Choice Atlantic: Writers of Newfoundland and the Maritimes

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta,
co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British Views of
Canada, 1880-1914, and co-editor of The Collected Works of E.J. Pratt.

The region deserves literary recognition, the writers are certainly
among the finest in Canada, the selections are all eminently worth
reading, and the representation (in terms of both time and place) is
fair. But, that said, Choice Atlantic remains nothing more than a random
collection of Atlantic literature, with no apparent rationale (save as a
school text), a very poor introduction, a thoughtless arrangement, and
some decidedly inane editorial commentary.

As a collection to read casually, this book is as good as many. One
cannot deny that such writers as Haliburton, Carman, Cogswell, Horwood,
Brewster, Pratt, Roberts, Guy, Smith, and Dawe are worth reading and
anthologizing. As a critical anthology, however—one intended to make
readers aware of local and literary distinctions—this book fails
miserably. The selections have no discernible organizational or thematic
purpose: Haliburton next to Elliott, Carman next to Kerslake, Pratt’s
“Putting Winter to Bed” next to the traditional “Farewell to Nova
Scotia.” Surely some thematic, or topographic, or even historical
divisioning would have enhanced our appreciation of the literary
heritage these writers represent, as would an introduction that is
something more than half a page of nonsense. And finally, how can anyone
take seriously such (typical) editorial suggestions as these: “Write a
poem about the sea or some other feature of nature. Try to use at least
one metaphor and two similies” and “Rewrite the poem in prose”? A
sure way to belittle both the reader and the literature.