Agnes RepplierBesprekingen

This was dry and full of adulation. It was fairly tedious to get through. Effusive and even gushing towards Serra, it had little good to say about the natives he was so dedicated to. The author did not seem interested in them other than as problems for the padres. It was interesting to read for the pioneer aspect of survival and the early founding of Spanish culture in California, but I won't be keeping it on my shelves.½

political and literary commentary--not at all Austen like

Not only a biography of Mère Marie, this book is also an excellent and enlightening history of the early days of Quebec and New France. The author is perceptive and witty. The terminology is that of the early 20th century ("Indians") and even the 17th century ("savages", frequently, in quotations from Mère Marie and her contemporaries translated from French; the connotation is different from English but the choice of word is unfortunate). This does not detract from the story's excellence or the subject's love for the peoples whose languages she learned, whom she fed and educated and lived among.

The dust jacket of my edition (1950s Sheed & Ward) is in my opinion worse. It depicts Mère Marie among tipis, which she probably never saw in her life. Peoples who used tipis didn't live within many hundreds of miles of New France. It shows a complete lack of respect for the variety of American cultures, not a mistake that would have been made either by Mère Marie or Agnes Repplier.

This is a collection of essays on contemporary manners. The point of view is that of an educated gentlewoman, witty, satirical, gracious and refined--a valiant upholder of sane and wholesome ideals. Repplier's writing attractively combines gaiety and seriousness.

HR921 Mar
Repplier, Agnes, 1855-1950.
Pere Marquette, priest, pioneer and adventurer, by Agnes Repplier; decorations by Harry Cimino.
Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., 1929.

ST. JUNIPERO SERRA