Littoral Trouble: Places, Prose, and Possibilities in the Lake Ontario Watershed

This thesis focuses on Lake Ontario and seeks to identify the different ways that people have related to it throughout time, starting with a frank discussion of the present state of the lake and the social conditions which surround it. The history of the region is reviewed to form a critical historical geographic survey of the watershed and cast light on how people have related to Lake Ontario throughout time. A literary review explores how artists and authors have used and represented the Lake, noting common themes and motifs. Lastly, I describe my personal fieldwork and observations to provide a contemporary perspective. From this, a few cautious anticipatory inferences are drawn to conclude this review of human relations with Lake Ontario in the throes of an indeterminate and daunting future.