Canadian_ literature.ppt

1、Canadian literature,Canadian literature is often divided into French and English-language literature, which are rooted in the literary traditions of France and Britain, respectively.Canadas literature, whether written in English or French, often reflects the Canadian perspective on nature, frontier（

2、边疆） life, and Canadas position in the world, Canadian identity is closely tied to its literature. Canadian literature is often categorised （分类） by region or province; by the status of the author,MargaretAtwood,CCOOntFRSC(born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic and envir

3、onmental activist. She is among the most-honored authors of fiction in recent history. She is a winner of theArthur C. Clarke Award （阿瑟c克拉克奖） andPrince of Asturiasaward （阿斯图里亚斯 ） for Literature, has been shortlisted for theBooker Prizefive times, winning once, and has been a finalist for theGovernor

4、 Generals Award （总督奖） seven times, winning twice. Atwood has increasingly been mentioned as a potential candidate for theNobel Prize for Literature.,Margaret Atwood says we should think of “survival” as the central symbol of her nations literature. This idea can extend to concern with “cultural” sur

5、vival in a variety of ways: the attempt to maintain a Canadian identity in the first place that doesnt disappear into a weak version of the old colonial powers(Britains); the dogged persistence of native Canadian peoples to maintain their distinctive cultures against overhelming European dominance.

6、In all these ways the Canadian identity is under threat and perhaps defined by that threat, so that “survival” may indeed be a useful idea with which to approach Canada and Canadian literature,Central Symbol of British literature,Atwood suggests that for American literature that central symbol is “t

7、he frontier”: the idea that there is always a new and better place to escape to over the horizonan idea seen at its most obvious in the well-known stories of the American west before the 20th century.,Major Periods in the history of British Literature,Old English Literature(449-1066) The Late Mediev

8、al Ages（1066- 14th century） The Renaissance Period(15th century-early 17th century)文艺复兴 The Neoclassical 新古典主义Period(1660-1798) The Romanticism Period(1798-1832) The Victorian Period ( 1837-1901)维多利亚 The Modern Period (1914-present),Central Symbol of American literature,For Britain she thinks the co

9、rresponding symbol, for obvious reasons, might be that of “the island”: a closed world which individuals have to deal with as it is. Shakespeares Tempest might be a good example of this symbols appearance, or Robinson Crusoe: Defoes famous story of a shipwrecked sailor.,Major Periods in the History

10、of American Literature,1. Colonial period(1607-1783) 2. Romantic period(1783-1861) 3. Realistic period(1865-1914) 4. Modern period(1914-present),American Literature,美国文学（America literature）表现为平民化，多元化，富于阳刚之气，热爱自由，追求以个人幸福为中心的美国梦(American dream)。美国文学大致出现过3次繁荣：19世纪前期形成民族文学，第一和第二次世界大战后，美国文学两度繁荣，并产生世界影响，已

11、有近10位作家获得诺贝尔文学奖。,Native Canadian Mythology,The diverse cultures of pre-European Canada were not literate but oral cultures. Native myths and legends are a well-known part of modern Canadian literature. A common feature of different native mythologies is the occurrence of a “trickster” figure: godlik

12、e in his powers, humanlike in his imperfections.,Early colonial literature,Canada didnt come into being as a single entity until 1867 when various British North American colonies were brought together into a confederation. So that before that date there was a definite marginal sense to Canadian writ

13、ing. It has been described as an era of reporting: telling people back “home” what it was like out there on the edge of civilization. Thus books published in that era took the form of journals or collections of letters, which often took the “wilderness”, or the native peoples as their subject.,An er

14、a of reporting,Forms: journals or collections of letters Subject: the “wilderness” or the native peoples Eg. Susanna Moodies Roughing It in the Bush,The Literature of Nation-Building,1.Background After confederation in 1867 Canada can be inhabited by a people on the road to nationhood. 2.The Era of

15、Realism in Literature Features: Plots were worked out in a coherent and predictable fashion, whereby the conclusion followed rationally from what went before, though much of the actual content might be romantic fantasy.,Anne of Green Gables,This novel is a story of an orphan girl growing up on Princ

16、e Edward Island Remains popular both in Canada and In other countries.,Canada in the Ascendant,Canada nationhood became a fact after the Statute of Westminster in 1931 when it took its position as an equal and vigorous nation within the association of the British Commonwealth.,Canadian literature in

17、 the modern world,Following World War II, writers such as Mavis Gallant, Mordecai Richler, Norman Levine, Margaret Laurence and Irving Layton brought added to the Modernist influence to Canadian literature previously introduced byF.R. Scott,A.J.M. Smithand others associated with theMcGill Fortnightl

18、y. This influence, at first, was not broadly appreciated.Norman LevinesCanada Made Me.a travelogue that presented a sour interpretation of the country in 1958, for example, was widely rejected. After 1967, the countrys centennial year, the national government increased funding to publishers and nume

19、rous small presses began operating throughout the country. In the late 1970s,science fiction fanand scholar of Canadian literatureSusan Woodhelped pioneer the study offeminist science fiction, and (along with immigrant editorJudith Merril) brought new respectability to the study of Canadian science

20、fiction, paving the way for the rise of such phenomena as the French-Canadianscience fiction magazineSolaris. By the 1990s, Canadian literature was viewed as some of the worlds best.,Some of the best known writers,Margaret Laurence, (18 July 1926 5 January 1987) was aCanadiannovelistandshort storywr

21、iter, one of the major figures inCanadian literature. The Diviners,Alice Ann Munro爱丽丝.芒罗 (Laidlaw; born 10 July 1931) is aCanadianshort-story writer, the winner of the 2009Man Booker International Prizefor her lifetime body of work, a three-time winner of CanadasGovernor Generals Awardfor fiction, a

22、nd a perennial contender for theNobel Prize.Generally regarded as one of the worlds foremost writers of fiction, Munro writes about the human condition and relationships seen through the lens of daily life. While the locus of Munros fiction is her nativeSouthwestern Ontario,her reputation as a short

23、-story writer is international. Her accessible, moving stories explore human complexities in a seemingly effortless style.Munros writing has established her as one of our greatest contemporary writers of fiction, or, asCynthia Ozickput it, ourChekhov.,Mordecai Richler,(January 27, 1931 July 3, 2001)

24、was aCanadianauthor, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him “the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation” and a pivotal figure in the countrys history.His best known works areThe Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz（达迪 克拉维茨的学徒生涯）. His 1989 novelSolomon Gursky Was Herewas shortlisted for theBooker Prizein 199