Kizuk offers a view of the early 20th century that is both broader and more detailed than is generally available. He argues that much is to be gained by preserving and studying the work of
pre-modernist poets writing in Canada and England, who share, in general, views held during Sir Wilfred Laurier's term as Prime Minister of Canada when optimism, confidence and faith in the
idea that some sort of divine providence guided the progress of Canada and Empire. Under William Lyon Mackenzie King, moreover, there was a return to these attitudes. The anthology includes
Arthur S. Bourinot, Audrey Alexandra Brown, George Herbert Clark, Leo Cox, Raymond Knister, Florence Randal Livesay, Isabel Ecclestone Mackay, Lloyd Roberts, and Robert Service, all
well-published and respected during their lifetimes.
