Image of Virna Sheard

Timeline

Lifetime: 1862 - 1943 Passed: ≈ 81 years ago

Title

Poet, Novelist

Country/Nationality

Canada
Wikipedia

Virna Sheard

Virginia Sheard was a Canadian poet and novelist. She also wrote under the name Stanton Sheard.

Sheard was born in Cobourg, Ontario, the daughter of Elizabeth Butler and Eldridge Stanton, a photographer. Eldridge was a descendant of United Empire Loyalists. The family moved soon after to Toronto where she was raised. Her brother Eldridge Stanton Jr. and his wife both died at Niagara Falls, in the Ice Bridge Disaster of 1912.

Sheard began publishing her poems and stories in magazines around 1898. She wrote her first books, Trevelyan's Little Daughters (1898) and A Maid of Many Moods (1902) to entertain her sons. Her adult fiction was written mainly in the romance genre and included, By the Queen's Grace (1904; a romance set in Elizabethan London), The Man at Lone Lake (1912), The Golden Apple Tree (1920), Below the Salt (1936), and Leaves in the Wind (1938). Below the Salt is a melodramatic story of Marcus O'Sullivan, a wealthy Ontario farmer.

She wrote five volumes of poetry, mainly with religious themes. Some of these included The Miracle and Other Poems (1913), Carry On! (1917), The Ballad of the Quest (1922), Candle Flame (1926), and Fairy Doors (1932). She collected what she thought were her best in Leaves in the Wind, (1938).

Her poem "The Young Knights", which opens with the lines "Now they remain to us forever young / Who with such splendour gave their youth away", is often cited among Canadian women's literary responses to World War I. Of her novel By the Queen's Grace, one reviewer wrote: "It is highly romantic (which is important) and highly improbable (which is of no consequence), and readers of 17 or 70 will find it equally to their taste."

Books by Virna Sheard

Hallowe'en Cover image

Hallowe'en

Poetry
Tribute Poems Fortnightly Prose

A tribute to Hallowe'en by Canadian poetess Virna Sheard.

April Cover image

April

Poetry
Imagery Nature Poems Hope Verses Fortnightly

"When April comes, the world is anew, and so is the poet's heart." April is a poem about the beauty of the natural world and the power of new beginnings. The poet describes the arrival of springtime with its flowers, birdsong, and warm breezes. She...

Miracle, and Other Poems Cover image

Miracle, and Other Poems

Poetry Non-Fiction
Time Poetry Stories Globe Emotions Boston Study Canadian Range Place Outlook Readers

This book, "Miracle, and Other Poems" by Virna Sheard, is a collection of poems exploring a wide spectrum of human emotions and experiences. The poems showcase Sheard's distinctive voice and profound understanding of the human condition. While rooted...

Carry On! Cover image

Carry On!

Poetry History Non-Fiction War
Sacrifice Loss Hope Patriotism World war i Soldier Battlefield Grief War Poetry Homefront Canadian Poetry Soldier's letters

'Carry On!' is a collection of poetry by Canadian poet Virna Sheard, published in 1917 during the First World War. The poems explore the themes of war, loss, sacrifice, and resilience through the lens of a Canadian perspective. Sheard's work reflect...

When Christmas Comes Cover image

When Christmas Comes

Romance Fiction
Family Love Christmas Loss Grief

"When Christmas Comes" is a classic holiday novel that tells the story of a young woman who returns to her hometown for the holidays and finds herself falling in love with the man she left behind.

Sea Cover image

Sea

Poetry History Tragedy
Death Tragedy Sea Loss Memory Poetry Disaster Ocean Mourning Shipwreck Titanic Historical Event

The Sea, a poem by Virna Sheard, is a moving tribute to the victims of the Titanic disaster. It is a profound reflection on loss, grief, and the enduring power of the sea. Sheard's lyrical language and vivid imagery create a poignant and lasting imp...