The Immoral Moralists by Patricia A. Morley

Abstract

REVIEWS Patricia A. Morley, The Immoral Moralists (Toronto: Clarke, Irwin and Com­ pany Limited 1972). xvi, 144. $4.50/ Fraser Sutherland, The Style of Innocence (Toronto: Clarke, Irwin and Company Limited 1972). xvi, 120. $4.50 There is extant in the world of Canadian letters the idea that if a critic discusses three or more Canadian writers in a single study, he is Frigian. If he talks about them in relation to universal concepts, he is both thematic and a chauvinist. And if he mentions their cultural context, he is not really a critic at all but a social commentator. It is a time of particular difficulty for Canadian literary criticism, as indicated by the confused response it receives from reviewers. Normally, the critic can lay down the perimeters within which he proposes to function, and then function as best he can. In Canada, it is not so simple. The current need for critical direction, evaluation, and definition within the field of Canadian litera­ ture demands of the critic - or forces him to demand of himself —a social responsibility, even at the expense of his literary vision. Both the creative and explicative arts suffer accordingly. Whatever his approach, the critic draws on a presumably broad range of literary experience. The ability to analyse, form analogues, and make evalua­ tions derives from an informed taste built upon knowledge of genre and tradition. Assumptions are necessarily made as to the range of knowledge shared by those to whom he writes. In Canada, these assumptions cannot be made. Highly literate people in this country know nothing of the country's literature. They have been schooled exclusively in other literatures, and as the Canadian tradition emerges from the shadows of esoteria and indifference they suffer a dissociation of intellect which renders them simultaneously inquisitive and unreceptive. The critic, usually an academic, knows this from his experi­ ence of the world around him. Since common knowledge cannot be assumed, the critic tends to make every commentary seem a fresh beginning. Since he addresses an unpredictable readership, he is impelled always to place Canadian writing in a larger world context or to sum it up, or both. He is confronted by an apparent vacuum which will not be contained simply by the elucidation of art. All literary critics, of course, have a social function in providing a bridge E n g l is h S t u d ie s in C a n a d a , 1 , 2 (su m m e r 19 7 5 ) 231 R e v i e w s between art and life. The responsibility of the Canadian critic, whether taken up on his own or imposed upon him by reviewers or the reading public, is extended somewhat further. He must act as an impresario. A number of recent books, including Elizabeth Waterston's Survey, Clara Thomas's Our Nature - Our Voices, and Margaret Atwood's Survival follow in the footsteps of Desmond Pacey's 1952 compendium, Creative Writing in Canada, combining literary history with descriptive analysis and a thematic overview. These are aimed at the self-confessed initiate. They are readers' guides which attempt to sell the literature while illuminating it. Each attempts to see the literature whole, to circumscribe it within a single encyclopaedic vision which will strike some responsive chord in its Canadian readers. The critic must also act as a tour guide. Meeting this demand directly, a great number of monographs and handbooks have appeared from a variety of publishers on the works of single authors. These range from the utilitarian to the execrable with a few, such as Margaret Stobie's study of Grove in the Twayne series, and Michael Ondaatje's of Cohen in the New Canadian Library, rising to genuine heights of scholarship or creative insight. For the most part, these, too, fall into the category of study aids. The serious critic of Canadian literature, as opposed to the handbook-critic, is expected to fill the role of guru. The prototype, here, is Northrop Frye whose brilliant, sometimes restrictive, overview in the Literary History of Canada will dominate the popular conception of our literature for decades to come. Ap­ proaching the literature more...