The Imperialist

"The Imperialist" by Sara Jeannette Duncan is a novel written in the early 20th century, likely during the early 1900s. The story is set in a small Canadian town called Elgin and revolves around the Murchison family, particularly focusing on Lorne Murchison and his relationships with the townspeople and his family dynamics. The narrative examines themes of colonialism, social change, and the complications of individual ambition versus societal expectations. The opening of the novel introduces us to the character of Mother Beggarlegs, a mysterious vendor at the local market who captures the attention of children and their imaginations. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to Lorne, a young boy who demonstrates an early sensitivity towards the marginalized in his community, exemplified by his interactions with Mother Beggarlegs. The atmosphere of Elgin is richly depicted, with details about its celebrations, such as the Queen's Birthday, which shape the town's social landscape. The narrative sets the stage for the unfolding tensions between personal aspirations and the collective values of the close-knit community, hinting at the complexities of Lorne’s journey toward adulthood and social influence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sara Jeannette Duncan was a Canadian author and journalist, who also published as Mrs. Everard Cotes and Garth Grafton among other names. First trained as a teacher in a normal school, she took to poetry early in life and after a brief teaching period worked as a travel writer for Canadian newspapers and a columnist for the Toronto Globe. Afterward she wrote for the Washington Post where she was put in charge of the current literature section. Later she made a journey to India and married an Anglo-Indian civil servant thereafter dividing her time between England and India. She wrote 22 works of fiction, many with international themes and settings. Her novels met with mixed acclaim and are rarely read today. In 2016, she was named a National Historic Person on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.