A highly readable, informal study, this book explores the changing attitudes of Canadians that accompanied the many political, social, and technological developments in the hundred years between the War of 1812-14 and World War I. Illuminating the book with fresh perceptions as a writer of literature, Woodcock discusses th War of 1812 in myth and actuality; class; the Tory and radical trends in Canada; attitudes to women and to the native peoples; ethnic groups and their relationships; and the mystique of the land and how it led painters and writers towards a genuine Canadian tradition.