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Canada has stereotypically been perceived as a vast place of wilderness, full of the challenges of a harsh Northern setting (“What do they decorate cakes with up north? Permafrosting …”). According to Douglas Ivison and Justin D. Edwards, “[t]he vast majority of Canadians live in cities, yet for the most part, discussions of Canadian literature have failed to actively engage with the country's urban experience. Canada's prevalent myths continue to be about nordicity and the wilderness, and, stereotypically at least, its literature is often perceived as being about small towns, rural areas, and ‘roughing it in the bush’” (2005). In the last two decades, this has changed significantly and numerous critical works discuss the representation of the urban experience in Canadian literature. In this course, we will take a critical look at a variety of different literary representations of urban/metropolitan life in various Canadian cities. Among others, we will read Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For (2005). Further readings will be announced at the beginning of classes.
Requirements: readings, active participation, abstract of paper project, research paper (10-12 pages) |
