The Cambridge History of Canadian Literature

Reviews / Votes

'Remarkably for a reference work, it is immensely enjoyable. Many of the chapters, whilst scholarly and detailed, also tell a good story ... In sum, this book provides an immensely valuable compass for researchers, orienting them in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing literary field.' Faye Hammill, University of Strathclyde 'As both the most comprehensive and the most recent treatment, this is the best Canadian literary history available ... Handsome and meticulously edited, the book includes illustrations, helpful cross references, a 54-page bibliography organized by topic, and an exhaustive index.' Choice Magazine 'With the contributions of thirty-two specialists in Canadian studies from Canada and abroad, Howells and Kroeller have produced a dense and compact study that will allow readers to take good measure of the cultural factors at work in the development of Canadian writing in English as well as in French, and its evolution from the early days of contact to the present. A detailed chronology of historical and cultural events, a bibliography of selected critical works, and a capacious index complete the volume's scholarly apparatus ... the editors ... have been successful in the goals they set themselves, namely complicating reductive readings of Canada's two linguistic traditions and allowing space for formerly marginalized voices or suppressed histories. The volume maps out fascinating literary ground ...' Claire Omhovere, Paul Valery University, Montpellier III, France 'The bibliography and index are excellent. The quality of the contributions is superb and the essays are well written. The volume provides the best introduction to a neglected literature.' The Historical Association 'This Cambridge History is a monumental work. Anyone who wants more than the ordinary fare of Can Lit will hail this volume for the breadth of its material, often fresh insights, inclusion of neglected writers, the screening of texts against a broader cultural horizon, and the competent presentation of aesthetic and thematic diversity of Canadian writing of the last five decades ... a must for the expert ...' Konrad Gross, Anglistik '... reflects a new confidence in the integrity of its subject ... quite simply a delight ...' The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs 'The History [is] not only an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Canadian literature and culture, but also a joy to read.' Archiv fuer das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen 'The chronology at the beginning is useful for Canadian and non-Canadian readers alike. All the contributors draw from deep wells of scholarship and knowledge ... The Cambridge History of Canadian Literature confirms and broadens the discussion. It's a discussion that renews itself with time and this volume is a worthy contribution to the dialogue.' John Lennox, Canadian Woman Studies 'The new Cambridge History of Canadian Literature is an impressive example of revisionism in literary history. It strikes a balance between revising the canon by including texts so far overlooked, rereading and reconfiguring canonical texts, and assessing the literary development of recent decades.' Zeitschrift fuer Anglistik und Amerikanistik