Abstract
The essay will explore the influence of archival selection on the construction of the Canadian literary canon. The author will discuss her experience acquiring the papers of twentieth-century author and journalist Wilfrid Eggleston for Library and Archives Canada. Amongst the Eggleston material were manuscripts by his wife, Magdalena. Writing from the 1940s to the 1970s, Magdalena achieved little critical notice or publishing success. When the Eggleston fonds came to Library and Archives Canada, however, the decision was made to keep her writing as an example of an unsuccessful author’s work. This essay will attempt to answer some of the questions raised by this archival selection: does Magdalena’s inclusion in Library and Archives Canada’s holdings, alongside such prominent authors as Robertson Davies and Carol Shields, change her importance to Canadian literature? Will she one day be “reclaimed” as a great talent by virtue of her work being archived and available for researchers? Finally, does a national heritage institution hold any responsibility in the documentation of the careers of unknown writers?
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