What is modern Canadian literature?

In the past century, a large number of British and French immigrants poured into Canada, and they kept their own language and customs. Therefore, Canadian literature is mainly composed of French literature and English literature.

French literature

1763 The post-war Paris Treaty signed by Britain and France stipulated that the new France was under British jurisdiction, and the French immigrants who stayed in North America were more than 60,000 poor settlers, soldiers and some priests who were unable to cross the ocean. In order to resist Anglo-Saxon culture, they founded Quebec Literature Newspaper 1764 ~ 1874 published in English and French in Quebec, and later published Montreal Newspaper (1778) and Canadian Newspaper (65434) in French.

In the struggle against British colonial rule, especially before and after the armed riots of 1837 to 1838, a number of political writers and political speakers emerged, including Louis Joseph Papineau (1786~ 187 1) and Louis. Simple Poems, Satire Poems, Songs, Short Poems and Others by Michel Bieber (1830) and The Treasure Hunter or the Influence of a Book by aubert de Gaspá s Jr. (1837) published in 1930s are the earliest poetry collections and novels in French literature.

During the period of British occupation of Quebec 100, French residents relied on Catholicism as their spiritual pillar to maintain their contact with each other and continued to use French; At the same time, the church regards religious stories such as catechism and biographies of saints as the central content of cultural education, which hinders the development of secular literature, especially novels.

1In the middle of the 9th century, the historian Fran? ois Xavier Garno (1809~ 1866) compiled the first Canadian history, The History of Canada (1845~ 1848), which recorded the French immigrants' development of North America. Ganao is also a poet. His poetry creation broke the tradition of classicism and initiated early romanticism.

Under the influence of Garnaud, a group of liberal intellectuals and writers in Quebec formed the "Patriotic Society of Quebec" in 1858, and founded the literary magazine "Canadian House" to "spread knowledge, encourage the development of national literature" and awaken national consciousness. In literary creation, they emphasize describing the life in this area. Octav Kremazzi (1827 ~1879) is the first national poet in French-speaking Canada, and he has written Song of Canadian Veterans (1855) and Flag of Fort Carillon (65438+). Another important poet in society is Louis Honore Fréchet (1839~ 1908), who is deeply influenced by the French poet Hugo and is a romantic writer. His poems mainly describe the history and natural scenery of French Canada. The poetry anthology Flowers of the Northland (1879) and Snowbird (1880) won the Montion Literature Prize of the French Academy. The Legend of the People (1887) is his most important work, which records the achievements of European immigrants in developing North America.

Other writers who participated in the patriotic activities included Alfred Gano (1836~ 1904), Pomphil Flamel (1837 ~ 1965438) and Father henry raymond Kasgrin (18364).

With the establishment of the Canadian federal government in the middle of the19th century, French poets and writers demanded that their poetry creation break the narrow geographical boundaries and innovate by drawing on foreign achievements. 1In the winter of 895, some writers and scholars in Montreal set up the "Montreal Literature Society" to introduce the French panas School and symbolism poetry, which promoted the innovation of Canadian poetry and played a connecting role in the history of Canadian literature development. The most important poet is Emile Nelligan (1879~ 194 1), whose poems are influenced by French symbolist poets and pay attention to color and artistic conception.

The novel began to develop at the end of 19. Most early novels describe the history and customs of this area. Philip aubert de Gaspá s' Old Canadians (1863) and Napoleon Puhasa's Jacques and Marie (1866) celebrate patriotic enthusiasm with the fierce battle of British conquest of Quebec in 1760 and the exile of French immigrants from Agatha by British colonial authorities. Anton Gé ran Lageois's Living John Liva (1862) and Economist John Liva (1864) describe the traditions of Quebec people who are hardworking, love the land and loyal to their families, with simple plots and simple writing.

/kloc-the basic tendency of literature in the 0/9th century is to imitate French literature and lack unique style. 19 18, a literary magazine, criticized a large number of literary works describing farm life, arguing that this kind of local literature lacks the unique style of French Canadians, and advocated using "long-tailed wisdom and mingge" instead of plough to express its own style and characteristics. This proposition initiated a new era of Canadian literature.

In terms of poetry, St. Denis Garnaud (19 12~ 1943), Alain Grandbois (1900~ 1974) and Lena Lagnel (1974) are important poets. They are called the four great contemporary poets in Canada. Glenboys has visited China many times, and his first book of poetry, The Book of Hankou (1934), was published in Hankou, China. The collection of poems Night Island (1944) describes his roaming and exploration on the road of life. Kano is good at writing free verse with symbolism, and his writing style is concise. The poetesss Lagnel and Ebbell's poems are short and pithy, sometimes difficult, sometimes concise and thorough. Although their styles are different, they all overcome the tendency to follow the French literary world and have national characteristics. Their poems are full of resentment and loneliness of being abandoned by their relatives and living alone on an isolated island, with depressed emotions and dim colors.

English literature

From 65438 to 0749, Britain began to immigrate to Canada in a planned way and introduced British culture and religion. After the American War of Independence broke out, a large number of pro-British elements from North America flooded into Canada. Their literary activities became the beginning of Canadian English literature.

Before the American War of Independence, British immigrants in Canada were mainly bankrupt farmers from Britain and New England, scattered in coastal provinces such as Nova Scotia in the east, and lived on cultivated land.

At this time, the English works are mainly travel notes, diaries, stories and stories written by businessmen, explorers, priests and garrisons living abroad, describing the natural scenery in eastern and northeastern Canada, the life of the British garrison and the situation of some Indian tribes. These works were published in British publications. The Biography of Montague (1769) was written by Frances Brooke, a member of Garrison family (1724~ 1789), which is the first novel in Canada and even North America.

After the American War of Independence, the royalists who originally lived in the United States moved northward because of the defeat of the war. There were more than 40 thousand people before and after, and most of them moved to the eastern coastal areas of Canada. Some of them continue to write poems and articles in the new environment, expounding their views of supporting Britain and opposing the United States, and expressing their worries about exile, becoming the earliest literary works in Canadian English literature. They founded schools and newspapers, which played an important role in the development of literature. However, their political conservatism and religious belief determined the cultural characteristics of this period, that is, they adhered to the British political system and cultural tradition, opposed radicalism and innovation, and emphasized the role of religion; In literature, most of them imitate or transplant English literature. From the content, it reflects that although the author is in Canada, he yearns for Britain and Europe, the suzerain countries with more developed economy and culture.

The most influential poet at this time was Oliver Goldsmith of Nova Scotia (1794~ 186 1). He was the first Canadian poet born and bred, and his New Village (1825) was named after the abandoned village of his great-uncle Oliver Goldsmith. This long poem traces the development of coastal provinces by early immigrants and shows the author's earnest expectation for a better future. Alexander Maclachlan of Ontario (18 18~ 1896) wrote short poems such as Young Canada, which imitated the poetic style of Burns. There are memories of Scotland's hometown in the poem, and they also express their love for Canada, their new hometown. The poetic drama Sol (18 16~ 1876) and the narrative poem The Judge's Daughter (1865) written by Charles Hervesec of Montreal imitate Milton's blank poems and are based on medieval history.

The novel has the content of persuading goodness and describing social customs, and the most influential one is John Richardson's Custa (1796~ 1852). Based on the history of the Indian attack on Detroit in 1763, this legend describes a love story between an Indian girl and a white man. The plot is tortuous and fascinating.

Prose writing is the most active in coastal areas, and there are some sharp pamphlets mocking the United States. Joseph Howe (1804~ 1873) is a famous prose writer. He is actively engaged in political activities and often gives speeches. He is famous for his sharp words and strong rationality. He also writes poems, travel notes, etc. His writing is vigorous.

Catherine Trail (1802~ 1899) and Susanna Moody (1803~ 1885) in Ontario are a pair of British sister writers, who are famous for their delicate writing and elegant taste. Their works "Canadian Border Woodland" (1836) and "Bitterness in the Jungle" (1852) describe their respective migration experiences.

The most important work in this period is The Clockmaker (1836) written by Nova Scotia Magistrate Tomás Holy Burton (1796~ 1865). The author comes from a royalist family. Seeing the aggressive development of the United States, he couldn't help worrying about the future of Nova Scotia. He borrowed the words of the American businessman Slick, the hero of the book, and laughed at Nova Scotia's laziness and muddling along to encourage his compatriots to cheer up. The author's language is vivid, humorous and unique.

Canadian English literature has experienced more than a century of development and has begun to take shape. 1867 After the British Parliament passed the British North America Act, Canada became a dominion of the Commonwealth and its literature entered a new stage.

Before and after the establishment of the dominion of Canada, the national consciousness of Canada was high. The intelligentsia launched the "Canada First" movement, and people demanded to create literary works that reflected Canadian national characteristics. There is also an international demand for "reading real Canadian literature". Therefore, works with the theme of Canada's natural scenery and history emerge one after another. Charles Sangster (1822~ 1893) wrote the landscape poem "The St. Lawrence River and the sagnac River" (1856), and William Kirby (1817 ~1. The creation of Canadian monthly and weekly magazines has further promoted the creative activities of national literature.

In 1980s, a group of young poets appeared, including Charles Roberts, editor-in-chief of Weekly (1860~ 1943) and his cousin Bliss Kaman (186 1~ 1929). They are all influenced by English literature and advocate pre-Raphael aestheticism poetry. Their poems are influenced by English poets Keats and Tennyson in rhetoric and structure. In terms of ideological content, it embodies the transcendental view of American poet Emerson. Roberts is good at writing lyric poems about fishing villages and rural scenery in eastern Toronto. His works are full of patriotic enthusiasm, meticulous scenery writing, and occasionally show nostalgic sadness. The representative is "Today's Song". Kaman is good at describing nature with images, linking it with beautiful things and lamenting the changes in the world. Author of Low Tide of Grand Puri Lake (1893). Most of Lampman's landscape poems show fantastic harmony and quiet nature, and describe the rural scene in Ottawa. His social poems show the oppressive feeling brought by modern civilization and machines. His masterpiece is Lyrics of the Earth (1896). Scott's poems describe the struggle between the Indians in rural and northern grasslands of Quebec and nature, including Al's piper.

Isabella Crawford, a poetess (1850~ 1887), described the suffering and even death brought by nature, while people were comforted and loved in their struggles.

Other poets include wilfred Campbell (1860~ 19 19), Pauline Johnson (1862~ 19 13) and Robert severs (/). During this period, Canadian English poetry creation was prosperous and colorful.

19 The economic crisis in the 1990s dealt a blow to the Canadian publishing industry. The main poets died young or moved to Britain and the United States, and their poetry creation gradually became cold.

With the rapid increase of readers, the creation of novels and essays became increasingly active in the 1990s. The novel style is consistent with British and American bestsellers, which not only brings fun to readers, but also conforms to the popular moral concepts. During this period, the most popular English novels in Canada were local literature, which generally had twists and turns, outstanding images and good results. For example, Anne of Green Gables (1874~ 1942) and its sequel, written by lucy montgomery, are set in Prince Edward Island. Another example is Ralph Connor's Black Rock (1860~ 1937) with the western development zone as the background, and People from Glengary (190 1) with the Scottish immigrant settlement as the background. Stephen Lee Kirk (1869~ 1944) was a famous humorous prose writer in this period. His collection of essays Sunshine in a Small Town (19 12) describes the scene of Canadian market towns before the First World War, mocking the narrow and hypocritical style.

Canadian English literature creation in this period has more national characteristics, such as endless forests and lakes, deserted and empty Yuan Ye, scattered farmers, etc., which still have influence today.

From 65438 to 0926, Canada gained diplomatic independence and its national consciousness rose again. The people require writers to create literary and artistic works commensurate with their national strength. Magazines such as Canadian Literati and Canadian Forum actively support their own works, advocate the small theater movement and carry out Canadian literature research. Writers' Association was founded in the early 1920s. All these have promoted the development of literary creation and the prosperity of drama and film.

New literary theories and schools emerged one after another in the 20th century, and Canadian English writers also devoted themselves to reform and innovation at this time.

Before World War II, some English poets in Canada, deeply influenced by Pound and Eliot, abandoned the traditional poetic meter and vocabulary and replaced them with simple words and free forms, such as Ross (1894~ 1966) and Raymond Nestor (1899 ~/kloc-). Later, teachers and students of McGill University, such as Arthur James Marshall Smith, Francis Scott, Leo Kennedy and Abraham Klein, founded McGill Biweekly to introduce and write modernist poems. They advocate that poetry should have a modern sense, expand the theme, not be limited to ethnic groups and regions, but have world content; Technically, express your thoughts with concise language and images, or express your inner world with symbolic means. Their creation and activities promoted the popularity of modernist poetry in Canada.

At the same time, Professor Edwin john pratt of Toronto (1883~ 1964) absorbed the characteristics of epic and oral literature and used modern poetic style to create narrative poems, such as Titanic (1935) and Bibov and His Taoist Friends (/kloc-0 Dorothy Livesey (1909~), a poetess, is famous for writing imagist poems. In the mid-1930s, modernist poetry completely replaced the romantic lyric poetry at the end of 19.

The economic depression in 1930s made poets pour out their worries about the sufferings of working people, among which the most influential ones were Anne marriott's Sand Wind, Our Enemy (1939) and Li Fuxi's Day and Night (1936), which reflected the hard life of workers.

Realistic novels appeared after local literature in the 1920s. At first, most of them described the life of farmers in the western grassland. For example, Robert Steed's Grains (1926) and Martha Hostains's Wild Goose (1900~ 1963). Later, his works expanded to reveal the contradictions in ordinary people's lives and the dark side of society. For example, Frederic Grove (1872~ 1948) and other four novels, The Pioneers in the Swamp Area (1925), which show the life of European immigrants in Manetho, describe the physical and mental destruction of immigrants in the harsh nature. Morley callaghan, a famous realist writer, first described the image of the little people in the city and the losers in life in Canadian English literature, showing the face of Montreal. His collection of short stories Coming in April (1936) and his novel The Gains and Losses of Love (195 1) are deeply loved by readers. Delaroche's works (1885~ 196 1) are unique. Her Jana Villa (1927) and more than ten sequels about the history of the White Oak family are all the rage.

The economic and political situation in this period forced writers to pay more attention to social problems. They study Marxism and write some works with strong political content, such as Baird's Useless Legacy.