photo of stacks (lower floor)

Canadian Literature & Poetry
in English

Fiction

Gothic, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Canadian Gothic Literature, History, and the Spectre of Self-Invention Sugars, Cynthia Explores the origins and history of the Canadian gothic tradition, tracing the ways that the Gothic genre has been reinvented for a specifically Canadian context. Authored discussed in the book are Dionne Brand, David Chariandy, Wayson Choy, Hiromi Goto, Suzette Mayr, and Michael Ondaatje.
Unsettled Remains: Canadian Literature and the Postcolonial Gothic Sugars, Cynthia and Gerry Turcotte Examines how Canadian writers have combined a postcolonial awareness with gothic metaphors of monstrosity and haunting in their response to Canadian history. Authors whose work is analyzed in the book include Charles de Guise, Farley Mowat, Sheila Watson, Joy Kagawa, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Janice Kulyk Keefer, Tomson Highway, Eden Robinson, Michael Crummey, and Vincent Lam.
DisPossession: Haunting in Canadian Fiction Goldman, Marlene Incorporating both psychoanalytic and non-traditional methods of literary analysis, Goldman explores the ways in which spectral fictions are an expression of definitive Canadian experiences, such as the clashes between invading settler and Indigenous populations.
The Haunted Wilderness: The Gothic and Grotesque in Canadian Fiction Northey, Margot A detailed analysis of a limited number of works, some from the nineteenth century, and others from the twentieth century. Focus is on varieties of gothic and grotesque fiction rather than specific authors. Demonstrates that gothicism, in varying degrees, has always been a continuing feature of Canadian fiction.
Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature Atwood, Margaret Focuses on the imaginative mystique of the wilderness of the Canadian North. Writers discussed include Robert Service, Robertson Davies, Alice Munro, E.J. Pratt, Marian Engel, Margaret Laurence and Gwendolyn MacEwan.
Worlds of Wonder: Readings in Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Leroux, Jean-François, and C.R. La Bossière Studies the emergence of science fiction and fantasy within a general context of Canadian literature and culture.

Historical Fiction

Speculative Fictions: Contemporary Canadian Novelists and the Writing of History Wyile, Herb An analysis of the historical concerns and textual strategies of selected historical novels published since 1973. Drawing on the work of theorists and critics, this book examines the nature of the engagement with Canadian history in the text of the novels.
National Plots: Historical Fiction and Changing Ideas of Canada Cabajsky, Andrea and Brett Josef Grubisic, editor The collection studies the significance of the roles that historical fiction has played within Canadian culture for nearly two centuries.

Realism

Modern Realism in English-Canadian Fiction Hill, Colin Evaluates Canadian literary culture and argues that it is a distinct genre, a regional form of the larger international modernist movement. Examines major as well as lesser known Canadian writers, including Frederick Philip Grove, Morley Callaghan, and Raymond Knister.
Stories of the Middle Space: Reading the Ethics of Postmodern Realisms Bowen, Debra C.

reviewed & updated 20 May 2021 | compiled by Agatha Barc, MI