Frances Fenwick Williams

Frances Fenwick Williams circa 1909
Frances Fenwick Williams circa 1909

Frances de Wolfe Fenwick Williams (fl. 1910–1926) was a Canadian writer. She wrote three novels and one play.

Life

Frances de Wolfe Fenwick was born in Montreal, Quebec, to William I. Fenwick, from Montreal, and Anne Agnes de Wolfe, from Windsor, Nova Scotia. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and McGill University in Montreal.[1]

The Arch Satirist

Fenwick's first novel, The Arch Satirist (1910), is about the heroine Lynn Thayer's attempts to care for her dissolute brother who has squandered the family fortune. It critiques the behaviour of men in Montreal society of the time.[2] The novel's title is adapted from the concluding line of Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, which referred to "Time" as the "arch satirist" in its original serialized version in The Graphic.[3][4]

A Soul on Fire

Fenwick's second novel, Theodora: A Soul on Fire or just A Soul on Fire, was first published in October 1915.[5]

A young woman, Theodora, suddenly appears in Montreal and shows magical powers. Theodora is attractive and is courted by all the eligible young men of the metropolis, and is engaged several times. But these engagements are invariably broken after a short time, and the young man who has become a party to the betrothal suffers death or serious injury soon after the engagement is broken off.[6]

Her mystery is solved by a clergyman and a scientist. They bring from her subconscious the truth of her magical heritage. This began when Sir Geoffrey Carne, back from the Crusades during the reign of Richard I of England, brought a Saracen bride back with him who is a witch. Sir Geoffrey broke a solemn vow. Salvation will occur only if, in some future incarnation, his wife could find a man that would love her for herself.[5][6]

Aside from the plot's fantasy elements, there is a strain of humorous social satire. Williams satirizes social climbers, the self-righteous rich, suffragists, and socialites.[6]

Viking's Rest

Viking's Rest was first published in August 1924.[7]

Two young women living in the city, an artist and a newspaper writer, receive a windfall in the form of a $10,000 cheque. With the money, they go to Nova Scotia and proceed to buy a house, the eponymous "Viking's Rest".[8]

Works

  • The Arch Satirist (Boston: Lothrop, 1910; Toronto: Macleod and Allen, 1910)[9][10]
  • A Soul on Fire (New York: Lane, 1915; Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1915)[9][10]
  • Viking's Rest: A Story of the Land of Evangeline (Toronto: Goodchild, 1924)[9]
  • Which (play, 1926)[11]

References

  1. ↑ Who's Who in Canada. Toronto: International Press. 1911. p. 246.
  2. ↑ "The Arch Satirist". Montreal Star. May 21, 1910. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Review of The Arch Satirist". Birmingham Post-Herald. July 3, 1910. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Kim, Donguk (2017-01-02). "Time in Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy". The Explicator. 75 (1): 28–32. doi:10.1080/00144940.2016.1273187. ISSN 0014-4940.
  5. 1 2 "Weekly Record of New Publications". Publishers Weekly. 88 (14): 1061. October 2, 1915. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. 1 2 3 "A Soul on Fire: A Canadian Beauty with a Wicked Ancestor". Springfield Weekly Republican. January 16, 1916. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ↑ "The Weekly Record of New Publications". Publishers Weekly. 106 (8): 612. August 23, 1924.
  8. ↑ "Review of Viking's Rest". Detroit Free Press. October 5, 1924. p. 98 – via Newspapers.com. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. 1 2 3 Watters, Reginald Eyre (1959). A Check List of Canadian Literature and Background Materials, 1628–1950. University of Toronto Press. p. 299.
  10. 1 2 A Check List of Canadian Imprints: 1900–1925. Canadian Bibliographic Centre. 1950. pp. 120, 359. OCLC 1090986769.
  11. ↑ The Brock Bibliography of Published Canadian Plays in English, 1766–1978. Playwrights Press. 1980. p. 334.
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