Sarah Dorward

Embracing Elsewhereness

Introduction

Embracing elsewhereness. Explore 19th-century Canadian authorship through May Agnes Fleming's transatlantic publishing success. This article challenges views of period publishing as solely an obstacle.

Abstract

Authorship in Canada during the nineteenth century was fundamentally transatlantic. Authors who resided in British North America, and later Canada, needed to navigate the system of trans-border publishing if they wished to see much in the way of financial compensation or wide readerships. While the material and legal conditions of trans-border publishing were a hindrance to many authors residing in Canada, some were able to negotiate these conditions to their advantage. One such author is May Agnes Fleming, a New Brunswick-born writer whose literary career was made possible through her pursuit of trans-border — and eventually transatlantic — publishing. In this article, I explore how Fleming’s accrual of mass-market, transatlantic readers and subsequent significant financial success was born by this period’s international copyright agreements. Using Fleming as a case study, this article encourages us to challenge our perceptions of nineteenth-century publishing conditions as exclusively an obstacle to authorship, instead making room for authors who cannily negotiated these conditions in an exceptional, intentional way.

Review

This article, "Embracing Elsewhereness," promises a compelling re-evaluation of nineteenth-century Canadian authorship. It directly addresses the transatlantic nature of publishing during this period, arguing that while cross-border conditions often presented obstacles, certain authors adeptly leveraged these systems to their advantage. The abstract sets up a focused and intriguing argument that challenges a conventional understanding of publishing limitations, suggesting a more nuanced view of authorial agency and strategic navigation within complex legal and material frameworks. A significant strength of this proposed article lies in its innovative approach to Canadian literary history. By focusing on May Agnes Fleming as a central case study, the author provides a concrete example of an author who achieved substantial financial success and wide readership through strategic engagement with international copyright agreements and trans-border publishing. This particular focus on a New Brunswick-born writer who achieved "mass-market, transatlantic readers" is particularly valuable, as it foregrounds how individual authorial decisions, rather than simply systemic constraints, shaped literary careers. The article's commitment to "challenge our perceptions of nineteenth-century publishing conditions as exclusively an obstacle" is a vital contribution, offering a fresh perspective that makes room for intentional negotiation and exceptional authorial acumen. This article appears poised to make a significant intervention in discussions surrounding nineteenth-century Canadian literature and publishing history. It moves beyond a deterministic view of publishing conditions to highlight the sophisticated strategies employed by authors like Fleming. While the abstract strongly emphasizes "intentional" negotiation, further exploration within the article of the *specific mechanisms* and *challenges* Fleming overcame would undoubtedly enrich this argument. Overall, the abstract presents a well-conceived and original piece of scholarship that promises to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of authorship, literary markets, and transnational cultural flows during this formative period.

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