The Mind in Creation
Essays on English Romantic Literature in Honour of Ross G. Woodman
Description
The seven contributors to The Mind in Creation bring different critical perspectives -- including historical, textual, and deconstructive methodologies -- to bear on a variety of Romantic authors: Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. Together, their essays offer a representative view of the diversity of Romantic studies, from Byron's use of history to Blake's theory of illustration. A retrospective essay by Woodman himself surveys the past and anticipates the future of Romantic studies in the twentieth century. The Mind in Creation offers a uniquely Canadian perspective: the senior scholars and younger critics who have contributed to this volume -- some of them colleagues and former students of Professor Woodman's -- are all professors of literature at Canadian universities. The Mind in Creation brings together both traditional and innovative approaches to Romanticism in honour of a man whose prolific criticism and lifelong commitment to teaching literature have truly been acts of the mind in creation -- inspirational, exemplary, and lasting. The contributors include: David L. Clark, Jared Curtis, J. Douglas Kneale, W.J.B. Owen, Tilottama Rajan, Ronald Tetreault, and Milton Wilson. The collection also provides a selected bibliography of Ross G. Woodman.
Reviews
"Together, these essays offer a good survey of the state of Romantic scholarship. They deal with a variety of subjects and employ a variety of approaches ... I was particularly impressed by the rich detail of the essays as a group; many involve close readings of important texts or supply biographical and historical contexts that usefully illuminate individual works ... Clearly a great deal of learning stands behind this volume ... it will constitute a significant contribution to Romantic scholarship." Paul A. Cantor, Department of English, University of Virginia. "The essayists make up a distinguished group and present an attractive diversity of approaches and commitments ... Woodman's graceful, courteous, literate concluding essay makes up an attractive feature of this festschrift ... The essays eloquently illustrate the history of critical discourse over the past two or three generations." Stephen Parrish, Goldwin Smith Professor of English, Cornell University.