Malcolm Ross (literary critic)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Mackenzie Ross, OC
, FRSC
, (January 2, 1911November 4, 2002) was a notable Canadian literary critic.
, the son of Cora Elizabeth Hewitson and Charles Duff Ross, Ross attended Fredericton High School
before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy from the University of New Brunswick
in 1933. He received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto
in 1934 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University
in 1941.
. In 1949, Ross received a Guggenheim Fellowship
and spent six months studying at Harvard University
and six months writing Poetry & dogma: the transfiguration of eucharistic symbols in seventeenth century English poetry in Pasadena, California
.
He was a professor of English at Queen's University
. He was head of the Department of English from 1957 to 1960 and held the James Cappon Professorship in English from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, he went to the University of Toronto
and was the Dean of Arts from 1962 to 1968. From 1968 to 1982, he was a professor and a Thomas McCulloch Professor at Dalhousie University
. He was also among the original Editorial Advisors of the scholarly journal Dionysius
. Ross was an inspirational teacher and humanitarian who cared for his students. Given the number of years he taught and the range of Canadian universities where he taught, he influenced countless students who themselves would have a productive effect on Canada and elsewhere: A number of their names would read like the index to a Who's Who. Ross also aided and promoted struggling promising writers some of whom have achieved international renown.
imprint, published by McClelland and Stewart
, and for several years was its general editor. In 2007 the University of Toronto Press
published New Canadian Library: The Ross-McClelland Years, 1952-1978, a work by Janet Beverly Friskney that provides an account of the New Canadian Library during the years of Ross's editorship.
He served on the Canada Council
and was a chief policymaker as George Woodcock
points out in Strange Bedfellows: The State and the Arts in Canada, wherein Woodcock relates the weekend he spent with Ross, Alex Colville
, Dennis Lee
, Gratien Gelinas
, Pierre Trottier
, and R. Murray Schafer
as guests of Governor General Jules Leger
at Rideau Hall
in the autumn of 1976 to discuss and formulate a policy for the arts and culture in Canada.
, the head of the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB), asked Malcolm Ross to become the Head of Distribution at the NFB in 1942. There Ross' job was to supervise the distribution of all NFB productions, both theatrical and nontheatrical. This included rural, industrial, and trade union circuits, the preview library, and relations with volunteer projection services. He was also responsible for all foreign distribution and the translation of Canadian films into the leading European languages. He was also involved in advising the making of many propaganda films and, therefore, got to know directors such as Joris Ivens
who did Action Stations and Corvette Port Arthur for the NFB. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPAS) awarded a special Oscar for the work that the NFB did during World War II. In 1945, when Grierson was preparing to leave the NFB, he suggested Ross as one of three possibilities for his replacement; however, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
decided instead to downsize the NFB since the war was over.
"for his contributions to numerous educational bodies and for his work as an author and as editor of the New Canadian Library". In 1982 he won the Lorne Pierce Medal
.
Ross received honorary degrees from the following Canadian universities: St. Thomas
(1976); Trent
(1982); Dalhousie
(1983); Queen's
(1989); Windsor
(1989); Toronto
(1990); and Acadia
(1991). In 1986, Scotland's University of Edinburgh
also awarded Ross an honorary degree.
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
in 2002.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, FRSC
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, (January 2, 1911November 4, 2002) was a notable Canadian literary critic.
Education
Born in Fredericton, New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, the son of Cora Elizabeth Hewitson and Charles Duff Ross, Ross attended Fredericton High School
Fredericton High School
Fredericton High School is a high school in the city of Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada. It is the oldest English high school in Canada, founded in 1800.-History:...
before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy from the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
in 1933. He received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1934 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1941.
Academic career
Prior to receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell, he had lectured there in its English department. From 1941-42, Ross taught at Indiana University-Bloomington. From 1945 to 1950, he taught at the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. In 1949, Ross received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
and spent six months studying at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and six months writing Poetry & dogma: the transfiguration of eucharistic symbols in seventeenth century English poetry in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
He was a professor of English at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
. He was head of the Department of English from 1957 to 1960 and held the James Cappon Professorship in English from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, he went to the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and was the Dean of Arts from 1962 to 1968. From 1968 to 1982, he was a professor and a Thomas McCulloch Professor at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. He was also among the original Editorial Advisors of the scholarly journal Dionysius
Dionysius (journal)
Dionysius is a scholarly journal published by the Department of Classics at Dalhousie University. It was established originally in 1977, and a new series began in 1998. It publishes articles on the history of ancient philosophy and theology, and has a special interest in the Aristotelian and...
. Ross was an inspirational teacher and humanitarian who cared for his students. Given the number of years he taught and the range of Canadian universities where he taught, he influenced countless students who themselves would have a productive effect on Canada and elsewhere: A number of their names would read like the index to a Who's Who. Ross also aided and promoted struggling promising writers some of whom have achieved international renown.
Other career activities
He founded the New Canadian LibraryNew Canadian Library
The New Canadian Library is a publishing imprint of the Canadian company McClelland and Stewart. The series aims to present classic works of Canadian literature in paperback. Each work published in the series includes a short essay by another notable Canadian writer, discussing the historical...
imprint, published by McClelland and Stewart
McClelland and Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann....
, and for several years was its general editor. In 2007 the University of Toronto Press
University of Toronto Press
University of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print....
published New Canadian Library: The Ross-McClelland Years, 1952-1978, a work by Janet Beverly Friskney that provides an account of the New Canadian Library during the years of Ross's editorship.
He served on the Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
and was a chief policymaker as George Woodcock
George Woodcock
George Woodcock was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet, and published several volumes of travel writing. He founded in 1959 the journal Canadian Literature, the first academic journal specifically...
points out in Strange Bedfellows: The State and the Arts in Canada, wherein Woodcock relates the weekend he spent with Ross, Alex Colville
Alex Colville
David Alexander Colville, is a Canadian painter.Colville's family moved from Toronto to Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1929. He attended Mount Allison University from 1938-1942, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Colville married Rhoda Wright that year and enlisted in the Canadian Army under the...
, Dennis Lee
Dennis Lee (author)
Dennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet, teacher, editor, and critic born in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer, well known for his book of children's rhymes, Alligator Pie.-Life:...
, Gratien Gelinas
Gratien Gélinas
Gratien Gélinas, was a Canadian author, playwright, actor, director, producer and administrator who is considered one of the founders of modern Canadian theatre and film....
, Pierre Trottier
Pierre Trottier
Pierre Trottier is a Canadian novelist. He won the Prix David in 1960.-Awards:* David Price for the Sleeping Beauties 1960* Price of the society of men of letters to The Return of Oedipus in 1964....
, and R. Murray Schafer
R. Murray Schafer
Raymond Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World...
as guests of Governor General Jules Leger
Jules Léger
Jules Léger was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 21st since Canadian Confederation....
at Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...
in the autumn of 1976 to discuss and formulate a policy for the arts and culture in Canada.
The World War II years
John GriersonJohn Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, the head of the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB), asked Malcolm Ross to become the Head of Distribution at the NFB in 1942. There Ross' job was to supervise the distribution of all NFB productions, both theatrical and nontheatrical. This included rural, industrial, and trade union circuits, the preview library, and relations with volunteer projection services. He was also responsible for all foreign distribution and the translation of Canadian films into the leading European languages. He was also involved in advising the making of many propaganda films and, therefore, got to know directors such as Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens was a Dutch documentary filmmaker and committed communist.-Early life and career:...
who did Action Stations and Corvette Port Arthur for the NFB. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
(AMPAS) awarded a special Oscar for the work that the NFB did during World War II. In 1945, when Grierson was preparing to leave the NFB, he suggested Ross as one of three possibilities for his replacement; however, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
decided instead to downsize the NFB since the war was over.
Honours
In 1976, he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
"for his contributions to numerous educational bodies and for his work as an author and as editor of the New Canadian Library". In 1982 he won the Lorne Pierce Medal
Lorne Pierce Medal
The Lorne Pierce Medal is awarded every two years by the Royal Society of Canada to recognize achievement of special significance and conspicuous merit in imaginative or critical literature written in either English or French...
.
Ross received honorary degrees from the following Canadian universities: St. Thomas
St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)
St. Thomas University is jointly a public and Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
(1976); Trent
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
(1982); Dalhousie
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
(1983); Queen's
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
(1989); Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
(1989); Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(1990); and Acadia
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
(1991). In 1986, Scotland's University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
also awarded Ross an honorary degree.
Death
He died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in 2002.
Selected works
- Our sense of identity: a book of Canadian essays (Ryerson Press, 1954)
- The arts in Canada: a stock-taking at mid-century (Macmillan, 1959)
- Poets of the Confederation (McClelland & Stewart, 1960)
- Poetry & dogma: the transfiguration of eucharistic symbols in seventeenth century English poetry (Octagon Books, 1969)
- Milton's Royalism: A Study of the Conflict of Symbol and Idea in the Poems (Russell & Russell, 1970)
- The impossible sum of our traditions: reflections on Canadian literature (McClelland and Stewart, 1986)