A History of Canadian Fiction David Staines Cambridge University Press
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING you need to know about the new single-volume history of Canadian fiction in English, by noted academic and editor David Staines, can be gleaned from the book’s cover. The image – an oil sketch of birch trees in the winter, resplendent in pale yellow and sepia tones – is by Tom Thomson, one of this country’s most iconic and revered artists. Though many critics note Thomson’s unique brush style and suggest this locates him in the avant-garde of early 20th-century landscape painters, what is abundantly clear about his enduring influence is the degree to which he has entered the Canadian establishment: his nature paintings continue to serve as shorthand for the rugged majesty of the Canadian outdoors.