Canadian Literature in English, Vol. 1. Rev. ed.

Naomi Brun is a librarian assistant in Communications and Community
Development at the Hamilton Public Library and a book reviewer for the
Hamilton Spectator.

W.J. Keith is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Toronto. He originally published both volumes of Canadian Literature in
English in 1985 to positive critical reviews. These new editions have
been effectively updated to reflect the changes in Canadian writing over
the last 20 years.

In these works, Keith takes a historical approach to literary analysis.
He begins, as he should, at the very beginning of Canadian writing,
analysing its quality and pointing out artistic and socio-political
influences from the time. He continues this approach through the various
ages and stages of Canadian literary development, from fur-trading
memoirs to postmodernist poetry.

Keith employs a keen eye when observing socio-political effects on the
literary world. In the chapter “Polemical Conclusion,” for example,
he notes that as the number of students admitted to arts and humanities
has risen, general academic proficiency has declined, resulting in lower
standards and less-rigorous instruction. These English graduates are
neither sufficiently prepared to write using a polished style, nor to
read good-quality literature, and our literary landscape has suffered as
a result.

Keith’s work is comprehensive in its scope and insightful in its
observations. It will be of interest to students, professors of English,
librarians, and anyone who loves good writing. This work is a necessary
inclusion for any Canadian academic library.