In the article, “A Fille du Roi’s Passage,” by Adrienne Leduc, the author educates the reader about her husband’s ancestor’s Canadian past and how she herself, Adrienne Leduc, can relate as she too came to Canada as an immigrant.
This article, as a letter, in my opinion is a very interesting way to tell a story. As it is written in letterform it feels more intimate and factual. However, the one major flaw, in my opinion, of the article, is the lack of sources cited. I do see once source, “Love in Another world” but I fail to see any other sources. This could become frustrating to the reader, as it does not allow the reader to dig into the research nor the ability to check the facts.
This letter is filled with personal opinion and hypothesis about what Jeanne, the ancestor of her husband, must have been feeling about what was happening to her. “I can envision your uneasiness when a larger group of young men stood…”[1], “In my imagination I could see you praying in the local church…”[2] This is a clever way of allowing the reader to picture and perhaps identify with Jeanne and thus giving a face to the women of New France.
The author also draws on her personal experience of being a war bride, “In 1946, 275 years after your arrival in Canada as a fill du roi, another group of young women crossed the Atlantic. That year more than forty-eight thousand war brides came to join their Canadian husbands. I can identify with you, Jeanne, because I was one these young women.” [3]This is an important added fact to the letter as it makes the authors opinions and hypothesis more viable as she herself was in a similar situation. Someone who can relate rather than someone who has no personal experience on the topic is writing the letter. It makes the letter all the more credible.
Through carefully structured questions and answers, Adrienne Leduc was able to educate the reader on what it would have been like for a New France woman coming to Canada in 1671. By drawing on personal experience Leduc was able to create a more intimate history that stretches beyond the facts of a textbook. One can only research the facts within the text in order to confirm how credible they are as there is a very limited amount of sources cited.
[1] Ledux,Adrienne.2001.”A Fille du Roi’s Passage.” Beaver 81, no 1: 20.
[2] Ledux,Adrienne.2001.”A Fille du Roi’s Passage.” Beaver 81, no 1: 20.
[3] Ibid.