Arts and Literature in Canada:Views from Abroad, Les arts et la littérature au Canada

157 Pages·1998·1.49 MB·English

Editorial Board / Comité de rédaction
Editor-in-Chief Rédacteur en chef
Paul-André Linteau,Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Associate Editors Rédacteurs adjoints
Alan Cairns,University of British Columbia, Canada
Mary Jean Green,Dartmouth College, U.S.A.
Walter Pache,University of Augsburg, Germany
Kenneth McRoberts,York University, Canada
Managing Editor Secrétairederédaction
Christian Pouyez, ICCS/CIEC, Ottawa
Publications Officer Agentdespublications
Guy Leclair, ICCS/CIEC, Ottawa
Advisory Board / Comité consultatif
Jacques Allard,Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Paul Blyton,University of Wales, United Kingdom
Cornelius Boekestijn,Free University, The Netherlands
John E. Carroll,University of New Hampshire, U.S.A.
Paul Claval,Université de Paris-Sorbonne IV, France
Ramsay Cook,York University, Canada
Lois Foster,La Trobe University, Australia
Karen Gould,Bowling Green State University, U.S.A.
Hans Hauge,Aarhus University, Denmark
Dafna Izraeli,Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Marjory Harper,University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Hiroaki Kato,Daito Bunka University, Japan
Gregory Marchildon,The Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A.
Franca Marcato Falzoni,Université de Bologne, Italie
K.R.G. Nair,University of Delhi, India
William H. New,University of British Columbia, Canada
Riana O’Dwyer,University College, Galway, Ireland
Alison Prentice,Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada
Michèle Therrien,Institut des langues et civilisations orientales, France
James Vance,University of California, U.S.A.
Lothar Wolf,University of Augsburg, Germany
Zhao Deyan,Fuzhou University, China
Fabio Ziccardi,University of Milan, Italy
ii
International Journal of Canadian Studies
Revue internationale d'études canadiennes
6, Fall/Automne, 1992
Arts and Literature in Canada:Views from Abroad
Les arts et la littérature au Canada: regards de l'extérieur
Table of Contents/Table des matières
Walter PACHE
Introduction/Présentation’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Barbara KORTE
English-Canadian Perspectives of Landscape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ethel S. GOODSTEIN
Redeeming Modernism in the Context of Postmodernity:
A Revisionist Analysis of the Architecture of Arthur Erickson. . . . . . 25
Dorothée KOM
Typologie des narrataires dans les romans de Margaret Laurence . . . . 45
Elisabeth CENCIG
The Jordans: Remembered and Invented Past in Christa Wolf's
Kindheitsmusterand Alice Munro'sLives of Girls and Women. . . . . . 63
Roshan G. SHAHANI
In Quest of a Habitation and a Name:
Immigrant Voices from India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Keiko SANADA
La claustration dans l'oeuvre de Kenzaburo Oé et dans celle
d'Anne Hébert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Karen GOULD
Refiguring the Mother: Quebec Women Writers in the 80s . . . . . . . 113
Ursula MATHIS
« La Mariouche est pour un blanc » (Jack Monoloy).
À propos de la question des minorités autochtones dans la chanson
canadienne-française . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Review Essays/Essais critiques
Lorna IRVINE
Zoning Canada’s Zeitgeist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Robert SCHWARTZWALD
L'essai littéraire au Québec:
entre l'histoire revue et l'avenir abordé. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
INTRODUCTION PRÉSENTATION
Arts and literature in Canada? At a Les arts et la littérature au Canada ?
time when the separation of Quebec À l'heure où la séparation du
from what is sometimes Québec d'avec « le reste du
disparagingly called “the rest of Canada », comme on le dit parfois
Canada” seems a distinct non sans aggressivité, semble tout à
possibility, it might be fait possible, il est peut-être mal
inappropriate to invoke terms that venu d'utiliser des expressions
imply national unity, artistic connotant l'idée d'unité nationale,
homogeneity and an unchallenged d'homogénéité artistique et de
canon of values. valeurs largement acceptées.
True, the present instability might Si l'on peut sur le plan politique
be deplored from a political déplorer l'instabilité actuelle, il n'en
viewpoint. But the very lack of a reste pas moins que l'absence même
uniform tradition, in conjunction de traditions identiques, conjuguée
with a multiple interplay of diverse à l'interaction complexe
linguistic, ethnic and cultural d'orientations linguistiques,
tendencies, is perhaps one of the ethniques et culturelles diverses, est
forces that, during the past thirty sans doute l'une des dynamiques
years, has brought about the qui a contribué au cours des trente
astonishing flowering of the arts dernières années à l'incroyable
and literature in both francophone épanouissement des arts et des
and anglophone Canada. One lettres au Canada, tant du côté
important facet of this literary francophone qu'anglophone. L'une
“renaissance” has been the growing des suites remarquables de cette
awareness of Canadian culture in « renaissance » littéraire aura été
other parts of the world. Within the l'intérêt de plus en plus manifeste
interdisciplinary context of most of que l'on porte maintenant à la
the Canadian Studies associations culture canadienne ailleurs dans le
founded during the seventies and monde. Dans le cadre
eighties (e.g. in the United States, interdisciplinaire qui caractérise la
1971; in Great Britain, 1975; in plupart des associations d'études
France, 1976; in Japan, 1978) the canadiennes qui ont vu le jour dans
arts have, from the very beginning, les années 1970 et 1980 (e.g.: États-
occupied a central position. Unis, 1971; Grande-Bretagne,
1975; France, 1976; Japon, 1978),
The essays presented in this volume les arts ont toujours occupé une
cannot give a comprehensive place centrale.
survey of the state of international
Canadian studies but they provide a Les essais publiés dans le présent
sample of the geographical, numéro ne peuvent rendre compte
thematic and methodological range de l'état véritable des études
of views from abroad, notably from canadiennes à l'échelle
International Journal of Canadian Studies / Revue internationale d'études canadiennes
6, Fall/Automne 1992
IJCS / RIÉC
the United States, from Japan and internationale. Ils sont toutefois
from Central Europe. The spectrum exemplaires de la riche diversité —
of the subjects chosen is as wide as géographique, thématique et
that of the critical approaches taken: méthodologique — des points de
authors address questions ranging vue étrangers, notamment de ceux
from communication in poetical des États-Unis, du Japon et de
texts (Barbara Korte) and narrative l'Europe centrale. L'éventail des
discourse (Dorothée Kom) to sujets abordés, comme celui des
gender roles in contemporary approches adoptées, est fort large :
Quebec fiction (Karen Gould) and on y traite aussi bien de la
minority problems in the French- problématique de la communication
Canadian chanson (Ursula Mathis) dans les écrits poétiques (Barbara
and South Asian immigrant writing Korte) et dans les textes narratifs
(Roshan G. Shahani). Postmodern (Dorothée Kom) que du rôle des
architecture is examined in the sexes dans le roman québécois
context of the modernist tradition contemporain (Karen Gould), de la
(Ethel S. Goodstein). Moreover, question des minorités dans la
while most of the contributions chanson canadienne-française
refer to intercultural aspects, there (Ursula Mathis) et des écrits
are two specifically literary papers, d'immigrants venus de l'Asie du
focusing on relations between Sud (Roshan G. Shahani).
English-Canadian and German L'architecture post-moderne fait
fiction on the one hand (Elisabeth aussi l'objet d'une étude la situant
Cencig) and Québec and Japanese dans le cadre de la tradition
fiction on the other (Keiko Sanada). moderniste (Ethel S. Goodstein).
Également, et bien que la majorité
At its best, Canadian Studies abroad des articles soit conçue dans une
offers fresh perspectives on a perspective interculturelle, deux
cultural scenario that is distinctly essais essentiellement littéraires
Canadian but at the same time sont consacrés aux rapports entre le
shaped by multicultural diversity roman canadien-anglais et le roman
and openness. Rather than merely allemand, pour l'un (Elisabeth
duplicating “domestic” approaches, Cencig), et aux correspondances
Canadianists abroad should aim, entre le roman québécois et le
from their detached vantage point, roman japonais, pour l'autre (Keiko
at placing Canadian arts and Sanada).
literature in an international context
and challenging canonized views. À leur meilleur, les études
canadiennes à l'étranger projettent
un éclairage nouveau sur un
scénario culturel proprement
canadien, alimenté toutefois par une
diversité et une largeur des vues
multiculturelles. Plutôt que de
simplement calquer les approches
« nationales », les canadianistes des
autres coins du monde, qui voient
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Arts and Literature in Canada: Views from Abroad
Arts et littérature au Canada: regards de l'extérieur
Is it too much to hope that such a les choses de façon plus détachée,
“decentred” concept might prove devraient s'employer à situer les arts
suitable for a nation that includes et la littérature du Canada dans le
both Quebec and the rest of contexte international et à contester
Canada? les idées reçues.
Walter Pache Serait-ce utopique de penser qu'un
tel concept, disons « décentré »,
Associate Editor serait fort pertinent dans le cas d'un
University of Augsburg pays où cohabitent le Québec et le
reste du Canada ?
Walter Pache
Rédacteur ajoint
Université d'Augsbourg
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Barbara Korte
English-Canadian Perspectives of Landscape
Abstract
Inrelationtoliterature,perspectiveusuallyreferstothewayinwhichatext's
subject of perception views the world, depending on his/her psychological,
cognitive and ideological frame of mind. However, a text may be visually
strong, and verbal “pictures,” like visual ones, may be presented from a
specificvisualperspectiveinvolvingviewpointandvanishingpoint(s),angle
ofvision,spatialdepth,orperspectivaldistortion.Thispapershowshowan
analysis based on such categories is particularly pertinent to (English-
Canadian)landscapepoetry,wherevisualperspectivescorrespondtovarious
ways of seeing the land.
Résumé
En littérature, la notion de « perspective » renvoie à la façon dont le sujet
central du texte envisage le monde compte tenu des divers aspects —
psychologique,cognitifetidéologique—desonesprit.Laqualitévisuelled'un
texte peut être puissante et les « images » verbales, tout comme les images
visuelles,peuventêtreprésentéesselonuneperspectivevisuelleparticulière
mettantenjeu,parexemple,lepointdevue,lepointdefuite,l'angledevision,
laprofondeurspatialeouladistorsiondelaperspective.L'auteuresouligne
qu'uneanalysedetextesefondantsurcescatégoriesconvienttrèsbienàla
poésie (canadienne-anglaise) du paysage dans laquelle les perspectives
visuelles correspondent aux diverses façons de voir les pays.
Perspectiveisatermdefineddifferentlyinanumberofdisciplines:arthistory,
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philosophy and literary criticism. In relation to the narrative text, the
metaphoricalsenseofperspectivepredominates,referringtothewayinwhich
2
the text's subject of perception (its focalizer ) mentally views the world,
3
accordingtohis/herpsychological,cognitive,andideologicalframeofmind.
Itisinthissensethatthenotionofmentalperspectivewillherebeappliedto
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the poetic text.
The visual-optical sense of perspective has suffered comparative neglect in
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literarytheoryandcriticism. Imagesevokedthroughwordsarealwaysless
specificthanthosesketchedbythepainterorcapturedonfilm. However,a
text'svisualimpactmaybestrong,andverbal“pictures,”likevisualones,may
be presented from a specific visual perspective involving viewpoint and
vanishing point(s), angle of vision, spatial depth or perspectival distortion.
International Journal of Canadian Studies / Revue internationale d'études canadiennes
6, Fall/Automne 1992
IJCS/RIÉC
Landscape seems most suited to an investigation of perspective, as it only
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existsasaportionoftheearthperceivedandapperceivedinacertainway.
Studies of environmental perception confirm that “‘[l]andscape’ ... is a
constructofthemind”(Yi-FuTuan1979:6),theconstructiondependingona
person's individual disposition as well as the pervasive notions of his/her
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social and cultural environment. The perception of landscape as landscape
alsodemandsaparticularoutlookofthecorporealeye;itis“avieworprospect
ofnaturalinlandscenery,suchascanbetakeninataglancefromonepointof
view”(OED).Thepertinenceofthisdefinitiontopaintingisobvious,yetthe
samevisualcriterionseemstodifferentiatethepoetryoflandscapefromthe
poetryofnature.InmanyexamplesofEnglishRomanticpoetry,forinstance,
theuseoftheword“landscape”isconspicuouslytiedtopreciselylocalized
viewpoints,asinWordsworth's“TinternAbbey”:“ThedayiscomewhenI
again repose/Here, under this dark sycamore.”
Landscapeemergesasasubjectwherevisualandmentalperspectivescoalesce
inanalmostexemplaryfashion.InAnglo-Canadianlandscapepoetry,visual
perspectivesserveascorrelativestoindividualaswellasculturalviewsofthe
land.
It is a commonplace of Canadian Studies that Canadian culture has been
shapedbytheexperienceofthecountry'sgeographyandnaturalworld,and
CanadianlandscapeshavebeenaprimesubjectofbothCanadianpaintingand
poetry. Gaile McGregor's The Wacousta Syndrome (1985) is one of many
studiestodefinetheCanadianlandscapeexperienceasoneofa“beleaguered
human psyche attempting to preserve its integrity in the face of an alien,
encompassing nature” (5). McGregor cites visual perspective in Canadian
landscape painting as evidence of this view. The basic orientation in these
paintings is an “anti-panoramic” one, with a notable tendency for indistinct
backgrounds, horizons that are “raised or hidden by features in the fore-to-
middleground,”lowviewpoints,andothertechniquesthatdelimitthesenseof
a painting's spatial depth (17f.).
Theseobservationscanbereformulatedintermsofatheorydevelopedbythe
British geographer Jay Appleton (1975): a person's capacity to feel
comfortableinandappreciatealandscapedependsonthedegreetowhichthe
landscape's hazard potential is diminished by its potential for prospect and
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refuge—seeing without being seen. According to Appleton, unrestricted
panoramas and vistas constitute powerful factors of prospect (85ff.).
Basically,theopportunityforprospectdiminishestheenvironmenthazard,but
anexcessofprospectmakesforanegativeexperience—thesurveyableland
becomesalandscapeof“exposure”(151).Inlightofthistheory,theCanadian
painters' handling of perspective (as described by McGregor) may be
interpreted as a strategy for reducing the excess of prospect that so many
Canadian landscapes present.
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English-Canadian Perspectives of Landscape
The Wacousta Syndrome is a comparative study of Canadian painting and
literature, but its discussion of visual perspective is not extended to literary
examples. However, an anti-panoramic orientation in the depiction of
landscape is also discernible in Canadian poetry.
Canadian poetry was long indebted to the traditions of 19th-century British
poetry; Romanticism reverberates everywhere in the work of the
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Confederation Poets. Bliss Carman's “Morning in the Hills,” for example,
impartsanessentiallyromanticpose:contemplatingalandscape,thepersona
reflectsonhislifeandhumanexistence,andthelandscapeisperceivedinclose
relationtohisstateofmind.Thepersonaispainfullyawareof“turmoiland
despair,/The race of men and love and fleeting time,/What life may be, or
beauty.”But thelandscape providesa refugefrom theseexistentialfears; it
becomesaWordsworthiansourceofspiritualconsolation:“SurelysomeGod
contrivedsofairathing/.../WondrousandFairandWise!Itmustbeso.”Inan
essentially romantic perspective, the panoramic view, the land reveals the
grandeurofcreationfromwhichitderivesitspowertoconsole.However,a
closerlookrevealsthatCarman'shandlingofthisperspectivediffersindegree
from that of the European Romantics.
The craze for the panoramic view as it emerged in the course of the 18th
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century ischaracteristicofanagethatstroveforinfinity.“Weareflungintoa
pleasing Astonishment at such unbounded Views, and feel a delightful
StillnessandAmazement inthe SoulattheApprehensionofthem,” Joseph
Addisonwroteasearlyas1712inoneofhisessays(No.412)onThePleasures
of the Imagination. He goes on to say:
Themindofmannaturallyhateseverythingthatlookslikearestraint
uponit,andisapttofancyitselfunderasortofconfinement,whenthe
sightispentupinanarrowcompass,andshortenedoneverysideby
theneighbourhoodofwallsormountains.Onthecontrary,aspacious
horizon is an image of liberty, where the eye has room to range
abroad,toexpatiateatlargeontheimmensityofitsviews,andtolose
itself amidst the variety of objects that offer themselves to its
observation.
Numerous English poems exemplify the pervasiveness of this view
throughout the Romantic period—quite obviously, the English Romantics
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were prospect-rather than refuge-oriented.
InCarman'spanorama,however,thereisnotraceofaboundlesshorizon;the
poemnotescloudsthatdelimittheview,andtheeyeisdirectedtowardsthe
ground rather than the unlimited sky:
How quiet is the morning in the hills!
The stealthy shadows of the summer clouds
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