In the next few days, I will post a full entry on Anne of Green Gables, but for now, I will post a mid-way entry that I have been pondering over the long weekend.
I spent this last weekend in Jasper enjoying the fresh mountain air. It got me thinking: one of the most characteristic aspects of Can-Lit is the description of a quintessential Canadian place.
In Anne of Green Gables, it is Anne’s detailed and fantastic description of Prince Edward Island. Avonlea’s picturesque and now famous landscape has come to represent the island to all Canadians.
So how can I fantasize (one of Anne’s favorite activities) about PEI when I am reading at Maligne Lake or at the top of Sulphur Ridge? I almost feel like I am missing out on all L.M. Montgomery wanted me to experience. The plot, the characters are so wonderful- but did I get the full landscape?
So, the question is, internationally (or even just across the country), can Can-Lit paint a picture of Canada? As this is the beginning of our project, I am excited to see how different regions come to life through literature.
While maybe if I had been at home, I may have transported myself to Avonlea, but I did wish I was there- so that is saying something!
- Tory
Hey there, great blog idea. I've been documenting my reading through a list of books for a Canadian lit exam at backwoodscanlit.wordpress.com. The early writing (even earlier than Anne of GG) was an area I'd neglected for a long time, but it's so fascinating! Particularly, many early poets (pre-1867) attempted to portray the entire landscape of what was then Canada (mainly from Nova Scotia to Ontario) in long epic-inspired lyric poems. It seems that writers have since become more interested in depicting specific regions rather than the whole country. (Though, the MacLeod book on your list does sweep through Cape Breton and Ontario, too, doesn't it?)
ReplyDeleteFinished reading all 8 Anne of Green Gables books this summer - looking forward to hearing what you have to say! The books have certainly painted a portrait of PEI to me, I have read them several times and grew up with Anne of Gren Gables being my hero. Haven't been to PEI yet, but I am very interested in figuring out how accurate that portrait is. I guess the fact that it was written so long ago may have something to do with any changes. Anyway, Happy Reading!
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