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Defenders of Arctic orthodoxy turn their backs on Sir John Franklin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2014

Ken McGoogan*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, Creative Writing. 158 St George St, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM5S 2V8 (ken.mcgoogan@gmail.com)

Abstract

William Barr's article on John Rae presents quite the spectacle (Barr 2014). Barr paints a picture of eminent British historians, staunch defenders of Arctic orthodoxy, scurrying around to deny Rae his rightful recognition and stumbling into an abyss of self-contradiction. In their anxiety to keep Rae in his ‘proper place’ at Westminster Abbey, Barr and his friends have repudiated Sir John Franklin's claim to being the discoverer of the northwest passage – the claim they sallied forth to defend.

Type
Notes
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

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