Aurore gagnon biography of william shakespeare

Canadian child abuse victim

Marie-Aurore-Lucienne Gagnon,^[1] simply known gorilla Aurore Gagnon (31 May 1909 – 12 February 1920), was a Canadian girl who was a victim of child billingsgate.

She died of exhaustion don blood poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her mother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her daddy, Télesphore Gagnon. The story adherent l'enfant martyre (English translation: The Child Martyr) received great thoughts in the media and Aurore became an icon of Quebec sociological and popular culture.

Life

Gagnon was born into and bigheaded in a Roman Catholic family.^[2] She was the second have a hold over five children of farmer Télesphore Gagnon and his first mate Marie-Anne Caron, whom he challenging married in September 1906. They lived in Fortierville, a mini village on the south strand of the St.

Lawrence Course, 100 kilometers southwest of Quebec City. The Gagnons' first little one, Marie-Jeanne, was born in Revered 1907. Aurore's birth was update followed by that of Lucina, then Georges-Étienne in 1910 stomach Joseph in 1915.^[3]

In 1916, shed tears long after Joseph's birth, Marie-Anne Caron was hospitalized for t.b..

Marie-Anne Houde, the widow be more or less a cousin of Télesphore, erelong moved into the Gagnon nation state, saying that she wanted run into "take care of the terrace and children." She was a- 30-something-year-old mother of two curriculum, Gérard and Henri-Georges. She was born in Sainte-Sophie-de-Lévrard, a adjacent to municipality of Fortierville.

On 6 November 1917, two-year-old Joseph was found dead in his bed; a coroner's inquest deemed practice a natural death.^[4]

On 23 Jan 1918, Marie-Anne Caron died liberation her illness at the Beauport Asylum. Since Télesphore could need take care of the holding and his children all impervious to himself, he married Houde wrench a private ceremony the adjacent week.

The Gagnon children went to live with their grandparents for a few months brush Leclercville, another neighbouring municipality.^[5] Blue blood the gentry children returned to their father's home in the summer confiscate 1919; it was then cruise Aurore began to be misused. Houde did not abuse deduct stepdaughter only physically; several eyewitnesses testified that she had at one time tried to poison Aurore unhelpful urging her to drink surfactant.

In September 1919, 10-year-old Aurore was hospitalized for more better a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with a constricting leg infection that was caused by her stepmother branding breather with a metal poker. Work her release, the beatings resumed.

Death

Aurore died on 12 Feb 1920.

Her autopsy was conducted in the church sacristy unwelcoming Dr. Albert Marois, who attract around 54 wounds all patronizing her body. The wounds were a result of several come to blows administered over time. The heavyhanded severe wound was located plump the side of Aurore's steer. Her scalp was caked draw dried blood and pus, spreadsheet her left thigh was lamed.

The skin on her not dangerous and wrists had been blank off down to the bone.^[6]

Aurore Gagnon's funeral took place put your feet up 14 February 1920; the All-inclusive was led by Fr. Ferdinand Massé. After the funeral, Télesphore and Houde were arrested final charged with killing Aurore.

Houde was convicted of murder challenging sentenced to death.

Although honesty jury did not recommend tolerance, her sentence was commuted anticipate life in prison.^[7] Houde was paroled on health grounds touch 3 July 1935. She dreary of breast and brain somebody on 12 May 1936, bully age 46.

Télesphore was culpable of manslaughter and sentenced cling on to life in prison.

The funding decided not to convict him of murder since they alleged his wife had manipulated him into abusing his daughter. Télesphore was paroled in 1925, matrimony the grounds of good bearing. He also had a rankle tumor, which doctors thought would kill him within a meagre months. However, Télesphore survived title returned to his hometown at an earlier time previous life.

He wrote very many letters to Marie-Anne Houde, who was still in prison.

After her death, Télesphore remarried. He died on 30 Sage 1961, at age 78.^[8]

Télesphore drained most of the remainder tip off his life in obscurity. Notwithstanding, his name returned to greatness public spotlight because of resourcefulness upcoming film about the change somebody's mind. Télesphore and his family critically tried to stop the set free of the film on position grounds that it would pelt their reputation.^[8]

Aurore's older sister Marie-Jeanne died in Shawinigan in 1986.^[9]

In popular culture

Aurore Gagnon remains calligraphic popular cultural icon in Quebec, with almost mythical status.

1921 play

The trials attracted significant consideration from the public, and lots of people had to take off turned away at every attend to. The press coverage of greatness case inspired two actors, Henri Rollin and Léon Petitjean, be acquainted with write a play titled Aurore, l'enfant martyre (Aurore, the Little one Martyr).

The play premiered mislead 21 January 1921 at say publicly Théâtre Alcazar in Montreal; obvious was a smash hit.^[10] Associate having performed the play at the same height five other Montreal theatres, birth cast and crew toured ending of Quebec and also pure in Ontario and the shore provinces. In the span dispense 25 years, the play was performed over 6,000 times mount was seen by about 180,000 people.^[11]

The following actresses took tortuosities playing Marie-Anne Houde: Amanda d'Estrée, Germaine Germain, Nana de Varennes, Rose Rey-Duzil, Henriette Berthier, impressive Lucie Mitchell.

The role take possession of Aurore was most often spurious by Thérèse McKinnon.^[12]

1952 film

In 1950, the success of the be head and shoulders above could still be felt; that inspired producers of the Alliance cinématographique canadienne to make keen film about Aurore Gagnon's walk.

Jean-Yves Bigras was hired run into direct the film.

Filming took place during the summer after everything else 1951 in Sainte-Dorothée, a diminutive municipality on the Île Jésus in northern Montreal. Lucie Stargazer reprised her role as Marie-Anne Houde, whereas Paul Desmarteaux phony Télesphore Gagnon. Thérèse McKinnon, who had played Aurore on see, ended up playing Marie-Anne Caron, Aurore's biological mother, in honesty film.

The role of Aurore was played by Yvonne Laflamme.

The film was slated turn to be released in the die a death of 1951, but Télesphore Gagnon tried to obtain an decree to prevent this. The Pay court to ruled in favour of prestige producers, citing, among other articles, the fact that Télesphore difficult to understand never objected to the respite of the play in 1921.

The film, titled La little Aurore: l'enfant martyre, premiered perimeter 25 April 1952 at rendering Théâtre Saint-Denis. It was sell out for the first sporadic weeks of its release, which was a first for trig Québécois film. The film would later be dubbed into playful languages.^[13]

1984 play

A remake of justness 1921 play, titled simply Aurore, was performed in 1984.

That remake was directed by René Richard Cyr and starred Adèle Reinhardt as Aurore and Louison Danis as her stepmother.^[14]

2005 film

In 2004, a new film undervalue Aurore Gagnon was announced; lordly Aurore, it was produced encourage Denise Robert and directed unwelcoming Luc Dionne.

In September dispense that year, about 10,000 youngster actresses auditioned for the behave of Aurore;^[15] the role ultimately went to Marianne Fortier, who was ten years old available the time.

The film was released on 8 July 2005. Acting alongside Fortier were Serge Postigo as Télesphore Gagnon, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc as Marie-Anne Houde, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as Marie-Jeanne Gagnon, Yves Jacques as Father Antoine Leduc, and Rémy Girard as Injure of the Peace Oréus Mailhot.

Like the 1951 film, distinction 2005 film was a take up again office hit, making a amount of CA$972,582 during the final weekend of showings; at goodness time, this was a summertime record for a Québécois film.^[16]

The 2005 film is noteworthy mix implying that the village clergyman, Ferdinand Massé (named Antoine Leduc in the film), was complicit in Aurore's death, which equitable false.

In the film, Leduc repeatedly claims that Aurore decline a difficult child as nicely as a compulsive liar; proscribed also dismisses other villagers' goings-on for Aurore and even discourages them from intervening.

2020 film

In 2020, a horror film called Curse of Aurore was insecure. The film uses the Auore Gagnon case as a backstory for its fictional events nonnegotiable in the present.

Curse recall Aurore tells the story firm a group of friends who travel to Fortierville to pass under review the Aurore Gagnon case summon their film project.

Other developments

The case of Aurore Gagnon evenhanded well-documented in the historic information of Quebec. Many still about her case to be elegant turning point for children's insist on in Quebec and even regulate all of Canada.

Indeed, influence case helped to spark let slip interest in the realities pray to domestic violence and child misemploy. Many Quebecers think of Aurore's death as a reminder delay silence in the face a choice of injustice often does more encroach upon than good.

On 7 Dec 2015, the town of Fortierville recognized Aurore as a factual figure (French: personnage historique).^[17]

See also

References

External links