Alfred G. Bailey
Biography
Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey was born on March 18, 1905. A poet, anthropologist, ethnohistorian, curator, and university administrator, Bailey is considered among Canada’s early Modernists.
Bailey studied at University of New Brunswick to obtain his Bachelor’s degree, then attended University of Toronto to attain his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in history and anthropology. Between 1935 and 1938, Bailey served as a curator for the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. In 1938 he left the museum to work at UNB, where he held a number of positions including first head of the History Department, Honorary Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the UNB Library, Dean of Arts, and Vice President Academic.
Some of Bailey’s most notable accomplishments include founding the Bliss Carman Society in 1940 and the prominent Canadian literary journal The Fiddlehead in 1945. His written works include six volumes of poetry and many scholarly works in history and anthropology.
Alfred G. Bailey passed away April 21, 1997 at 92. The Alfred G. Bailey Poetry Prize is awarded annually by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick to an unpublished poetry manuscript.
More information on Alfred G. Bailey can be found in the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia.
Bailey studied at University of New Brunswick to obtain his Bachelor’s degree, then attended University of Toronto to attain his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in history and anthropology. Between 1935 and 1938, Bailey served as a curator for the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John. In 1938 he left the museum to work at UNB, where he held a number of positions including first head of the History Department, Honorary Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the UNB Library, Dean of Arts, and Vice President Academic.
Some of Bailey’s most notable accomplishments include founding the Bliss Carman Society in 1940 and the prominent Canadian literary journal The Fiddlehead in 1945. His written works include six volumes of poetry and many scholarly works in history and anthropology.
Alfred G. Bailey passed away April 21, 1997 at 92. The Alfred G. Bailey Poetry Prize is awarded annually by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick to an unpublished poetry manuscript.
More information on Alfred G. Bailey can be found in the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia.
The muskrat in his brook is
not a contemptible fellow.
No one ever really supposed that he was,
even though his habitat is narrow
and confined because
of certain data of existence
best known to himself and
other frequenters of the shallow
bed of gurgling water that he works and
plays in.
His reason
liberates his nights and days in
the medium this reason both foreshadows
and reflects.
He is satisfied and we are satisfied to
see him so.
We would not want his goings-out and
comings-in,
deliberate and slow,
occasionally as rapid as a ball bounding over
turf,
to be in startling opposition to his native
stream,
nor to anticipate its destiny in sea and surf.
Let whales wake and sleep in their
own water,
the muskrat in his.
His bliss, like an emulsion, injects
his veins and arteries, a whale’s
capillaries accommodate a liquor
immense and sedate.
Dignity and industry lend size to the muskrat.
His size is his own, and mete.
The whale may think his dignity is greater.
The muskrat would be able, if the
thought struck him,
to prove his own title to this quality,
sooner or later.
Published in Thanks for a Drowned Island. McClelland and Stewart, 1973.
not a contemptible fellow.
No one ever really supposed that he was,
even though his habitat is narrow
and confined because
of certain data of existence
best known to himself and
other frequenters of the shallow
bed of gurgling water that he works and
plays in.
His reason
liberates his nights and days in
the medium this reason both foreshadows
and reflects.
He is satisfied and we are satisfied to
see him so.
We would not want his goings-out and
comings-in,
deliberate and slow,
occasionally as rapid as a ball bounding over
turf,
to be in startling opposition to his native
stream,
nor to anticipate its destiny in sea and surf.
Let whales wake and sleep in their
own water,
the muskrat in his.
His bliss, like an emulsion, injects
his veins and arteries, a whale’s
capillaries accommodate a liquor
immense and sedate.
Dignity and industry lend size to the muskrat.
His size is his own, and mete.
The whale may think his dignity is greater.
The muskrat would be able, if the
thought struck him,
to prove his own title to this quality,
sooner or later.
Published in Thanks for a Drowned Island. McClelland and Stewart, 1973.
Critical Analysis: Dignity and Habitat
Kathleen Pond (ACPA Managing Editor 2018, for ENGL 3103: Advanced Poetry Workshop)
Alfred G. Bailey’s poem “The Muskrat and the Whale,” found in his collection Thanks for a Drowned Island, endeavours to convince readers that size does not determine dignity. Bailey considers points regarding animals in incomparable habitats: the muskrat in his stream and the whale in his ocean. The muskrat and the whale become more than what they are – analogous of New Brunswick and the larger provinces of Canada, respectively.
The muskrat is suited to his confined brooks and streams – like his habitat, “deliberate and slow” at times, and bouncing with playful energy at others (15-16). These bodies sometimes flow unhurried; they also surge over dips and bubble around rocks (17-18). But Bailey plays with perception, implying indignity while refuting it. The muskrat is not a despicable creature, though “No one ever really supposed that he was” (3). By contrast, the whale is unconfined in his ocean. We may see more dignity in the whale because the whale is grand and steady, while the muskrat is small and playful.
Humans tend to assign greater dignity to larger animals – we see the lion as more regal than the house cat. Yet Bailey disputes this idea that size determines dignity. The stream that the muskrat lives in is the reality “best known to himself… He is satisfied and we are satisfied to/see him so” (7-13). Though the stream may seem small to a whale or even a human, it is the perfect size for a muskrat – a tiny kingdom for a tiny being, grand in its own right. The muskrat’s “size is his own” (26), the size he was intended to be, as is the whale. To compare the dignity of the two based on size would be akin to comparing the values of a diamond and a car based purely on the objects’ size.
The views Bailey holds of the muskrat and the whale transfer over to Canada’s provinces: the muskrat represents New Brunswick and the whale the larger provinces. Most Canadian provinces are larger than New Brunswick. Non-Canadians learn about Canadian culture through larger provincial influence; the most well-known Canadian cities include Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. Not many people know a lot – if anything – about New Brunswick. The last several lines of the poem lend itself well to the analogy:
Dignity and industry lend size to the muskrat.
His size is his own, and mete.
The whale may think his dignity is greater.
The muskrat would be able, if the
thought struck him,
to prove his own title to this quality,
sooner or later. (25-29)
Bailey argues that despite the vast difference in size, the muskrat and the whale are equal in dignity and importance when living in the habitat suited for them. An idea that is applicable in many situations, including New Brunswick in relation to the larger, more well-known. New Brunswick’s hard work and dignity lend the province a metaphysical size. The larger provinces may think they have more dignity or importance, but like that of the muskrat and the whale they cannot truly be compared. Besides, like the last four lines state: the muskrat (and New Brunswick) could prove itself equal in quality eventually.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Bailey, Alfred G. Thanks for a Drowned Island. McClelland and Stewart, 1973, p. 18.
Alfred G. Bailey’s poem “The Muskrat and the Whale,” found in his collection Thanks for a Drowned Island, endeavours to convince readers that size does not determine dignity. Bailey considers points regarding animals in incomparable habitats: the muskrat in his stream and the whale in his ocean. The muskrat and the whale become more than what they are – analogous of New Brunswick and the larger provinces of Canada, respectively.
The muskrat is suited to his confined brooks and streams – like his habitat, “deliberate and slow” at times, and bouncing with playful energy at others (15-16). These bodies sometimes flow unhurried; they also surge over dips and bubble around rocks (17-18). But Bailey plays with perception, implying indignity while refuting it. The muskrat is not a despicable creature, though “No one ever really supposed that he was” (3). By contrast, the whale is unconfined in his ocean. We may see more dignity in the whale because the whale is grand and steady, while the muskrat is small and playful.
Humans tend to assign greater dignity to larger animals – we see the lion as more regal than the house cat. Yet Bailey disputes this idea that size determines dignity. The stream that the muskrat lives in is the reality “best known to himself… He is satisfied and we are satisfied to/see him so” (7-13). Though the stream may seem small to a whale or even a human, it is the perfect size for a muskrat – a tiny kingdom for a tiny being, grand in its own right. The muskrat’s “size is his own” (26), the size he was intended to be, as is the whale. To compare the dignity of the two based on size would be akin to comparing the values of a diamond and a car based purely on the objects’ size.
The views Bailey holds of the muskrat and the whale transfer over to Canada’s provinces: the muskrat represents New Brunswick and the whale the larger provinces. Most Canadian provinces are larger than New Brunswick. Non-Canadians learn about Canadian culture through larger provincial influence; the most well-known Canadian cities include Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. Not many people know a lot – if anything – about New Brunswick. The last several lines of the poem lend itself well to the analogy:
Dignity and industry lend size to the muskrat.
His size is his own, and mete.
The whale may think his dignity is greater.
The muskrat would be able, if the
thought struck him,
to prove his own title to this quality,
sooner or later. (25-29)
Bailey argues that despite the vast difference in size, the muskrat and the whale are equal in dignity and importance when living in the habitat suited for them. An idea that is applicable in many situations, including New Brunswick in relation to the larger, more well-known. New Brunswick’s hard work and dignity lend the province a metaphysical size. The larger provinces may think they have more dignity or importance, but like that of the muskrat and the whale they cannot truly be compared. Besides, like the last four lines state: the muskrat (and New Brunswick) could prove itself equal in quality eventually.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Bailey, Alfred G. Thanks for a Drowned Island. McClelland and Stewart, 1973, p. 18.
Bibliography
Primary Sources: Poetry
Bailey, Alfred G. Border River. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1952.
---. "The Lament of the Montagnais." Fiddlehead. (1995): 19-20.
---. Miramichi Lightning: The Collected Poems of Alfred Bailey. Fredericton: Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1981.
---. Songs of the Saguenay and Other Poems. Quebec City: Chronicle-Telegraph Publications, 1927.
---. Tâo. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1930.
---. Thanks for a Drowned Island. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1973.
---. The Sun, the Wind, the Summer Field. Fredericton, N.B: Goose Lane Editions, 1996.
Primary Sources: Other
Bailey, Alfred G. “The basis and persistence of opposition to Confederation in New Brunswick.” Confederation: Essays. Ed. Donald G. Creighton. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.
---. “Creative moments in the culture of the Maritime Provinces.” Twentieth Century Essays on Confederation Literature. Ed. Lorraine McMullen. Ottawa: Tecumseh Press, 1976.
---. Culture and Nationality: Essays. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972.
---. “The historical setting of Sara Duncan's The Imperialist.” Twentieth Century Essays on Confederation Literature. Ed. Lorraine McMullen. Ottawa: Tecumseh Press, 1976.
---. "Literature and Nationalism After Confederation." University of Toronto Quarterly. 25.4 (1956): 409-423.
---. "Railways and the Confederation Issue in New Brunswick, 1863–1865." Canadian Historical Review. 21.4 (1940): 367-383.
---. "Review: Canada: Character and Circumstance." International Journal. 26.1 (1971): 276-278.
Secondary Sources
Bauer, Nancy. "Facts & arguments: lives lived: Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey." The Globe and Mail. 28 May 1997: A22.
Compton, Anne. Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada. Fredericton, N.B: Goose Lane Editions, 2002.
Lane, M. Travis. "An Interview with Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey." Studies in Canadian Literature. 11.2 (1986): 226.
---. “A Sense of the Medium: The Poetry of A. G. Bailey.” Canadian Poetry 19 (1986): 1-10.
O'Connell, Victor E. Alfred G. Bailey and Canadian Anthropology. Fredericton, N.B: Kanata Institute, 1990.
Tremblay, Tony. The Fiddlehead Moment. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2019. 5-231.
Trigger, Bruce G. "Alfred G Bailey: Ethnohistorian." Acadiensis. 18.2 (1989): 3-21.
Bailey, Alfred G. Border River. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1952.
---. "The Lament of the Montagnais." Fiddlehead. (1995): 19-20.
---. Miramichi Lightning: The Collected Poems of Alfred Bailey. Fredericton: Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1981.
---. Songs of the Saguenay and Other Poems. Quebec City: Chronicle-Telegraph Publications, 1927.
---. Tâo. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1930.
---. Thanks for a Drowned Island. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1973.
---. The Sun, the Wind, the Summer Field. Fredericton, N.B: Goose Lane Editions, 1996.
Primary Sources: Other
Bailey, Alfred G. “The basis and persistence of opposition to Confederation in New Brunswick.” Confederation: Essays. Ed. Donald G. Creighton. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.
---. “Creative moments in the culture of the Maritime Provinces.” Twentieth Century Essays on Confederation Literature. Ed. Lorraine McMullen. Ottawa: Tecumseh Press, 1976.
---. Culture and Nationality: Essays. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972.
---. “The historical setting of Sara Duncan's The Imperialist.” Twentieth Century Essays on Confederation Literature. Ed. Lorraine McMullen. Ottawa: Tecumseh Press, 1976.
---. "Literature and Nationalism After Confederation." University of Toronto Quarterly. 25.4 (1956): 409-423.
---. "Railways and the Confederation Issue in New Brunswick, 1863–1865." Canadian Historical Review. 21.4 (1940): 367-383.
---. "Review: Canada: Character and Circumstance." International Journal. 26.1 (1971): 276-278.
Secondary Sources
Bauer, Nancy. "Facts & arguments: lives lived: Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey." The Globe and Mail. 28 May 1997: A22.
Compton, Anne. Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada. Fredericton, N.B: Goose Lane Editions, 2002.
Lane, M. Travis. "An Interview with Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey." Studies in Canadian Literature. 11.2 (1986): 226.
---. “A Sense of the Medium: The Poetry of A. G. Bailey.” Canadian Poetry 19 (1986): 1-10.
O'Connell, Victor E. Alfred G. Bailey and Canadian Anthropology. Fredericton, N.B: Kanata Institute, 1990.
Tremblay, Tony. The Fiddlehead Moment. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2019. 5-231.
Trigger, Bruce G. "Alfred G Bailey: Ethnohistorian." Acadiensis. 18.2 (1989): 3-21.
