Canadian LiteratureAn Overview

The History of Canada• Canada, like New Zealand was a British colony, and is a

member state of the commonwealth. Canada gained its independence from Great Britain via the British North America Act on July 1, 1867.

• Independence was negotiated and achieved democratically, there are a variety of theories as to how this act can/should be interpreted

• One is that it was a compact between the two founding nations: France and Great Britain.

• This had led to much unrest in the 148 years since, as the French feel that they have been assimilated and their culture threatened. Also, the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) people were essentially ignored as founding partners.

We are NOT American!• Canada and the United States

have charted different courses in history, one nation born of war, the other compromise. Both flawed, both unique.

• Our respective national anthems reflect this difference with the Star Spangled Banner being a hymn to war, and O Canada, a proclamation of freedom and pride.

A Crisis of Identity• Canada became the world’s first officially multi-

cultural nation with The Multi-culturalism Act (1971), and is often described as a “cultural mosaic”, in contrast to the “cultural melting pot”, that has been used to describe the United States. • it is also officially bi-lingual. • There are also more than 65 native dialects spoken

representing at least the same number of ethnic groups.• Immigration from Eastern Europe in the 20th century

and Asia in the 21st century have given rise to diverse ethnic communities

A Crisis of Identity• The American influence on culture threatens to drown

Canada.• Canada is characteristically laid back, and famously shy • 75% of Canadians live within 160km of the U.S. border. • 200 ethnic groups within its borders, makes Canadian identity

difficult to define.• This makes standing up for what is Canadian difficult.

Especially when it is not readily clear what that is. • We Are More

A Literary Reflection of Canadian Culture• Canada is 9,093,510.0km2 • Its population density is one of the lowest in

the world 3.4/km2 (smaller even than New Zealand at 16/km2). Comparison• Much of the Canadian climate is in the Arctic

Circle, or sub-arctic regions, where temperatures range from -55°C to 20°C in the summer. This weather defines the Canadian experience in the same way that post 2011 CHCH is defined by earthquakes.

Common Themes in Canadian LiteratureMargaret Atwood Interview• Nature - The idea of humans against

the elements is one of the key themes in Canadian literature, particularly early Canadian literature. Canada is a hostile climate, particularly in the pre-modern era of colonisation. There are not many internationally known Canadian titles, but Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, and Farley Mowat’s Lost in the Barrens, are two notable exceptions. *Paulsen is an American writing about Canada

Common Themes in Canadian Literature• The Pioneer Experience - The early settlement of Canada was

cruel and unforgiving, it was very hard work settling and then working land which had been inhabited by only several hundred thousand people for thousands of years. There are many historical fiction and non-fiction novels that deal with the colonisation of Canada, and the hard working blue collar mentality that went into settlement is well celebrated in Canadian literature. Stories of historical heroes like the Voyageurs are as common to young Canadians as “cowboy and Indian” stories are to Americans.

Common Themes in Canadian Literature

• Canada’s Position in the World - These are the themes that dominate contemporary Canadian literature.

• Author’s from a variety of ethnic backgrounds explore issues in modern day Canadian society, and many rail against the ever-present onslaught of American culture that is inescapable.

• The fragmentation of Canadian society, particularly the French-English divide, and aboriginal relations are common features of shorter literature especially. Canadian stories set in smaller towns often see characters convey a sense of disillusionment with the world around them.

• These feelings are often fuelled by the isolation felt in such places as they can seem cut off from other towns, and the wider world at large. Canada’s first and only Literary Nobel Laureate(2013), Alice Munro’s, stories reflect these latter themes, while the work of people like Mordecai Richler reinforces the former.

• A New Zealand equivalent to these type of stories might be Witi Ihimaera, or Owen Marshall

Common Themes in Canadian Literature• The Garrison Mentality - literary critic Northrop Frye has

advanced the theory of “The Garrison Mentality” in Canadian literature.

• It holds that characters are always looking outwards and building metaphorical walls against the outside world. This mentality is assumed to come from part of the Canadian identity that fears the emptiness of the Canadian landscape, and the theory itself has grown out of the previous three themes mentioned here.

• Texts that explore this theme also fear the oppressiveness of other nations (especially the United States).

Other Issues• Canada has arguably the weakest tie to the Commonwealth

because of its proximity to the United States, its economic size and political independence.

• It is not American• It is Commonwealth only in name• Typical Canadian themes are hard to identify, and there is not one

theme that would encapsulate the traditional Canadian experience. • History remains a prominent feature of Canadian literature. The

immigrant experience has been increasingly reflected in the post-modern era, and as Canadian literature gains international acclaim, it is these stories that gain notoriety including Man Booker Prize winner Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, and Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes. (published in New Zealand under the title Someone Knows My Name)

How to relate to Canadian Literature

• Do you find it hard to define your existence, or where you fit in the world?• Do you not understand your family?

Neighbours?• Do you not understand yourself?• Do you feel isolated in the world?• Do you resent being compared to your

bigger/older brother or sister?• Do you feel like no one knows you, or

thinks you are just like someone else? • Then there is a Canadian story out

there that you can relate to!!