the positives of immigration and its celebration of Canada's woods and natural splendours) very much more than her sister Susanna Moodie's generally always complaining, being unhappy, whining and miserable about everything Roughing it in the Bush.

And no, The Backwoods of Canada is also not to be seen and read as some kind of glorified depiction of 19th century Canada, of the so-called New World, as paradisiacal and without dangers, threats and difficulties to be encountered by settlers, by pioneers either. For in The Backwoods of Canada, Catharine Parr Traill also and very much realistically does write in her letters about the many hardships faced (as well as pointing out that European recruiting agents had often at best stretched the truth rather a bit about what settling in Canada would mean and thereby certainly often not really preparing potential settlers for how difficult homesteading in Canada could be and that the life of a settler would also therefore and of course be be very much different for especially upper class individuals used to servants and a genteel physical labour free lifestyle).

But unlike her sister Susanna's often petulant and yes "spoiled little rich girl" like complaints and singing the blues (and which is pretty well a frustrating constant in Roughing it in the Woods), The Backwoods of Canada demonstrates in my opinion quite clearly and obviously that Catharine Parr Traill first and foremost was and remained determined to both make and to describe her immigrant experiences in Canada in as pleasant a manner as possible and indeed to also approach and consider Canadian nature, Canadian plants, Canadian weather etc. not as something monstrous to be only feared and despised but as something to be both celebrated and appreciated (and with me most definitely and categorically enjoying both Catharine Parr Traill's company as a person and as a writer considerably more than her sister Susanna Moodie's, whose Roughing it in the Bush really does tend to often make me grit my teeth with all its negativity and arrogantly haughty "everything is so horrible in Canada" attitude and which hardly ever and thankfully is the case in and with The Backwoods of Canada).

[Bfisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine Parr Strickland was an experienced writer who first work was published in 1818; her writing helped to support herself and her family financially after her father’s death. She married half-pay Lieutenant Thomas Traill and emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 to homestead in the bush. Her sister Susanna, married to Traill’s friend, also emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 to homestead. They both wrote books about their experiences.

The Backwoods of Canada is in epistolary form, and was written from letters and journals which she edited to form a guide to homesteading in Upper Canada. Her attitude throughout is a keen interest in her changing surroundings. She was particularly interested in nature, and this may have helped her bear better with the tribulations of homesteading. I suspect that a can-do attitude helped to sustain her and her family. Her book describes life in the bush through the seasons, relations between the British and American settlers and First Nations, and her observations of local plants and animals.

From reading her book and her sister’s book, I believe that I would have much preferred Catherine over Susanna as an acquaintance or as an associate in any endeavor.

[Suellen Ocean · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no fancy plot twists and turns. But for those who enjoy hearing a beautiful voice from the past, I highly recommend it.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Susannah Moodie's memoir of settling in Canada and absolutely hating it, I was dubious about committing myself to reading her sister's published letters on the same subject. I need not have worried, Catherine Parr Traill comes over as a much more pleasant person and I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with many of her views of life in her new country. I share her obsessions with the wildlife and flora of Ontario and am equally fascinated by the weather and the formations of ice on waterways in the winter.

Traill's attitude towards the native population was rather patronising, but typical of the time. It was interesting to read about Canada at a time less than 200 years ago when nearly everyone was a new immigrant and when buying land carried with it obligations as to clearing a certain proportion of it and maintaining or creating a road. It was a time when the main signs of civilisation in a new community were the presence of a grist mill and saw mill, followed by a store and, eventually, a place of worship.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the letters of a British Army Officer's wife writing back to her family in England as she begins her new life in the untouched Backwoods of Canada in 1832. They arrive on their newly purchased plot of land at 10pm at night, the wagon driver throws their belongings from his wagon and drives off. I very much enjoyed Catharine's story, and feel like I've made a new friend in her. She touches on many points of important history, including describing the Chippewa and Otonabee people she meets and trades with regularly. She talks about the issues unique to being the first family to settle in an area, and her bravery and love of learning about her new home are obvious.

[Julie]

10/10 Review to come.

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

My last (and possibly most inspiring) read of 2022. Since the early settlers were far too busy trying to hack out a living from this wild country of ours, memoirs like this one are precious. I marvel at Traill’s ability to write at all, given her struggles with the harsh climate and isolation in the backwoods (back of beyond is more like it), of Ontario way back in 1832. And she wrote eight books! And she was an amateur botanist! And she bore nine children! The mind boggles.

Perhaps the secret to her success can be found in her philosophy as she wrote here in this slender memoir: “In a country where constant exertion is called for from all ages and degrees of settlers, it would be foolish to damp our energies by complaints, and cast a gloom over our homes by sitting dejectedly down to lament for all that was dear to us in the old country. Since we are here, let us make the best of it, and bear with cheerfulness the lot we have chosen. I believe that one of the chief ingredients in human happiness is a capacity for enjoying the blessings we possess.”

Words to live by as we enter a new year in 2023!

[Marsali Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a difference from 'Roughing it in the Bush'! Susanna Moodie's younger sister Catherine went out to Canada not only prepared, but determined, to get her hands dirty (the book ends with some very useful recipes for maple sugar, bran bread, maple vinegar etc) As soon as their log cabin was finished, she was planting, carrying water, and, I have no doubt, milking cows and making butter and cheese. Every time she looked around her, she saw something to enjoy - the trees, the lake, the red squirrels who stole her sunflower heads, and particularly the flowers. She made two visits to an Indian encampment, and described them vividly and positively. The working 'bees', which her sister hated for their drunkenness, were to her a neighbourly way of getting things done. In short, her positive attitude made this book an inspiring and enjoyable read, which brought the Canadian backwoods alive to the reader.

[Joshua Loong · Rating 4 out of 5]

My journey deeper into Canadiana continues. Today’s entry is a collection of letters written by a British woman who, arriving in the 1830’s, describes the settler life of backwoods Ontario (specifically near Peterborough). Though originally just her private letters, the book was collected to serve as a sort of guidebook to prospective British settlers. Offering a more realistic picture of settler life in Upper Canada that one could not find from the often rosy, optimistic picture painted by government agents trying to lure you over the Atlantic.

The book details everything from their journey into Ontario via boats and carriage ride, the difficulties of clearing the land and raising their house, her relationship with her Indigenous neighbours, detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna, the mindset she feels makes a successful settler, descriptions of how to make certain foods and take care of the house, and even later some exciting episodes regarding the Upper Canada Rebellion.

Traill wrote several books later in life on the botany of Ontario, of which she became quickly enamoured with upon arrival, and so many of her letters are steeped in fascination with the surrounding environment. There are some beautiful passages describing the beauty of the silent forest after a snowfall. I’m not as big of a plant-head as some people I know, so this would probably hit different if that’s what you love.

But more than anything else, I loved the random anecdotes that fill the pages of this book that describe a world both familiar to me, but also entirely alien:

- She wrote of Montreal, Kingston, Cobourg etc., places I’ve been to myself, but were unrecognizable in their own way.
- There’s several mentions of “bees” which were events in which a settler would request the entire community to do some type of collective task like a barn raising or harvest.
- The description of what she called Yankee slang in words like “fix”, “calculate” and “guess”.
- The fact that a traveller, found out in the cold, could just enter someone’s home to find a place to rest (there’s an amazing episode in which an Indigneous man plops himself down in their kitchen to get out of the storm)
- The descriptions of Ontario forests being chock full of edible fruit like strawberries
- The vast gulf that existed between people in terms of communication. She would write to her family once every few months, and even locally people outside of her immediate area felt so incredibly far.
- The immense difficulty it was to travel along the roads of Upper Canada, which were often so full of mud that it became impossible to traverse during some of the warmer months. They sometimes preferred to travel in the winter by sleigh.
- The fact that the battles that occurred as part of the Upper Canada Rebellion feel so insignificantly small in comparison to today. One of the major battles in Toronto involved the governor mustering up 300 able bodied men to fight. To put this in context, I’ve been in larger classrooms at university.

It’s stuff like this that make me come back to old books. The smallest details can be incredibly thought provoking. It puts in context both how similar we are to these distant people, and also how different they are. It makes me appreciate the texture of the history that lives all around me.

Read more old books people. It’s good for you.

[Paul Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parr Traill was a settler who wrote eloquently and with deep love for her new home.

It's certainly a product of its time, but there is beauty here, and keen observation, too.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though written in the early 1800's (the editor rightly accords it the tone of Elizabeth Bennet "if...she and Mr. Darcy had deemed emigration necessary for the future of their family fortunes), Mrs. Traill seems surprisingly prescient. She predicts the patterns of future population, the regret for all the great forests necessarily destroyed to populate Ontario, even notes the local climatic effects of deforestation.
The letters give a very vivid sense of social differences in the emigrants (her husband was a British Army officer given a Canadian homestead in compensation for service) which presumably gave rise to the differences between our and Canadian society:
"Intemperance is too prevailing a vice among all ranks of people in this country; but I blush to say it belongs most decidedly to those that consider themselves among the better class of emigrants. Let none such complain of the airs of equality displayed towards them by the labouring class, seeing that they degrade themselves below the honest, sober settler, however poor. If the sons of gentlemen lower themselves, no wonder if the sons of poor men endeavour to exalt themselves above him in a country where they all meet on equal ground and good conduct is the distinguishing mark between the classes." (p. 99)

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as her sister’s book. I got bogged down in the minute descriptions of every flower. Yes she was definitely more cheerful and positive but much less personable.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: Reading letters, journals and diaries is one of my most favourite types of genres whether they be non-fiction, as here, or fictional.

McClelland & Stewart's New Canadian Library series is a staple of Canadian Literature publishing. The series started in the 1960s and continues to this day re-printing the classics of Canadian authors of the past. This version I read of The Backwoods of Canada is New Canadian Library's original 1966 edition with a 1971 introduction, in which they have put in small print along with the editor and such the word "Selections". No other mention, even in the Introduction is made of how this "selected" version of Traill's original 1836 publication came to be, to what extent is missing, or following what criteria. This edition has half the pages that the current editions have but that is not necessarily a fair indicator as the type is excruciatingly tiny in this edition that it would easily use a significant number more pages were it enlarged to a normal reading size. So my review is of what I read in this edition alone and may well not reflect the currently offered McClelland & Stewart editions.

The introduction lets the reader know of Catharine's great love for flora and her most successful books Canadian Wild Flowers (1868) and Studies in Plant Life in Canada (1885), ruminating on this by telling us in her letters she spends two paragraphs on her illness with cholera and 16 pages describing local flora around her home, both of which are present in this edition. This bit of information is important to the reading of this book as it forewarns one of what Mrs. Traill is passionate about and what she is not. I found Catharine to be a very straightforward person, not given to exuberance or elation, nay nearly any emotion, in her letter writing. In fact the opening sentence of the book where she writes to her "dearest mother" is a very rare occurrence of emotion in her letter writing. She gave the facts as they happened, telling stories of her journey to their plot of land in the Peterborough area of Upper Canada (now Ontario), her daily life, experiences with the local Indians and such but I found it all a very matter of fact parting of mostly rather dull information. Not until after she has a child does she start to show some emotion in her tales when they include the babe. Yet not even then does she ever mention anyone by name except her brother Samuel who was established on the neighbouring plot of land, though in the manner of the times he is referred to as S______. We do not learn the baby's name until almost the end of the book, we never learn the nurse's name, nor does she once refer to her husband by name, simply speaking of him as "my husband" throughout the entire book. All throughout the telling of pioneer life, which I found only somewhat interesting through the boring narrative, Mrs. Traill goes on and on about plants and trees and flowers and grasses and so on. It got to the point that I skimmed and skipped all the detailed treatises of Canadian flora, complete with Latin nomenclature, and how it compared to that "back home". The book did not live up to what I was expecting and I am much more eager to read her sister, Susanah Moodie's book now as I have read snippets from it here and there and know she has a more entertaining voice.

[W.L. Hawkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an epistolary novel comprised of letters back home to Catharine's mother and family. She and her husband were given land—on Anishinaabe territory—because he was a British officer, and so emigrated to Upper Canada via ship, steamer, and coach. There are positives to this account of creative non-fiction, the main one being that it's in a woman's voice, and a woman who is passionate about nature and the landscape. Most books of this time were authored by men. I'd also like to point out that Catharine is not classist and racist like her sister, Susannah Moodie who penned Roughing It In the Bush—a book I can't stand to read. Although Catharine uses the language of the time to describe the Indigenous People, she's respectful and appreciative.

I read this book for research as it begins in 1838. My ancestors were born in the area she describes—Cobourg, Brighton, Peterborough—around that same time, and I grew up there myself. Her descriptions of flora, fauna, diseases of the time, backwoods living, the local towns and people provides a detailed backdrop.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must be read along with Roughing it in the Bush by her sister Susanna Moodie - because the sister's experiences are similar but their different personalities and interests convey very different perspectives.

Great early history of what life was like in and around Peterborough, Ontario in the mid 19th century.

Catharine was a botanist as well as a writer, so lots of info and images of plant life enrich her book.

She was less socially inclined as her sister Susanna - more the historian.

[Susan Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I have waited to read for some time, acquired my copy from the used book sale at Word on the Street, Toronto. Quite enjoyed the stories as told by the writer. They faced many adversities, both themselves and their neighbours, however came out as they had planned for their lives. A great read! I understand her sister Susanna Moodie wrote a book as well...will keep my eyes open for it also. Enjoy early Canada fellow readers.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've already written a paper on this book (focusing on only one letter no less) I don't feel inclined to go into detail about how important this source is to building the Canadian identity and also providing a unique perspective into a settler's life in the 1830s. I would, however, like to note that I personally liked how optimistic and practical she was in her descriptions - a perspective I've heard that her sister Susanna Moodie does not share.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am partial to Canadian pioneer authors. Although Parr Traill didn't set out to be a writer, she was the first pioneer to name most of the native plants in Eastern Canada. She does chronicle the move, the first shack they lived in, building, the desperate hardships of early emmigrants to Canada.

[Leonel Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable to read after a run of fiction. There is something romantic in the fashioning of an agrarian life from a forest. My ancestors were of Acadian stock and undertook the task no less than five times in the last four hundred years. Their view of it was likely more that of hard work and misery however.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about early life in the backcountry of upper eastern Canada. There were times that it got quite wordy but all in all a good read.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1830s, when people left England for Canada, they didn't expect to return. Catherine's mother, left behind in England, must have treasured these evocative letters.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I enjoyed this book, with all the information on the backwoods and Canada in the 1830s. Even the appendixes had interesting tidbits. It is very interesting to compare this book with Mrs. Traill’s sister’s book, “Roughing it in the Bush.”

A Favourite Quote: “It has ever been my way to extract the sweet rather than the bitter in the cup of life, and surely it is best and wisest so to do. ... I believe that one of the chief ingredients in human happiness is a capacity for enjoying the blessings we possess.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “The sun had set, and the moon and stars rose brilliantly over the still waters, which gave back the reflections of their glorious multitude of heavenly bodies. A sight so passing fair might have stilled the most turbulent spirits into peace;”
A Favourite Humorous Quote:  “One of their most remarkable terms is to ‘Fix.’ Whatever work requires to be done it must be fixed. ... I was amused one day by hearing a woman tell her husband the chimney wanted fixing. I thought it seemed secure enough, and was a little surprised when the man ... dislodged an accumulation of soot that caused the fire to smoke. The chimney being fixed, all went right again.”

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Letters from an early Canadian settler from pre-Victorian England. Describes travel up to St Laurence into Upper Canada. The author is noted as an important writer of early Canadian literature. What strikes me in the letters is the difficulties of life in Canada compared with England, as described in the below excerpt from letter 18:

“I love Canada, and am as happy in my humble log-house as if it were courtly hall or bower; habit reconciles us to many things that at first were distasteful. It has ever been my way to extract the sweet rather than the bitter in the cup of life, and surely it is best and wisest so to do. In a country where constant exertion is called for from all ages and degrees of settlers, it would be foolish to a degree to damp our energies by complaints, and cast a gloom over our homes by sitting dejectedly down to lament for all that was so dear to us in the old country.”

Excerpt From
The Backwoods of Canada
Catharine Parr Strickland Traill
https://books.apple.com/ca/book/the-b...”

[Linda Ranson-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much. A simple account of settling into Canada and the challenges that come with it. Although Catharine lived a more privileged life in the UK, she embraced all the hardships and learned how to adapt and build her new homestead life. I particularly loved her new friendships with the First Nations people and earlier settlers that formed strong communities. And I also found her words very relatable in her awe of this beautiful country, her love for plants and animals, and for the starry nights. The book brought her voice back to life.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mijn leesplezier werd wat gehinderd door het voortdurend bladeren naar de drie (!) verschillende reeksen van aantekeningen en noten. Natuurlijk is die overdaad ook wel te begrijpen: deze uitgave wil nu eenmaal wetenschappelijk zijn.

Hoe dan ook is dit waarschijnlijk de meest lezenswaardige versie van The Backwoods of Canada: in bijlage worden enkele brieven uitgegeven, onder andere van Thomas Traill, die een ander licht werpen op het narratief van Catharine Parr Traill.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about life in the past, especially eighteenth-century Canada. So when a YouTube channel (Townsends) I enjoy recommended this book, I bought it. The author is emigrating to Canada, and she shares her journey to Peterborough. At the time, this city was considered the backwoods. Imagine where I live. They must’ve called it “Don’t go there, it’s too untamed and wild!” LOL.

Read more here: https://wp.me/p12iNR-dgE

[Mitch Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Peterborough resident and are acquainted with the surrounding natural areas, you might find this book charming, and I would recommend a read. If not, you may be a little bored, unless you are interested in history/botany. This book made a special impression on me because of the bond I have with many of the places and things Catharine talks about.

[Lee Torvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful details of life for a settler to Canada in 1830s. Descriptions of nature and also advice for immigrants are interesting. The author’s very appealing personality comes through in every chapter

[Aurel Mihai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant collection of observations and reflections concerning the colonization of Canada by a European settler.

[Brenda Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline, autobiography. Different mental attitude to the hardships of life.