Program

Course

This course, which is primarily addressed to those who have had no previous exposure to Canadian literature written in English, is subdivided into two separate components. The first comprises an introduction to Canadian literature  in relation to the geography, history and culture of Canada, followed by a consideration of certain themes that are recurrent in Canadian literature and by an analysis of a variety of literary texts, belonging to different genres, which reflect these themes. The second is dedicated to Margaret Laurence, one of the foremost writers of the twentieth century, and will examine her entire oeuvre from her early works set in Africa to the Manawaka Cycle for which she achieved international renown. For the purposes of the final examination, students will be required to choose two works by Laurence which they will be expected to read in their entirety and to be able to discuss in depth.

The student is expected to develop an awareness of those factors that have contributed to shaping Canadian literary culture, and of the distinctiveness of Canadian literature with respect to the British and American traditions that constitute inevitable points of reference for Canadian authors writing in English.

Texts

Poetry

• Margaret Atwood, "Progressive Insanities of a Pioneer"
• Earle Birney, "Bushed"
• Archibald Lampman, "The City of the End of Things"
• Douglas LePan, "Canoe-Trip"
• E. J. Pratt, "The Precambrian Shield", from Towards the Last Spike
• Al Purdy, "The Country North of Belleville"
• F. R. Scott, "Laurentian Shield"

 

Short Stories

• Margaret Laurence, "The Loons"
• Joyce Marshall, "The Little White Girl"
• Joyce Marshall, "The Old Woman"
• Sinclair Ross, "A Field of Wheat"
• Sinclair Ross, "The Painted Door"

Works by Margaret Laurence (the student is required to choose any two of the following for intensive study)

• The Prophet’s Camel Bell
• Heart of a Stranger
• This Side Jordan
• The Tomorrow-Tamer
• The Stone Angel
• A Jest of God
• The Fire-Dwellers
• A Bird in the House
• The Diviners

 

Required Critical Reading

• Lucking, David. 2002. Ancestors and Gods: Margaret Laurence and the Dialectics of Identity (Peter Lang, 2002).

• Lucking, David. 1998. "Straight Lines in a Curved Space: The Order/Disorder Dichotomy in Anglo-Canadian Literature", Rivista di Studi Canadesi 11. This article can be downloaded by clicking here.

Downloads

• Dispense-Canadian Geography

• Dispense-Canadian History

• Dispense-Poetry and Prose Excerpts

• Dispense-Short Stories