MARGARET ATWOOD'S 'JOURNALS OF SUSANNA MOODIE': A SEARCH FOR SELF (Pages 16-25) by Dr. Choudhary Sanju in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Margaret Atwood is a remarkable and the most prominent figure in contemporary Canadian literature. Atwood's writing explore a wide range of concerns and "expand the brackets" of traditional literary genres, establishing her status as a major author in Canada and worldwide. Cooke Nathalie has called her a "literary lion" in her biography. W. J. Keith describes her as “the most brilliant, controversial, versatile, abrasive, and enigmatic figure in Canadian literature”(Keith,1998:93). Her father was an entomologist who conducted researches on insects. Her early years were spent in the „bush‟ in Northern Ontario and Quebec. The experience of life in bush without urban distractions helped her develop her imagination and creativity which is clearly reflected in her writing. She is a writer of many facets, poet, novelist, critic, cartoonist, essayist, editor, lecturer and active participant in several literary organizations. This paper is an attempt to explore the journey of "self" in the Journals of Susanna Moodie where Moodie was caught between the binaries of nature and culture, enclosure and escape, immigrants and aboriginals, America and Canada. The paper charts the journey of Susanna Moodie who struggles in the Canadian wilderness and finally comes to terms with her own self. Keywords: Canadian Wilderness, Explore, Immigrants, Binaries, Nature and Culture.