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On a Darkling Plain
A fictional account of the aftermath of World War I or as a comment on World War II which was imminent when the book was written. Stegner was not particularly proud of the writing and the book is considered part of his apprenticeship as a writer.
231 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
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About the author
Wallace Stegner
215 books2,172 followersWallace Earle Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist. Some call him "The Dean of Western Writers." He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award in 1977.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 30, 2024
[spoiler alert]
As with Fire and Ice, I went through quite a bit of trouble to find a copy of this early novel by Wallace Stegner who, over the years, has become my favorite writer. I’ve read that he wasn’t particularly proud of this work but I’m grateful for it. Like Fire and Ice, it feels a bit more like a screenplay than his later novels.
The dust jacket reveals very little about the book so I was pleasantly surprised that it felt like somewhat of cross between Into the Wild and Contagion. The story focuses on a kind of Christopher McCandless character, discharged from the front lines of World War I and trying to find himself and recover his peace of mind in the desolate though beautiful prairies of Saskatchewan.
His attempt to eke out a simple life of rugged individualism proves impractical as he comes to depend on his neighbors from the very beginning. And he and the small community that he becomes a part of together spend months planting, harvesting and preparing for winter when they find themselves unexpectedly facing the Spanish flu.
The dread of its arrival and the uncertainty of their survival was shockingly relatable in the wake of Covid. From the description of characters wearing face masks to the quarantines of towns and villages, it just reminded me so much of what our own collective experiences were like in 2020 just a little over a hundred years later
As with Fire and Ice, I went through quite a bit of trouble to find a copy of this early novel by Wallace Stegner who, over the years, has become my favorite writer. I’ve read that he wasn’t particularly proud of this work but I’m grateful for it. Like Fire and Ice, it feels a bit more like a screenplay than his later novels.
The dust jacket reveals very little about the book so I was pleasantly surprised that it felt like somewhat of cross between Into the Wild and Contagion. The story focuses on a kind of Christopher McCandless character, discharged from the front lines of World War I and trying to find himself and recover his peace of mind in the desolate though beautiful prairies of Saskatchewan.
His attempt to eke out a simple life of rugged individualism proves impractical as he comes to depend on his neighbors from the very beginning. And he and the small community that he becomes a part of together spend months planting, harvesting and preparing for winter when they find themselves unexpectedly facing the Spanish flu.
The dread of its arrival and the uncertainty of their survival was shockingly relatable in the wake of Covid. From the description of characters wearing face masks to the quarantines of towns and villages, it just reminded me so much of what our own collective experiences were like in 2020 just a little over a hundred years later
August 9, 2020
If you are lucky enough to find this long out of print book, grab it and love it. If you do not like Stegner, don't read it. If you like or love Stegner this is very early book but it's relationship to 2020 is amazing. The last quarter of the book takes place during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. History always repeats. The plot is simple. Well heeled young man from Vancouver fights in WW1, and comes home somewhat physically and emotionally wounded look for life's meaning. He retreats to the great plains of Saskatchewan. He lives 100 years in less than one. Many life lessons along the way.
April 14, 2024
Liked the beginning, until he had to go live in town.
March 16, 2017
The ‘darkling plain’ is the vast Saskatchewan prairie in the early years of the century and the main character Vickers is a young man who has returned from WWI suffering a deep malaise of the soul along with weakened lungs from gas poisoning. He has decided to leave the main post of civilization, family, and friends and self-exile himself out on the sparsely inhabited prairie to get free of the “fever and sickness of humanity”. What exactly he suffered in the war and what he needs to escape is never actually clear. There was a lot of vagueness in this area.
The writing is decent because Stegner just has a way with words but the idea behind the story was somehow missing clarity and meaningful details. I kept wanting more than I was getting. After finishing the book, I once again checked my “Conversations on History and Literature” (Stegner and Etulain, 1983) and found Stegner saying that there was “plenty of trouble” with that book. He says, “It’s an imagined novel, and war heroes I knew not one damn thing about. I knew nothing about war. So, the experiences of this character Vickers are purely hypothetical, disastrously so, I would say.” Okay then...so that is why there seemed to be a vacancy in the writing....he didn't have any experience with what he was writing about.
The story ends with the horrendous influenza pandemic in 1918 that Stegner actually had experience with and lived through. This virus crawled its way around the world and was estimated to have killed 30 to 50 million people worldwide, with a lesser number of 675,000 in the US. By the conclusion, our hero seems to have made the decision to rejoin civilization and join in the struggle of the common man. So hurray for that.
The writing is decent because Stegner just has a way with words but the idea behind the story was somehow missing clarity and meaningful details. I kept wanting more than I was getting. After finishing the book, I once again checked my “Conversations on History and Literature” (Stegner and Etulain, 1983) and found Stegner saying that there was “plenty of trouble” with that book. He says, “It’s an imagined novel, and war heroes I knew not one damn thing about. I knew nothing about war. So, the experiences of this character Vickers are purely hypothetical, disastrously so, I would say.” Okay then...so that is why there seemed to be a vacancy in the writing....he didn't have any experience with what he was writing about.
The story ends with the horrendous influenza pandemic in 1918 that Stegner actually had experience with and lived through. This virus crawled its way around the world and was estimated to have killed 30 to 50 million people worldwide, with a lesser number of 675,000 in the US. By the conclusion, our hero seems to have made the decision to rejoin civilization and join in the struggle of the common man. So hurray for that.
July 6, 2015
On a day when I just want to curl up with a book, my old friend Wally once again makes me stand and face the core of what it means to suffer, to endure, to question everything. Sure, this is an earlier work and not the super polished Stegner of "Angle of Repose" but like "Big Rock Candy Mountain" young Stegner nails it - and nails it hard. A staggering read I can't wait to share with others and discuss.
August 20, 2009
I am guessing that this is one of Stegner's first works. It is certainly one of his least known novels. His writing is a bit less refined, but he addresses many of the familiar themes that his other works include-- man v. nature, man v. self, marriage. And the setting is Saskatchewan (Heather C. I am thinking of you). A good read. Not fabulous like so many of his other novels, but good.
October 5, 2015
All the best of Stegner's writing in a short, sad novel. It's about the endless plains, loneliness, redemption, and the human condition. Set in the aftermath of WW I in Saskatchewan, this is the story of a wounded veteran's journey out of disillusionment as he faces the bleak, unforgiving environment of the great pandemic.
Be prepared for an emotional journey.
Be prepared for an emotional journey.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews