Samuel Marchbanks
Encyclopedia
Samuel Marchbanks is a fictional character who wrote editorials for the Peterborough Examiner
newspaper in the small city of Peterborough
, Ontario
, northeast of Toronto
, during the middle of the 20th century.
Marchbanks was, in fact, a pseudonym
used by Canadian
novel
ist, playwright
, critic
, journalist
, and professor
Robertson Davies
during his tenure as editor
of the newspaper. Marchbanks is described as witty, cantankerous, and determinedly individualistic.
Three books of Marchbanks' writings have been published, supposedly with Davies as editor. The metafiction
al pretence of there being two separate individuals spills over into the footnotes, where disagreements between Marchbanks and Davies are evident.
The Marchbanks books include The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks
(published in 1947
), The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks
(published in 1949
), and Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack
(published in 1967
). In 1985
an omnibus of the three previous Marchbanks books, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks
, was published with new notes by the author, or more correctly, by the editor (Davies).
Peterborough Examiner
The Peterborough Examiner is a newspaper that services Peterborough, Ontario and area. The paper started circulation in 1847, and is currently owned by the Sun Media, division of Quebecor Media. At one time, it was edited by Canadian man of letters Robertson Davies. It is the only daily newspaper...
newspaper in the small city of Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, northeast of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, during the middle of the 20th century.
Marchbanks was, in fact, a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
used by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, playwright
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, critic
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
, journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Robertson Davies
Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies, CC, OOnt, FRSC, FRSL was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best-known and most popular authors, and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies is variously said to have gladly accepted for himself...
during his tenure as editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the newspaper. Marchbanks is described as witty, cantankerous, and determinedly individualistic.
Three books of Marchbanks' writings have been published, supposedly with Davies as editor. The metafiction
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
al pretence of there being two separate individuals spills over into the footnotes, where disagreements between Marchbanks and Davies are evident.
The Marchbanks books include The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks
The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks
The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks, published by Clarke, Irwin in 1947, is the first of the Samuel Marchbanks books by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies...
(published in 1947
1947 in literature
The year 1947 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Diary of Anne Frank is published for the first time.*Jack Kerouac makes the journey which he will later chronicle in his book On the Road....
), The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks
The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks
The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks, published by Clarke Irwin in 1949, is the second of the Samuel Marchbanks books by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies...
(published in 1949
1949 in literature
The year 1949 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Arthur C. Clarke becomes Assistant Editor of Science Abstracts.*Bertrand Russell receives the Order of Merit....
), and Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack
Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack
Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1967, is the third and last of the Samuel Marchbanks books by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies...
(published in 1967
1967 in literature
The year 1967 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Influential science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions published.*Cecil Day-Lewis is selected as the new Poet Laureate of the UK.-New books:...
). In 1985
1985 in literature
The year 1985 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Isaac Asimov - Robots and Empire*Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale*Jean M. Auel - The Mammoth Hunters*Iain Banks - Walking on Glass...
an omnibus of the three previous Marchbanks books, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks
The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks
The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, published by Irwin in 1985, constitutes a collection of the writings of Samuel Marchbanks, a character created in 1944 by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies when he was editor of the Peterborough Examiner newspaper in the small city of Peterborough,...
, was published with new notes by the author, or more correctly, by the editor (Davies).