A Union of the Inkpot: The Canadian Authors Association, 1921-1960 by Christopher M. Doody A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2016, Christopher M. Doody Abstract This dissertation examines the development of authorship in Canada in the first half of the twentieth century, with a particular emphasis on the Canadian Authors Association (C.A.A.). By focusing on this association, the dissertation refutes the common narrative that the development of Canadian authorship was the result of a vanguard of modernist writers standing collectively against an older generation of amateur writers. Instead, it insists on the importance of a history of authorship that includes dissenting conceptions, specifically those articulated by the C.A.A., which resisted the practice of creating hierarchies for authors based on gender, age, quality of work, chosen genre, or professionalism. The development of authorship in the first half of the twentieth century was a site of debate and contestation. From 1921-1960, there was increasing pressure to define this key role in the national literary field. This pressure to define authorship was manifest: in the legal debates around copyright, which had ramifications for both the state and for private industry; in the debates between authors themselves, as seen during Book Week (1921-1957), which sought to determine the proper relationship between literature and the marketplace; in the creation and development of the Governor General’s Literary Awards (1937-1959), in which the association attempted to promote a specific type of literature; and in the rise of government patronage of the arts, which saw the state developing new ways to both fund and regulate culture. During these various debates over the role of authorship, the C.A.A. generally resisted hierarchies, and in doing so defended the middlebrow and the writer as a skilled labourer in the literary field. The association, however, was not always consistent in advocating these positions. This ii inconsistency demonstrates how difficult it was during this period to articulate a single, coherent definition of authorship. As such, this dissertation argues that literary histories that only recall the modernist narrative of the rise of authorship in Canada lose a sense of this important contest. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express sincere gratitude to Dr. Jody Mason for her supervision of this dissertation. I am indebted to her for sharing her wealth of knowledge, for her insightful comments, and for her constant support of this project. I am also grateful to Dr. Sarah Brouillette for supervising my dissertation research project, to Dr. Jennifer Henderson for supervising my comprehensive studies, and to them both for providing useful feedback on my dissertation. I also wish to thank Dr. Carole Gerson and Dr. Paul Litt for agreeing to act as external examiners and for taking the time to participate in the defence. I am indebted to Dr. Paul Keen for employing me as a research assistant during my final year. This project was supported financially through a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, a S. F. Wise Graduate Fellowship, a Hamlin Graduate Fellowship, and a Graduate Research and Innovative Thinking award. I am especially thankful to my colleagues that have supported me and my research. In particular I want to thank Alexander Grammatikos, Andrew Connolly, Eric Schmaltz, and Shaun Stevenson, who have all listened to me talk about this project, have read sections and provided feedback, offered useful and necessary criticism, and most importantly, have been constant friends. The support of my family has been invaluable to me through this process, and I am thankful to them all. Penny, I could not have asked for a better writing companion; your silent support does not go unnoticed. iv This project would not have been possible without the loving support of my wife Jessica. Not only has she supported us financially but she also spent countless hours reading and editing this dissertation. She has shared my frustrations, celebrated my successes, and been unwavering in her encouragement. I owe her more than I can adequately express. v Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................... ix List of Illustrations .............................................................................................................x List of Appendices ............................................................................................................ xi Epigraph .......................................................................................................................... xii Introduction ........................................................................................................................1 The Founding of the Canadian Authors Association ......................................................3 The C.A.A.’s Legacy .......................................................................................................8 Membership ...................................................................................................................19 Authors’ Associations in England and the United States ..............................................36 Authorship Studies in Canada .......................................................................................44 Chapter Breakdown .......................................................................................................49 Chapter One: Copyright Reform and Canadian Book Week .....................................52 The Road to Montreal: The “birth [of] a new profession” ............................................55 “A Very, Very Troublesome Question”: The Fight for Copyright ...............................60 Authors “Treated Like Dogs”: Copyright Enacted .......................................................69 Canadian Book Week ....................................................................................................74 “Indiscriminately Mingling” .........................................................................................81 Author: Muse-inspired Genius or Labourer? ................................................................85 Book Week: Just Another Name for “Materialistic Patriotism”? .................................95 vi Conclusion .....................................................................................................................99 Chapter Two: The Governor General’s Literary Awards .........................................101 “Raising the quality of our work:” From Copyright to the GG Awards .....................110 The Creation of the Governor General’s Literary Awards ..........................................119 Judging the Awards .....................................................................................................130 Advice to Judges .........................................................................................................149 Awarding the Middlebrow ..........................................................................................154 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................162 Chapter Three: The Rise of Government Patronage for the Arts ............................165 A Luxury Profession? ..................................................................................................171 Artists March on the Turgeon Committee ...................................................................175 Reporting on Authorship: Briefs Submitted to the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters, and Sciences ..................................................187 “Culture has this in common with underwear and fur coats—it costs money”: The Massey Commission’s Report .............................................................................211 The Canada Council for the Arts .................................................................................219 “Not Another Art Factory” ..........................................................................................222 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................232 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................236 The C.A.A. and Its “Sunday Writers” .........................................................................237 Authorship and the Royal Commission on Book Publishing ......................................239 The Writers’ Union of Canada ....................................................................................246 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................253