Stories subversive

by Nellie L. McClung

First-wave feminist, activist and social reformer, Nellie McClung ranked as one of the most popular Canadian authors and among the liveliest critics of Canada's male-dominated society of the early 1900s. Well ahead of her time, McClung was known as a writer who dared to discuss taboo topics, and for her inimitable humour which rivals that of Stephen Leacock, Canada's best-known humourist. This selection of her best short fiction includes depictions of difficult rural living conditions in Western Canada as well as "consciousness-raising" stories reflecting the undue restrictions on women and the anti-female laws and attitudes of the day. While most were published in U.S. and Canadian magazines between 1906 and 1931, a few of these stories appear here for the first time. In addition, a detailed introduction discusses McClung's life and analyses the themes and stylistic touches of each of the stories making up this unique anthology.