Edward W Said changed the way we saw the great tradition of English Literature. Initiated by Samuel Johnson, the process of forming and framing a nationalist canon of English literature culminated in The Great Tradition (1948) of F.R. Leavis. Said has convincingly shown how the so called great tradition was complicit with British imperialism. The book offers a re-examination of the nexus between British Imperialism and British Literature in the light of contemporary critical thought.