The Story of Louis Riel : The Rebel Chief

Joseph Edmund Collins’ influence in early Canadian literary circles was as varied as the material that he produced. Poet, journalist, biographer, and novelist, Collins’ contributions ranged from encouraging Canadian poets to editing the “Toronto Globe.” In 1885, Collins wrote “The Story of Louis Riel,” a fictionalized account of the 1885 North-West Resistance. While Collins cobbles together news reports of the (then-)still occurring conflict, he adds sensational dialogue and invented motivations to enliven the Rebellion’s principal actors and events. For instance, Collins casts Riel as a spurned third party in a love triangle involving Thomas Scott – who Riel’s provisional government executed in 1870 – and a Métis woman. Throughout, Collins’ nationalist loyalties shape his description of Riel, the Rebellion, and the Métis. While the story ends before Riel’s capture, an Appendix outlines the Métis leader's trial and execution.