on the massacre
             Other writers, notably David Thompson, John Franklin and Dr. John Richardson, also wrote
             this kind of narrative. The importance of the 'explorative narrative' was that it helped to
             shape not only the Europeans knowledge of this new land but also contributed to an emerging
             Canadian identity. These narratives were full of tales of survival under the most extreme
             conditions. Their characters became a part of a growing European idea of what Canadians
             endured and of what life was like in the new land. They became a part of the emerging myth
             of a free, uncivilized land. A land where anything, including overcoming the worst that
             nature could provide, was possible.
             European life at that time was extremely structured and people's lives and prospects were
             decided and limited almost completely by the conditions and status of ones' birth. A
             blacksmith's son could never aspire to become a courtesan and in turn a courtesan would
             rarely be allowed to become a tradesman. These adventures from the new land promised a
             future that was only bounded by one's own skills, talents and hard work.
             This myth of a free, liberated land continued well into the eighteenth century.
             Writers such as Thomas Chandler Haliburton continued to enchant the European public with
             tall tales that echoed the social changes and lack of class distinctions inherent to such an
             ...