Keepers of the Code
Subtitle: English-Canadian Literary Anthologies and the Representation of Nation
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 400
ISBN-13: 9781442613966
Subjects: Canadian literature, history and criticism; Anthologies, history and criticism; Literature publishing; Canon (literature); National characteristics, canadian
Description: Keepers of the Code explores the complex network of associations and negotiations that influenced the development of literary anthologies in English Canada from 1837 to the present. Lecker shows that these anthologies are deeply conflicted narratives that embody the tensions and anxieties felt by their editors when faced with the challenge of constructing or rejecting national ideals. He argues that these are intensely self-conscious works with their own literary mechanisms and architecture. In reading the history of these anthologies, he witnesses a complex narrative of nation, a compelling story about the values and interests informing English-Canadian literary history.