EN 2220 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Quebec, Organizations Of Alias, Mother Goddess
EN 2220
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Introduction to Canadian Literature
Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant
What is Canadian Literature?
• It is the study of literature produced/written/created by Canadian authors based in
Canada. It is the history of Canada that is produced through literature, not
necessarily books but it could even be through art, newspapers, television shows,
radio, etc. Work and literature focused on/about Canada. Examples could be history.
• Literature by Canadians: birth or citizenship
o This person is a citizen of Canada therefore anything she writes is Canadian
Literature.
• Subject: Literature about Canada or Canadians
o Common sense answer that doesnt hold up when using it as a definition.
• Location: Written in Canada regardless of the author or subject
o People would show up in Canada for 2 years and they write a book about
Canada. We know this is not Canadian literature but we consider it.
• Institution: CanLit-An area of study with popular/critical gatekeepers and generic
conventions.
o Once we have all convinced ourselves that Canadian literature is a thing then
we have a body of literary study. You can have a career just talking about
Canada now but years ago it wouldnt have happened.
Literary (Romantic) Nationalism:
• You can divide literature in many different ways: does not have to be by nation but
it could be divided by genre. In that course, they get their texts from different part of
the world and put them into genre categories totally ignoring the question of this
course which is the nation: Canadian Literature
• This will hover over the course: we can study literature in different ways and it is
strange to study it by nation.
• The assumption that nations could be recognized by their distinctive national
spirit or genius, which found expression in the nations literature Moss and Sugars
o Founding ideas that has led to the foundation and studies of national
literature.
o This is very prevalent in the early years of Canadian literature
• It implies the notion of the nation but seems to disregard the state. Nation: a group
of people who believe themselves to share a certain culture. The state: is a legal
thing of one people.
o There could be many nations within a single state.
o IE: Recognized Quebec as a separate nation but not a separate state.
o A nation is a group of people who regard themselves as sharing the same
culture; a state is a group of people governed by the same laws and political
institutions
o No literature, no national life—this is an irreversible lawT.McGee
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Thursday, September 13th, 2018
Introduction to Canadian Literature
RECAP:
• Territorial Acknowledgment: Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant
• Chronologically study literature: What type of work does chronology do for this type
of course?
o Observe a development and see how it changes and develops. You can see
how one conversation turns into another conversation
o It serves the romantic nationalism that we talked about last week: The
assumption that nations could be recognized by their distinctive national
spirit or genius, which found expression in the nations literature
o RN: It is this belief that there is a link between cultural production and the
country as a whole. This idea and link came out during the romantic period.
By extension there is a belief that if we study the literature of a country then
we will get to know the country itself.
o We had law and if only we could have poetry to support these laws then we
can have a nation. We need to have a sense of who we are and what we do
and the answer to this was funding literature.
o Possible topic for reading responses: agreeing or disagreeing with Canadian
Literature defining a country and all the people in it.
o Nation: Group of people who believe themselves to see themselves as
sharing the same culture. The State: is the legal structure of the country. If
there is one nation is there going to be one state? NO. It is common to have
one State (One Government, one set of laws) but a multiple of nations.
People who understand themselves to be a part of the same nation and
culture. IE: Quebec was recognized as its own nation BUT not its own state.
o The idea of a nation assumes homogeneity or this idea of a community. If we
want to believe that a nation has a core at its heart and its really good then it
is suggesting that there is a single culture and a single national identity. If
you come to Canada how does romantic nationalism function if there is not a
single nation. For example, Quebec is a separate nation, Canada is a bilingual
country but why is it not in French.
• Canadian Literature:
o Obviously, it is literature that has to do with Canada but it can be kind of
tricky.
o Author: The citizenship of the author. All the literature you produce is
Canadian and it doesnt matter what it is about. This is the
default
. You would
have a support in award series (best book in Canada, looks at the author
being a Canadian citizen) or in the book store the books are categorized as
Canadian Lit by their citizenship.
o Subject: Texts that would teach us something about the country. Context
matters is another definition of it. What is a Canadian theme anyways, is
there any real theme that is the same in Nova Scotia and Vancouver?
o Location: Someone who comes to Canada and writes a book based on their
experiences.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
It is the study of literature produced/written/created by canadian authors based in. It is the history of canada that is produced through literature, not necessarily books but it could even be through art, newspapers, television shows, radio, etc. Examples could be history: literature by canadians: birth or citizenship, this person is a citizen of canada therefore anything she writes is canadian. Literature: subject: literature about canada or canadians, location: written in canada regardless of the author or subject, common sense answer that doesn(cid:495)t hold up when using it as a definition. Institution: (cid:498)canlit(cid:499)-an area of study with popular/critical gatekeepers and generic: people would show up in canada for 2 years and they write a book about, once we have all convinced ourselves that canadian literature is a thing then. We know this is not canadian literature but we consider it. conventions. we have a body of literary study. You can have a career just talking about.
