Yleistieto

Syntymäaika: 1934-02-12
Sukupuoli: female
Kansalaisuus: Canada
Syntymäpaikka: Illinois, USA
Asuinpaikat: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Koulutus: University of Toronto
Ammatit: writer
editor
Organisaatiot: Maclean Hunter Publishing
Lyhyt elämäkerta: Mary Alice Downie was born in Illinois to Canadian parents and grew up in Toronto. She graduated from the University of Toronto in English, despite spending most of her time at The Varsity. She had the usual range of jobs: steno pool, editorial assistant for a medical journal, and publicity management for a publisher. In 1959 she married John Downie; they moved to Pittsburgh where she produced film, play, and book reviews, and two daughters, Christine and Jocelyn. In 1962, they moved to Kingston, Alexandra was born in 1967. She hopes to continue writing and editing in a 103-year-old house in Kingston and 107-year-old cottage on an island on the Rideau, and to travel to as many places as possible.

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

The Wicked Fairy Wife: A French Canadian Folktale Tekijä: Mary Alice Downie

Adapted from Evelyn Bolduc's La Fée de la mer verte ("The Fairy of the Green Sea"), published in the Journal of American Folk-Lore in 1919, this complex French-Canadian folktale presents the inter-generational saga of a royal family which is brought low by the intervention of a wicked fairy, intent on marrying the King. Uninterested in the fact that the king already has a wife - the pregnant Josette, once a poor peasant girl - the fairy relegates the Queen to the role of servant, before eventually decreeing that she be killed. The fairy's hangmen, unwilling to commit so terrible a deed, instead pluck out poor Josette's eyes, and leave her in the forest (a dubious sort of 'kindness,' this). Eventually finding a home with a poor woodcutter and his family, Josette gives birth to a son, Jean-Paul, who - when he comes of age - sets out to avenge the wrong done his parents, and to restore his birthright.

The Wicked Fairy-Wife is an interesting selection, from a folkloric perspective, as it combines so many familiar elements in an unfamiliar and intricate tale that switches focus, midway through. Beginning as a classic rags-to-riches story, in which a poor but beautiful girl becomes a queen, but then loses her bridegroom, it also has elements of Snow White (Josette being 'spared' by the hangmen) in it. Then, once Jean-Paul enters the scene, it becomes a quest tale, in which the hero enlists the aid of a seemingly humble (but obviously magical) friend, and completes a number of near-impossible tasks, before triumphing.

As my friend Gundula - who very kindly loaned me her copy of the book - has pointed out, there are a great many European elements to this story, with only one or two Canadian elements thrown in, which makes me wonder whether it is a story unique to the French Canadian tradition, or a Canadian variant of a French story, retold so many times in the Americas that it picked up a little bit of local flavor. Whatever the case may be, I enjoyed reading it! Downie's telling is text heavy, despite the full-page illustrations by Kim Price, so I would recommend it primarily to older children who are independent readers, as well as to any adult readers looking for folktales from the French Canadian tradition.… (lisätietoja)

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AbigailAdams26 | 1 muu arvostelu | Apr 24, 2013 |

A Pioneer ABC Tekijä: Mary Alice Downie

An informative and fun alphabet book, the descriptive illustrations by Mary Jane Gerber, combined with word search activities and detailed supplemental information about pioneer life, and the history of the United Empire Loyalists are A Pioneer ABC's strongest assets. Mary Alice Downie's text itself is adequate, but by no means spectacular (I think it would have worked better, had the author at least tried to make the text somewhat poetic, as it is now, it seems unfinished, with an at times distracting choppiness of narrative flow).

It would also have been nice, had the author made more than just a cursory mention of Canada's First Nations (the only referral to First Nations individuals is under the letter "I" where visiting "Indians" teach the Loyalist pioneers how to ice-fish, but in fact, many of the Loyalists owed their very survival to the help, advice and support of Canada's First Nations).

I would still recommend this book as a good, basic alphabet book for young children (and the historical information presented certainly is interesting and well-researched, showing both the joys and struggles of pioneer life). However, if I were reading A Pioneer ABC with or to a child or a group of children, I would definitely expand the scope of the book by also discussing Canada's First Nations and their contacts and problems with pioneers, with settlers, including the United Empire Loyalists.… (lisätietoja)

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gundulabaehre | Mar 31, 2013 |

The wicked fairy-wife: A French Canadian folktale Tekijä: Mary Alice Downie

Mary Alice Downie's The Wicked Fairy-Wife: A French-Canadian Folktale is unfortunately, not a tale that I particularly enjoyed reading. One of the main problems I have with this picture book are the illustrations. Especially the depictions of the wicked fairy are simply too ugly and evil looking for my tastes, the stuff of actual nightmares. That is not to say that the illustrations are of inferior quality in any way, they are just not to my liking; I simply found and find many of them creepily uncanny. Another aspect of the tale I find rather strange (but also intriguing) is the fact that although this tale is supposedly French Canadian, most of its images do not seem particularly Canadian to me. There is a canoe, and the families consume blueberry wine (blueberries are a commonly harvested berry in Quebec), but most of the images, such as kings, princes, wicked fairies, castles etc. seem to be more continental European in nature than Canadian. And there also does not appear to be an equal combination of Canadian and European elements, either within the story or the illustrations. If I were to read this tale not being aware of the fact that it is, indeed, a retelling of a French Canadian folktale, I would likely at first not think of it as a French Canadian tale, I would perhaps wrongly assume it to be a European folktale.

However, what really does bother me about this tale is the ever present element of sexism. Of course, like in many traditional folk and fairy tales, the wicked fairy is female (that is traditional), but most of the female characters in this story are either ineffectively passive or evil. For example, the victim of the fairy witch (or rather, one of the victims, as the king is a victim as well), the queen (Josette), is portrayed as beautiful, giving and pious. However, there is also an element of silent blame cast at her, for it is her curiosity which causes the wicked fairy to be released in the first place. And there is also no quest, no set of demands for Josette to be able to redeem herself, to liberate her husband from the clutches of his wicked fairy wife. Josette is banished and blinded, but it is not she, but her son (another male character) who finally rescues both his mother and his father, destroying the fairy and her sisters in the process; Josette, though always remains rather colourless and completely passive, accepting and inactive. I would recommend this story for those who are interested in reading and collecting French Canadian folk and fairy tales, especially picture books, as there do not seem to be many in print (and the story is interesting and readable, my issues with some of the content and the illustrations used notwithstanding). However, I would not necessarily recommend The Wicked Fairy-Wife: A French-Canadian Folktale as an enjoyable fairy tale to be shared with children.… (lisätietoja)

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gundulabaehre | 1 muu arvostelu | Mar 31, 2013 |

How the Devil Got His Cat Tekijä: Mary Alice Downie

According to the author's note, How the Devil got his Cat is a traditional folktale in many cultures. While I find this French Canadian version quite enjoyable, with nicely executed silhouette illustrations, there are some aspects of the story that do bother me a bit. I appreciate that the Mother Superior of the abbey not only gets the Devil to build a bridge to her abbey, but that she is also able to outsmart him and thus save her soul. However, I really do not like and have trouble accepting the fact that the Mother Supeior actually sacrifices her pet cat to the Devil, that she sacrifices her cat to save herself (surely she could have thought of something else, as this also promotes the idea, so common in folklore, that cats are or at least can be evil and devilish). Thus while I generally like this tale, I certainly do not love it (and for sensitive readers, the silhouette illustrations of the Devil can be rather uncanny, especially his long, pointed fingernails).… (lisätietoja)

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gundulabaehre | Mar 31, 2013 |

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