Oscar Skelton (1878-1941) was a prominent early-twentieth century scholar who became a civil servant and political advisor to prime ministers Mackenzie King and R.B. Bennett. He wrote a number of important books and one, Socialism: A Critical Analysis, was highly praised by Vladimir Lenin. His wife, Isabel Skelton (1877-1956), wrote extensively about literature and history; she was the first historian to treat women from the country's past individually in their own right rather than as a generalized category. Both husband and wife promoted the idea that Canada was an independent nation that no longer needed Britain's tutelage.
Terry Crowley has written a unique double biography that examines the lives of Isabel and Oscar, their works, and their careers. He shows how both individuals in their own way influenced the development of Canada as a nation state. Crowley questions why, when both Isabel and Oscar wrote influential works, Oscar's career blossomed, while Isabel remains virtually unrecognized. He concludes that despite Isabel's literary accomplishments, her life remained enmeshed in domestic and family roles, while Oscar's rise to prominence was facilitated by male scholarly and publishing networks as well as the support that women provided to men's careers. This book traces the lives of two people who rejected British colonialism and hailed a new nation on the world's stage, examining the intersections of gender, nationality, and literary expression at a significant juncture in Canada's history.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [309]-315) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 971.062/0922
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 9781442677074 0802009328
- LCCN
- F1034.S56
- LCCN Item number
- C76 2003eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- PUL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xiii, 328 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00600192 (OCoLC)244767729 (CaOOCEL)418431
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- PUL
Table of Contents
- Contents 10
- Preface 12
- INTRODUCTION 20
- Chapter One: THE LETTER 26
- Chapter Two: A CRITICAL CANADIAN COMMITMENT 37
- Chapter Three: IDENTITIES, POWER, AND PROGRESSIVE DISILLUSIONMENT 62
- Chapter Four: INVENTING A NATION 90
- Chapter Five: THE WORLD STAGE 131
- Chapter Six: THE ORIGINAL MANDARIN AND THE RELUCTANT CONSORT 163
- Chapter Seven: WOMEN'S TIME AND MEN'S TIME, 1926–1935 199
- Chapter Eight: CANADA'S WAR? 235
- Chapter Nine: DEATH AND RECONSTRUCTION 273
- CONCLUSION 294
- Notes 300
- Bibliography of Primary Sources 336
- Illustration Credits 344
- Index 346
- A 346
- B 346
- C 347
- D 347
- E 348
- F 348
- G 348
- H 349
- I 349
- J 349
- K 350
- L 350
- M 350
- N 351
- O 351
- P 351
- Q 352
- R 352
- S 352
- T 354
- U 354
- V 354
- W 354
- Illustrations 172