Rudy Wiebe and the Historicity of the World

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

Penny van Toorn examines six major novels by Rudy Wiebe using critical
principles drawn primarily from Russian theorists Mikhail Bakhtin and
V.N. Volosinov. More traditional critical theories, van Toorn argues,
“afford only limited insights into the complex functions of, and
relations between, the voices and languages Wiebe employs.” The
Russian theorists offer an intellectual framework for examining
Wiebe’s fictional strategies, his religious and sociopolitical values,
and his innovative narrative forms.

The novels examined are Peace Shall Destroy Many, First and Vital
Candle, The Blue Mountains of China, The Temptations of Big Bear, The
Scorched-Wood People, and My Lovely Enemy. Wiebe’s latest novel, A
Discovery of Strangers, is not included, nor is his short fiction.

Perhaps the most intriguing chapter is the conclusion, “Where is Your
Voice Coming From, Rudy Wiebe?” Given Wiebe’s complex
background—Mennonite, Russlander, Anabaptist, Christian—this is not
an easily answered question, yet van Toorn’s exploration of
“voice” is thorough and subtle. Her study, which casts a fresh light
on this important body of fiction, includes notes, an appendix on the
early history and doctrines of the Mennonite Church, and an extensive
bibliography.