INTRODUCING MARGARET LAURENCE'S THE STONE ANGEL: A READER'S GUIDE George Woodcock Toronto, ECW Press, 1989. 78pp, cloth, $18.95 ISBN 1-55022-017-9. (Canadian Fiction Studies #1). CIP Grades 10 and up/Ages 15 and up Reviewed by Joanne Peters. Volume 18 Number 2 1990 March Introducing Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel is the first volume in a series of books about major Canadian novels frequently studied in high schools or universities. This is not just a quick summary of the novel, along with snippets pulled from this work of criti­cism or that; rather, it is a serious guide to reading, reflecting on, and re-reading Stone Angel (Seal Books, 1982) and Laurence's other works. In addition to including biographi­cal information about Margaret Lau­rence and providing a context into which to fit her works, both in its own time and in the history of Canadian literature, Woodcock discusses the work's "critical reception." Most thought provoking is the section entitled "Reading of the Text," a series of highly readable essays on various aspects of the work - its characterization, thematic dimensions, and so on. Even those who are very familiar with the novel will find some­thing to consider in this section. How­ever, Woodcock's criticism is of a fairly sophisticated sort: he often assumes familiarity with certain critical concepts (archetypalism, for example) or a more extensive reading background than might be realistic to expect of some high school students. Although the ideas may be complex, his style is fluid and readable, free from jargon and pedantic posturing. Introducing Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel has value both for students in senior high school grades and for teachers of Laurence's works. Joanne Peters, Sister High School, Winnipeg, Man.