, ▁after ▁ten ▁years ▁of ▁publication ▁French - language ▁material ▁never ▁rose ▁above ▁ 1 0 % ▁of ▁an ▁issue ' s ▁content . ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁its ▁foundation , ▁Canadian ▁Liter ature ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁and ▁only ▁quarter ly ▁entirely ▁devoted ▁to ▁the ▁discussion ▁and ▁criticism ▁of ▁Canadian ▁writing ▁and ▁literature . ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁editor ▁eventually ▁went ▁to ▁George ▁Wood cock , ▁the ▁university ' s ▁first ▁choice ▁was ▁a ▁bibli ograph er , ▁U BC ' s ▁only ▁special ist ▁in ▁Canadian ▁literature , ▁Regin ald ▁Wat ters ; ▁the ▁position ▁was ▁offered ▁to ▁Wood cock ▁after ▁Wat ters ▁decided ▁to ▁accept ▁a ▁fellow ship ▁in ▁Australia . ▁As ▁editor , ▁Wood cock ▁stro ve ▁to ▁keep ▁the ▁journal ▁from ▁being ▁purely ▁academic , ▁instead ▁adopt ing ▁a ▁tone ▁" ser ious ▁but ▁not ▁academic , ▁popular ▁but ▁not ▁journal istic , ▁context ual ▁more ▁than ▁text ual " ▁( F ether ling ). ▁As ▁the ▁first ▁journal ▁dedicated ▁to ▁the ▁study ▁of ▁Canadian ▁writers ▁and ▁writing , ▁Canadian ▁Liter ature ▁supported ▁the ▁" new ly ▁institution al ized ▁field ▁of ▁Canadian ▁literature " ▁during ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁increasing ▁cultural ▁national ism ▁in ▁Canada . ▁Wood cock ▁later ▁attributed ▁Canadian ▁Liter atures ▁success ▁to ▁having ▁arrived ▁" at ▁the ▁right ▁moment ▁in ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁a ▁Canadian ▁literary ▁tradition , ▁and ▁created ▁its ▁own ▁ground ▁sw ell ▁of ▁critical ▁activity ." ▁ ▁Pe er ▁Review ▁and ▁Exp and ed ▁F ocus ▁Wood cock ▁res igned ▁from ▁the