Gabriella Natasha Reznowski: Literary Research and Canadian Literature. Strategies and Sources

• Brigitte Glaser

With this comprehensive survey of research tools for scholars interested in the field of Canadian literature the author, a “librarian for languages and cultures at Washington State University Libraries” (211), offers a guidebook useful for both aspiring researchers and experienced scholars since it presents a wealth of information, covering well-established research resources as well as new tools introduced only in the course of the digital revolution.
In her introduction Reznowski sets the tone for her study when she draws attention to possible problems arising for researchers in the area of Canadian Studies, such as establishing “criteria for determining an author’s ‘Canadianness’” (ix), or to peculiarities such as Canada’s official bilingualism and multiculturalism as well as the importance of the immigrant perspective and the aspect of diversity. She furthermore expresses her aim to be as comprehensive as possible concerning the research tools she wishes to recommend, thus emphasizing the need to consider sources for both preconfederation and postconfederation literature and adding: “this guide seeks to be inclusive of journals, reference works, periodicals, and online sources published in either of Canada’s official languages” (xi).