Emma Lucy Dickson (; 1854–1926) was a Canadian writer who had one novel published under the name Stanford Eleveth.

Life

Born on 21 November 1854 in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

(possibly

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

), she appears to have spent some of her childhood in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. Having returned to Nova Scotia after receiving a

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretar ...

education, in 1882 she married William Dickson, a pattern maker.

Novel

In 1895 the Toronto publisher William Briggs released ''Miss Dexie, a Romance of the Provinces'', attributed to Stanford Eleveth but in fact authored by Dickson. The novel was set in areas familiar to Dickson: Halifax, Maine, and Prince Edward Island, and tells the story of the imaginary Miss Dexie (short for Dexter). Gwendolyn Davies, writing in the ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; ) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a collaboration between the University of Toro ...

'', notes similarities with ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

'' including the strong-minded female protagonist's androgynous name, the timeframe, an abandoned romance, and the focus on familial support. Dickson incorporated recent developments, such as train travel and modern Victorian kitchens, and local details such as a vivid description of a McDonaldite worship service on Prince Edward Island. The novel was well received, being reviewed in Toronto's '' Saturday Night'', ''

The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...

'', and '' Christian Guardian'', the '' Portland Transcript'', the '' Orillia Packet'', and the '' Halifax Herald''. The publisher produced three editions in the first year and continued to issue printings until 1907. Dickson may have also produced some

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

, but she never wrote another novel and largely disappeared from the literary scene after the 1890s.

Deaths

Dickson had a daughter who died in childhood in 1897. Her husband died in 1923 and Dickson in 1926, in Halifax.

References

External links

''Miss Dexie''
on Project Gutenberg {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Emma Lucy 1854 births 1926 deaths 19th-century Canadian novelists 19th-century Canadian women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers Novelists from Nova Scotia