Description du livre
The road trip genre, well established in the literatures of
Canada, is a natural outcome of the nation's obsession with geography. Divided Highways examines road
narratives by Anglo-Canadian, Québécois and Indigenous authors and the sense of
place and nationhood in these communities.
Geography describes the land, and history peoples it, just
as memories connect us to place. This is why road trips are such a feature of
writing in Canada, allowing the travellers to claim, at least symbolically, the
terrain they have traversed. Macfarlane examines works by a variety of writers
from each of these communities, including Gilles Archambault, Jeannette
Armstrong, Jill Frayne, Tomson Highway, Claude Jasmin, Robert Kroetsch, Jacques
Poulin, Aritha van Herk and Paul Villeneuve, to name but a few.
Studying a diversity of road narratives from Anglo-Canadian,
Québécois and Indigenous populations not only demonstrates the existence of a very
specific road genre, but is also revelatory of very diverse and often conflicting
perceptions of nationhood. It is these expressions of sovereignty that are
integral to ongoing discussions of reconciliation and decolonization.
Ce book est publié en français.
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This book examines the existence and tradition of the novel of the road in Canada. Geography describes the territory and history brings it to life, just as memories are points of attachment to a given place. That is why road trips have a special place in Canadian English, French and Aboriginal writing: they allow travellers to claim, at least symbolically, the ground they have covered. It is the intersection of history and geography that gives full meaning to a journey, that feeds this spirit of place, or that allows us to see its absence.
Travel reflects the specific interests of the three groups examined in this study. The desire, and sometimes the need, to undertake a journey, the travelling companions and destinations, as well as the history that is written over the distances travelled, are all indicators of this notion of space and the concept of nation within the country.
To illustrate this phenomenon, this book examines literary works by a range of English, Quebec and Aboriginal writers, including Gilles Archambault, Jeannette Armstrong, Jill Frayne, Tomson Highway, Linda Hogan, Scott Gardiner, Claude Jasmin, Robert Kroetsch, Lee Maracle, Jacques Poulin, Aritha van Herk and Paul Villeneuve. The comparative approach to Canadian literature is the logical extension of postcolonial studies to the extent that it reveals the complexities as well as the specificities of diverse communities, thus contributing to a better understanding of national communities. It also offers stories that counterbalance transnational studies.
This book is published in English.
This book establishes the existence of a road trip genre in the literatures of Canada. Geography describes the land, and history peoples it, just as memories connect you to place. This is why road trips are such a feature of Anglophone, Québécois and Indigenous writing in Canada, allowing the travelers to claim, at least symbolically, the terrain they have traversed.
It is the intersection of history and geography that makes a journey so significant, nourishing a sense of place or revealing the lack of it. Examining the road trips undertaken therefore tells us much about the specific interests of the three general groups at the centre of this study. Their desire, and, in some cases, necessity to travel, the traveling companions and destinations they choose, and the histories they create on the land they are covering are indicative of their particular sense of place and nationhood within the country.
In order to demonstrate this phenomenon, the book examines works by a variety of Anglophone, Québécois and Indigenous writers, including Gilles Archambault, Jeannette Armstrong, Jill Frayne, Tomson Highway, Linda Hogan, Scott Gardiner, Claude Jasmin, Robert Kroetsch, Lee Maracle, Jacques Poulin, Aritha van Herk and Paul Villeneuve. A comparative approach to literatures in Canada is the logical continuation of postcolonial studies in that it reveals the intricacies and specificities of various communities, contributing to a more complete understanding of multiple national collectivities. It also offers an important counternarrative to transnational studies.
Ce book est publié en français.
-
This book examines the existence and tradition of the novel of the road in Canada. Geography describes the territory and history brings it to life, just as memories are points of attachment to a given place. That is why road trips have a special place in Canadian English, French and Aboriginal writing: they allow travellers to claim, at least symbolically, the ground they have covered. It is the intersection of history and geography that gives full meaning to a journey, that feeds this spirit of place, or that allows us to see its absence.
Travel reflects the specific interests of the three groups examined in this study. The desire, and sometimes the need, to undertake a journey, the travelling companions and destinations, as well as the history that is written over the distances travelled, are all indicators of this notion of space and the concept of nation within the country.
To illustrate this phenomenon, this book examines literary works by a range of English, Quebec and Aboriginal writers, including Gilles Archambault, Jeannette Armstrong, Jill Frayne, Tomson Highway, Linda Hogan, Scott Gardiner, Claude Jasmin, Robert Kroetsch, Lee Maracle, Jacques Poulin, Aritha van Herk and Paul Villeneuve. The comparative approach to Canadian literature is the logical extension of postcolonial studies to the extent that it reveals the complexities as well as the specificities of diverse communities, thus contributing to a better understanding of national communities. It also offers stories that counterbalance transnational studies.
This book is published in English.