Gentlemen and Jesuits: Glory and Adventure in the Early Days of Acadia

Olaf Uwe Janzen is a professor of history at Memorial University,
reviews editor of The Northern Mariner, and the editor of Northern Seas.

First published in 1986 by the University of Toronto Press, Gentleman
and Jesuits recounts the first decade of the history of Acadia, from the
unsuccessful attempt to establish a trading station at Ste. Croix in
1604 until the devastating destruction of Annapolis by an English
expedition in 1613. It is based on a careful reading of a number of
printed primary sources, many of which are available at major public and
university libraries, and all of which are identified in a brief
annotated bibliographical essay on sources as well as in the extensive
notes found at the end of the book; a thorough index is also provided.
All this makes the book a useful source for students of Canada’s early
history.

Yet the strength of the book really rests on two points: one is the
degree of detail that the author has managed to bring to a story that
usually receives little more than a few superficial paragraphs in most
history books; the other is the success with which the author brings
both her story and key personalities to life with deft characterizations
in lively and accessible prose. Careful attention to the historical
context—the economic and political conditions in Europe, the cultural
values of the Europeans who found themselves drawn into Acadia’s early
history, the complex character of North American Aboriginal
societies—will satisfy the serious scholar even as it adds color and
texture to the narration. At the same time, the author makes sensible
use of historical imagination to suggest the reasons behind the actions,
decisions, and behavior of the principal characters in her tale. The
result is a narration that is as convincing as it is compelling. Nimbus
Publishing is to be congratulated for making Gentlemen and Jesuits
available once again.