Details

Subject(s)

• Canadian literature—Study and teaching (Higher) [Browse]
• Canadian literature—History and criticism—Theory, etc [Browse]
• Canon (Literature) [Browse]

Summary note

"There is no such thing as 'the ivory tower.' Rather, there sit side by side numerous windowless towers of knowledge, each seeming to have only a small entrance and no discernable exit." -Paul Martin Multilingual, multicultural, and vast, Canada enjoys a rich diversity of literatures. So, why does "Canadian Literature," as it has been taught, fail to encompass a common geography, history, and government, yet reveal the diverse experiences of its immigrants, long-term residents, and original peoples? Martin's research-interviews with 95 professors in 27 universities-maps the institutional chasms in communication and the nature of their persistence. His own example of venturing out from his "tower" to dialogue with colleagues shows a way toward cultivating a conception of the literatures of Canada that is expansive and inclusive. Canadianists, professors of English, French, Postcolonial and Comparative Literatures, and leaders in education will profit from Martin's frank investigations.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-299) and index.

Language note

English

Contents

• Introduction : points of departure
• The "people's literature" : histories of teaching the literatures of Canada
• "A prisoner of its own amnesia" : the role of the university in the Canadian literary institution
• Field notes : assessing the state of Canadian literary studies in 1997-98
• Mind the gaps : professors, "coverage," and the Canadian literature curriculum
• "The substance of forgetting" : a decade of changes, or a lack thereof?
• Afterword : new ways to "here"
• Appendix 1. Universities visited, course offerings in the literatures of Canada and instructors interviewed, 1997-98
• Appendix 2. Texts taught in English and comparative literature courses on the literatures of Canada in 1997-98 (ranked by frequency)
• Appendix 3. Texts taught in English and comparative literature courses on the literatures of Canada in 1997-98 (sorted by author)
• Appendix 4. Texts taught in English and comparative literature courses on the literatures of Canada in 2007-08 (ranked by frequency)
• Appendix 5. Texts taught in English and comparative literature courses on the literatures of Canada in 1007-08 (sorted by author)
• Notes
• Works cited
• Index.

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ISBN

0-88864-735-2

OCLC

870652561

Doi

• 10.1515/9780888647351

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