Charles G. D. Roberts
Biography
Sir Charles G. D. Roberts
Sir Charles G. D. Roberts was born on January 10, 1860 in Douglas, New Brunswick, though he was raised in Westcock, New Brunswick. He was homeschooled mostly by his father, and had his first work published at age twelve. Roberts had two siblings; a brother, Theodore, and a sister, Jane, both of whom also became authors. Roberts attended university in New Brunswick, attaining his B.A. at Fredericton Collegiate School his M.A. at the University of New Brunswick, where he gained his love for classical writing.
Roberts was the principal of Chatham High School (1879-1881), and married Mary Fenety in 1890 and together they had five children. Roberts worked and traveled around Canada for several years before becoming a freelance writer in New York in 1897, leaving his wife and children behind. He wrote for about 10 years before moving to Europe, where he enlisted in the British Army and became a captain.
Roberts returned to Canada in 1925 and became a member of the Halifax literary group, “The Song Fishermen.” He married his second wife, Joan Montgomery, in 1943, but became ill shortly after, and died in Toronto. His ashes were sent to Forest Hill Cemetery in Fredericton, NB.
Roberts not only wrote an extensive amount of poetry and prose, but he also promoted the works of other authors within Canada. Because of his contributions to the literary field, Sir Charles G. D. Roberts is often referred to as the “Father of Canadian Poetry.”
Roberts was the principal of Chatham High School (1879-1881), and married Mary Fenety in 1890 and together they had five children. Roberts worked and traveled around Canada for several years before becoming a freelance writer in New York in 1897, leaving his wife and children behind. He wrote for about 10 years before moving to Europe, where he enlisted in the British Army and became a captain.
Roberts returned to Canada in 1925 and became a member of the Halifax literary group, “The Song Fishermen.” He married his second wife, Joan Montgomery, in 1943, but became ill shortly after, and died in Toronto. His ashes were sent to Forest Hill Cemetery in Fredericton, NB.
Roberts not only wrote an extensive amount of poetry and prose, but he also promoted the works of other authors within Canada. Because of his contributions to the literary field, Sir Charles G. D. Roberts is often referred to as the “Father of Canadian Poetry.”
Tons upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay
O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry husk some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.
Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.
Published in Selected Poetry and Critical Prose (University of Toronto Press, 1974).
Used with permission of Public Domain.
O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry husk some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.
Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.
Published in Selected Poetry and Critical Prose (University of Toronto Press, 1974).
Used with permission of Public Domain.
Critical Analysis: Roberts' necessary shelter yet beautiful prison in "In an Old Barn"
Dustin Flagg (for ENGL 3103, Advanced Poetry Workshop) and Monica Grasse (ACPA Managing Editor, 2015)
Like many sonnets, Sir Charles G. D. Roberts’ poem “The Old Barn” conveys a greater meaning than its slight length would indicate. The poem is set in an animal-filled barn during the winter season. Because the snow covers the pastures, the animals are mued up in their wooden home. However, the scents of summer remain, causing the animals to forget the outside world. Thus, the outside that these animals cherish has been captured within the walls surrounding them.
“The Old Barn” captures the similarity between how animals and humans tend to act. Humans take what they desire, bottle it up in their own little prisons (homes), and never let it go. They shut out the world around them to focus only on what they have. The sustainability of human existence could very well be at risk, but those cooped up in their “barns” are unaware.
The very description of Roberts’ barn dancing with dust, the echoing slight rustlings, and playing animals makes it seem like a beautiful paradise. The residents of this microcosm have what they need and therefore do not need to consider the outside world. The barn is a necessary shelter but also a beautiful prison.
Beyond the description of Roberts’ barn is his poetic structure, which lends as much meaning to the poem as does its poetic devices. “The Old Barn” is a variation on the Petrarchan sonnet, meaning it consists of an octave of the abbaabba rhyme scheme and a sestet of the cdbcdb rhyme scheme with a turn at the end. The rhyme scheme is clear to readers, just as the contrary meaning in the turn evidently changes the perspective of the poem:
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams (36).
Here, Roberts identifies the view that the barn is a prison, but also alludes to the comfort the animals find in their confinement. Because of this contentment and the personification of the animals’ feelings, this poem is also seen as a pastoral poem. As defined, the pastoral poem glorifies the life of the lowly; in this particular case, glorification is given to the animals who otherwise had never been considered in such a light. Furthermore, readers see the situation of the animals change as the poem moves from the “time-warped eaves” covered in “[t]ons upon tons” of hay to the “far down” cows “in their shadowed stalls” (1-2, 9).
Roberts’ two demonstrations of meaning in “The Old Barn” brings readers to understand the similarities between how humans and animals act. Particularly, readers are brought to understand that although simple, this poem is much like the barn; it is a beautiful prison of structure that brings meaning to its captives.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Roberts, Charles G. D. Selected Poetry and Critical Prose. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974.
Like many sonnets, Sir Charles G. D. Roberts’ poem “The Old Barn” conveys a greater meaning than its slight length would indicate. The poem is set in an animal-filled barn during the winter season. Because the snow covers the pastures, the animals are mued up in their wooden home. However, the scents of summer remain, causing the animals to forget the outside world. Thus, the outside that these animals cherish has been captured within the walls surrounding them.
“The Old Barn” captures the similarity between how animals and humans tend to act. Humans take what they desire, bottle it up in their own little prisons (homes), and never let it go. They shut out the world around them to focus only on what they have. The sustainability of human existence could very well be at risk, but those cooped up in their “barns” are unaware.
The very description of Roberts’ barn dancing with dust, the echoing slight rustlings, and playing animals makes it seem like a beautiful paradise. The residents of this microcosm have what they need and therefore do not need to consider the outside world. The barn is a necessary shelter but also a beautiful prison.
Beyond the description of Roberts’ barn is his poetic structure, which lends as much meaning to the poem as does its poetic devices. “The Old Barn” is a variation on the Petrarchan sonnet, meaning it consists of an octave of the abbaabba rhyme scheme and a sestet of the cdbcdb rhyme scheme with a turn at the end. The rhyme scheme is clear to readers, just as the contrary meaning in the turn evidently changes the perspective of the poem:
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams (36).
Here, Roberts identifies the view that the barn is a prison, but also alludes to the comfort the animals find in their confinement. Because of this contentment and the personification of the animals’ feelings, this poem is also seen as a pastoral poem. As defined, the pastoral poem glorifies the life of the lowly; in this particular case, glorification is given to the animals who otherwise had never been considered in such a light. Furthermore, readers see the situation of the animals change as the poem moves from the “time-warped eaves” covered in “[t]ons upon tons” of hay to the “far down” cows “in their shadowed stalls” (1-2, 9).
Roberts’ two demonstrations of meaning in “The Old Barn” brings readers to understand the similarities between how humans and animals act. Particularly, readers are brought to understand that although simple, this poem is much like the barn; it is a beautiful prison of structure that brings meaning to its captives.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Roberts, Charles G. D. Selected Poetry and Critical Prose. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
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---. Lines for an Omar Punch-Bowl: (to C.B.). New York: De Vinne Press, 1891.
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---. The Secret Trails. Illus. Paul Bransom and Warwick Reynolds. London: Ward, Lock, 1916.
---. The Selected Poems of Charles G.D. Roberts. Toronto: Ryerson, 1936.
---. The Selected Poems of Charles G.D. Roberts. Ed. Desmond Pacey. Ottawa: Tecumseh, 1955.
---. Selected Poetry and Critical Prose. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974.
---. A Sister to Evangeline: Being a Story of Yvonne de Lamourie, and How She Went Into ExileWith the Villagers of Grand Pré. Boston: Lamson and Co., 1898.
---. Some Animal Stories. London: J.M. Dent, 1921.
---. Songs of the Common Day and Ave!: An Ode for the Shelley Centenary. Toronto: W. Briggs; Montréal: C.W. Coates, 1893.
---. Spirit of Beauty. N.p., 1930.
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---. Thirteen Bears. Illus. John A Hall. Ed. Ethel Hume Bennett. Toronto: Ryerson, 1947.
---. Twilight Over Shaugamauk. Toronto, Ryerson, 1937.
---. Vagrants of the Barren and Other Stories of Charles G.D. Roberts. Ed. Martin Ware. Ottawa, Tecumseh, 1992.
---. The Watchers of the Trails: A Book of Animal Life. Illus. Charles Livingston Bull. Boston: L.C. Page, 1904.
---. Wisdom of the Wilderness. New York: Macmillan, 1923.
Roberts, Chalres G.D. and Arthur L. Tunnell, eds. A Standard Dictionary of Canadian Biography: The Canadian Who Was Who. 2 vols. Toronto: Trans-Canada Press, 1934-8.
Roberts, Charles G.D. and Nathaniel A. Benson. "Reminiscences of Bliss Carman." Halifax: Dalhousie Review, 1930. 409-17.
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Adams, John Coldwell. Sir Charles God Damn: The Life of Sir Charles G.D. Roberts. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1986.
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--- The Lure of the Wild: The Last Three Animal Stories. Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1980.
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---. "Rummagings 11: Charles G.D. Roberts and the Beating of Willie." Canadian Poetry: Studies, Documents, Reviews 69 (2011): 5-8. MLA International Bibliography. Accessed online 4 Jan 2021.
---. "The Thing is Found to be Symbolic': Syboliste Elements in the Early Short Stories of Gilbert Parker, Charles G.D. Roberts, and Duncan Campbell Scott." Dominant Impressions: Essays on the Canadian Short Story, edited by Gerald Lynch and Angela Arnold Robbeson, Ottawa: Ottawa UP, 2000, pp. 27-51.
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Seifert, Martina. "Canadian Animal Stories: Charles G.D. Roberts, "Do Seek Their Meet From God' (1892)." The Canadian Short Story: Interpretations, edited by Reingard M. Nischick, Rochester: NY, Camden House, 2007, pp. 41-52. MLA International Bibliography. Accessed online 6 Jan 2021.
Stephenson, Glennis. "The Bitter-Sweet Rose: The Conception of Woman in Roberts' 'The Book of the Rose'." Canadian Poetry 14 (1984): 53-63. Literature Online. Accessed 3 Jan 2021.
Strong, William. "Charles G.D. Roberts' 'The Tantramar Revisited'." Canadian Poetry 3.(1978): 26-37. MLA International Bibliography. Accessed online 11 May 2015.
Summerby-Murray, Robert. "The Fantastic Black Panther in the Writing of Charles G.D. Roberts: Forging Canadian National Identity from Primeval Nature." Belphégor: Littérature Populaire et Culture Médiatique 12.1 (2014): 1-14.
---. "Making Fact from Fiction: Using Oral History to Construct the 'Frictional' Places of Charles G.D. Roberts' Westcock." Dalhousie Review 93.1 (2013): 53-69. Literature Online. Accessed 3 Jan 2021.
Tremblay, Tony. The Fiddlehead Moment. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2019. xii-231.
Vautour, Bart. "The Politics of Recovery and the Recovery of Politics: Editing Canadian Writing on the Spanish Civil War." Editing as Cultural Practice in Canada, edited by Dean Irvine, Waterloo; ON; Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2016, pp. 139-147. MLA International Bibliography. Accessed online 6 Jan 2021.
Walker, Fred, "Flying His Own Colours: The Patriotic Poetry of Sir Charles G.D. Roberts." Journal of Canadian Poetry 3.2 (1981): 48-54. MLA International Bibliography. Accessed online 6 Jan 2021.
Ware, Tracy. "A Canadian Source for Frosts's Design?" Journal of Modern Literature 16.4 (1990): 646-8. Literature Online. Accessed 3 Jan 2021.
---. “Remembering It All Well: ‘The Tantramar Revisited’.” Studies in Canadian Literature 8.2 (1983): 221-37.
---. "Where Was That?" Essays on Canadian Writing. 71 (2000): 203-214. Literature Online. Accessed 4 Jan 2021.
Whalen, Terry. Charles G.D. Roberts and His Works. Toronto: ECW Press, 1989.
Yakovenko, Sergiy. "The Tantramar, Revisited Yet Again: Charles G. D. Roberts's Agon with the Wordsworths." Studies in Canadian Literature 42.1 (2017): 209-226.
Some Primary and Secondary Sources Courtesy of the NB Literary Encyclopedia.
