History of Canadian Literature

Links

  • http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/blackwell.html
    Bibliographic essay including:
    • Introduction: Canada, the Unknown Country
    • The Evolution of Canadian Studies
    • Due North: Finding One's Way in the Literature
    • Exploring Canada's Past
    • The Many Solitudes
    • The Canadian Literary Canon
    • Culture High and Low
    • The Canadian-American Entente
    • The True North Strong and Free?: Canada Now and in the 21st Century
    • Conclusion: The Future of Canadian Studies
    • Works Cited


  • http://tceplus.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCECategories&Params=A1SUB40
    Literature in English: Language and Literary Form, Motifs and Patterns, History.


Books in the Library

  • New, William Herbert. A History of Canadian Literature. 600/HQ 4020 N532.2001

  • Toye, William. The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature.600/HQ 4020 B474(2) 

  • Frye, Northrop. The Bush Garden: Essays on the Canadian Imagination. GEIWI-Magazin 610/11027/a and b

  • Twigg, Alan. Strong Voices. Conversations with Fifty Canadian Authors. GEIWI-Magazin 610/11577 

  • Williamson, Janice. Sounding Differences. Conversations with Seventeen Canadian
    Women Writers.     GEIWI-Magazin 610/11588



Canadian Authors

Links

Selected authors:

The information about the authors is taken from http://www.infoplease.com
  • Atwood, Margaret.

    http://www.web.net/owtoad/toc.html
    Margaret Atwood's official homepage.

    Atwood, Margaret Eleanor, 1939-, Canadian novelist and poet. Her writing treats contemporary issues, such as feminism, the fate of Canada and Canadian literature, and the intrusive nature of mass society. Her best-known novel, The Handmaid's Tale (1986), is set in a United States ruled by religious extremists. Among her other writings are the novels The Edible Woman (1969), Surfacing (1972), Bodily Harm (1981), The Robber Bride (1993), and Alias Grace (1996); several volumes of poetry, including The Circle Game (1965), Power Politics (1970), and True Stories (1981); and a collection of short stories, Wilderness Tips (1991).
    See study ed. by J. McCombs (1988).
    CLC 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 15, 25, 44, 84, 135.

  • Callaghan, Morley.

    Callaghan, Morley Edward, 1903 - 90, Canadian novelist. During the 1920s he spent time in Paris, where he became friends with Ernest Hemingway, whose influence can be detected in Callaghan's spare literary style; he recalls these years in That Summer in Paris (1963). Callaghan's novels and short stories are marked by a concern with religion and Christianity, often focusing on individuals whose essential characteristic is a strong but often unexamined sense of self. After a burst of creativity that resulted in Strange Fugitive (1928), Native Argosy (1929), and Such Is My Beloved (1934), Callaghan published little between 1937 and 1950. The Loved and the Lost (1951) is considered by many to behis masterpiece. Callaghan's later works include The Many Colored Coat (1960), A Passion in Rome (1961), Stories (1967), A Fine and Private Place (1975), A Time for Judas (1983), and Our Lady of the Snows (1985).

    See studies by V. Hoar (1969), B. Concron (1975) and P. Morley (1978).

    CLC 3, 14, 41, 65


  • Carr, Emily.

    http://www.tbc.gov.bc.ca/culture/schoolnet/carr/
    Everything there is to know about Emily Carr, including a teacher's guide.

    http://collections.ic.gc.ca/emilycarr/contents.htm
    Emily Carr and the House of All Sorts.

  • Carr, Emily, 1871 - 1945, Canadian painter. She studied (1889-c.1895) at the San Francisco School of Art and later in London and in Paris. In Victoria, British Columbia, she taught painting and visited native villages. From her study of totem poles and other indigenous art, she developed a powerful style marked by simplified forms and a fauvist intensity of color. She wrote Klee Wyck (1941) and The House of All Sorts (1944).
    See her autobiography, Growing Pains (1946).

    TCLC 32
    Tippett, Maria. Emily Carr. 1979.

  • Kinsella, W.P.

    Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Kinsella says that he always thought of himself as a writer, though he wrote more than 50 stories before getting published. He also worked at various odd jobs, such as running his own pizza restaurant, managing a credit agency, and driving a taxicab. Kinsella did not begin college until he was in his 30s.
    Kinsella grew up loving the game of baseball, though he was a poor player himself. He penned his first baseball story, a murder mystery called "Diamond Doom," when he was in eighth grade. Kinsella published his first collection of baseball stories, Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa, in 1980. He expanded the title story into his award-winning novel Shoeless Joe (1982), which garnered much attention when it was adapted and produced as the 1989 Hollywood movie Field of Dreams.
    CLC 27,43


  • Laurence, Margaret.

    http://quarles.unbc.ca/kbeeler_html/laurence/laurencetitle.html
    The Margaret Laurence Society Homepage.

    http://www.nwpassages.com/bios/laurence.asp
    Information about the author and further links to other Margaret Laurence websites.

    Laurence, Margaret (Jean Margaret Laurence), 1926-87, Canadian novelist, b. Manitoba. She lived in Somaliland, Ghana, and England and many of her early works had an African setting. Laurence was particularly concerned with character, and her writings usually focused on women struggling to overcome the limitations of small town life. Among her novels are This Side Jordan (1960), The Stone Angel (1964), A Jest of God (1966), upon which the
    film Rachel, Rachel (1968) was based, The Fire-Dwellers (1969), and The Diviners (1974). In addition, Laurence published works on African literature, notably A Tree for Poverty (1954), a collection of Somali folktales and poetry, and Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists (1968), a critical evaluation.
    See her Dance on the Earth: A Memoir (1989).
    CLC 3, 6, 13, 50, 62


  • Lowry, Malcolm.

    http://www.soulfx.com/volcano
    The Malcolm Lowry homepage.

    http://home.istar.ca/~stewart/volcano.htm
    A site on Lowry's Under the Volcano including a short history of the novel, chapter summaries, a timeline, other works, and criticism.

    Lowry, Malcolm Clarence, 1909-57, English novelist, b. New Brighton, Merseyside. Lowry is widely recognized as an important writer who effectively articulated the spiritual desolation of the individual in the 20th cent. While still a student at Cambridge he wrote his first novel, Ultramarine (1933), later reworked and published in final form in 1962. His reputation is founded on his second novel, Under the Volcano (1947), a subtle and complex study of the dissolution of an Englishman's character. Set in Mexico, the novel is highly autobiographical. Like his hero Geoffrey Firmin, Lowry was an alcoholic whose addiction all but destroyed his family life and caused him to seek peace in such disparate locales as the United States, British Columbia, and Mexico. Lowry's other works, all published posthumously, include Selected Poems (1962); two volumes of short stories, Hear Us O Lord from Heaven Thy Dwelling Place (1961) and Dark As The Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid (1968) and a novel, Lunar Caustic (1968).
    See biography by G. Bowker (1995); studies by A. Smith, ed. (1978), R. K. Cross (1983),
    and T. Bareham (1989).

    TCLC 6, 40

  • Moore, Brian.

    http://schwinger.harvard.edu/~terning/bios/Moore.html
    Very short biography and bibliography.

    Moore, Brian, 1921-, Canadian-American novelist, b. Belfast, Northern Ireland. He emigrated to Canada in 1948, where he was a reporter for the Montreal Gazette; he has lived in the United States, but maintains Canadian citizenship. Although his novels are often concerned with people who are capable of hypocrisy and self-delusion, a comic vein runs through his works. His novels include The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1956), The Great Victorian Collection (1975), The Mangan Inheritance (1979), Black Robe (1985), and Lies of Silence (1990). He also writes under the name Michael Bryan.
    See study by J. Flood (1975).
    CLC 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 19, 32, 90


  • Munro, Alice.

    http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/goodwoman/munro.html
    A conversation with Alice Munro.

    Munro, Alice, 1931-, Canadian writer. She is known for quiet, insightful short stories that
    deal with the lives of girls and women, often set in rural Ontario. Collections of her stories
    include Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974), The Progress of Love (1986),
    Friend of My Youth (1990), and The Love of a Good Woman (1998).
    CLC 6, 10, 19, 50, 95


  • Ondaatje, Michael.

    http://tceplus.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005927
    Short entry on Michael Ondaatje's career.

    http://www.salon.com/nov96/ondaatje961118.html
    An interview with Michael Ondaatje.

    http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/engml/FRIEDMAN/ondaatje.htm
    Michael Ondaatje information including a list of links to various other related pages.

    Novelist and poet, born in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). At the age of eighteen he arrived in Canada, where he attended Bishop's University in Quebec, the University of Toronto and Queens University, Kingston, Ontario. He taught at the University of Western Ontario (1967-71) and subsequently at York University in Toronto. His fiction has a strong element of technical experiment, combined with strong feeling and political concerns: Coming Through Slaughter (1976) uses a form of faction, portraying the life of the jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden through a combination of narrative techniques, including transcripts of interviews, song lyrics, biographical summaries and subjective narration. Ondaatje has written a stage version of this novel. In The Skin of a Lion (1987) explores the lives of marginalized people in Canadian society using both mythic and metafictional devices. His most recent novel is The English Patient (1992), which was joint winner of 1992's Booker Prize. His volumes of poetry include: The Dainty Monsters (1967); The Man With Seven Toes (1969); The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left Handed Poems (1970); Rat Jelly (1973); Elimination Dance (1978); Secular Love (1984); The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems (1989). He has also directed films and edited books of verse and stories. Running in the Family (1982) is autobiographical.

    CLC 14, 29, 51, 76

  • Richler, Mordecai.

    http://tceplus.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006823
    Short entry on Richler's biography.

    http://schwinger.harvard.edu/~terning/bios/Richler.html
    Short entry on Richler's biography.

    http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/12/21/home/richler.html
    Material on Mordecai Richler from the Archives of The New York Times.

    Richler, Mordecai, 1931-, Canadian novelist. Reflecting his youth in Montreal, Richler's novels are often set within the Canadian Jewish community. Typically, he combines fantastic and wildly comic elements with a realistic theme. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959, film 1974), his best-known work, chronicles the ascent to wealth of a poor and fiercely ambitious Jewish youth. His other works include The Acrobats (1954), Cocksure (1968), St. Urbain's Horseman (1971), Joshua Then and Now (1980), Solomon Gursky Was Here (1989), and Barney's Version (1997). Richler has also written numerous screenplays, including No Love for Johnnie (1959) and movie versions of his own works. A number of his essays were collected in Notes on an Endangered Species (1974); This Year in Jerusalem (1994) discusses his personal reactions and relationship to Israel. Richler has also been a spokesman for the English-speaking population of Quebec, a position reflected in his Oh Canada, Oh Quebec (1992).

    See studies by G. Woodcock (1970), V. J. Ramraj (1983), and R. Brenner (1989).

    CLC 3, 5, 9, 13, 18, 46, 70


  • Shields, Carol.

    http://www.oprf.com/Shields/
    Biography and list of publications.

    http://www.nwpassages.com/bios/shields.asp
    Author profile, and summaries of some of her works.

    http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/mapindex/s_profiles/shields_c.html
    Profile of the author, information in a nutshell. Including the author's e-mail.

    Canadian author, novelist, poet and playwright Carol Shields is probably best known for her Pulitzer and Governor General's awards for Stone Diaries.

    Her most recent work, is Larry's Party, winner of the Orange Prize and the New York Times "Notable Book of the Year".
    CLC 91, 113


  • Smart, Elizabeth.

    http://schwinger.harvard.edu/~terning/bios/Smart.html
    Short biographical information.

    http://www.coolwomen.org/coolwomen/cwsite.nsf/vwWeek/335C503C25D269C88525658E0052C4D7
    Interesting comments on By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept.

    Elizabeth Smart (1913-1986) was born in Ottawa, Canada and educated in private schools in Canada and for a year at King's College, London. Her love affair with the poet George Barker was the inspiration for one of the most poetic and touching chronicles of a love affair that Smart is probably best known for, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept. Elizabeth Smart lived in England after WWII and was for a time literary and associate editor of Queen magazine.
    CLC 54



General Resources

Links

  • http://www.nwpassages.com/links.asp
    A huge collection of links on Canadian Literature, including:
    • General Canadian Literature Links
    • Canadian Studies Programs & Associations
    • Canadian Authors
    • Canadian Publishers
    • Canadian Literary Periodicals
    • Canadian Literary Organizations
    • Canadian Culture.


  • http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/_generate/CANADA.html
    A Celebration of Women Writers: Writers from Canada.

  • http://www.qub.ac.uk/ccs/
    Centre of Canadian Studies.
    From Queens University of Belfast. "One of just five centres for Canadian Studies" in the UK, and the only one in Ireland. It encourages both research and teaching about Canada, both within the University and beyond. It is distinctive for its outreach programmes, which aim to bring a greated understanding of Canadian issues and culture to the wider community."

  • http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ep08.htm
    Collection of links on Canadian literature, associations, institutions, etc., Canadian poetry, Canadian drama, and Canadian fiction.

    Included is an a-z author's listing. With each writer there is a listing of works by that writer, works on them, awards they've won, and annotated links to online resources for each author.

  • http://dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/Canada/Arts_and_Entertainment/Literature/
    Open Directory Project.
    The Open Directory is a self-regulating republic where experts can collect their recommendations, without including noise and misinformation.


Books in the Library

  • Atwood, Margaret. Survival. 600/HQ 4023 A887.999

  • New, William Herbert. A History of Canadian Literature.600/HQ 4020 N532.2001

  • Toye, William. The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. 600/HQ 4020 B474(2)

  • Weaver, Robert. The Oxford Anthology of Canadian literature. GEIWI-Magazin 610/4631

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