Canadian literature has been and continues to play an integral part in developing Canadian identity. Through their work, canonical writers like Margaret Atwood, Hugh MacLennan, Alice Munro, and Thomas King have reflected on Canada’s history, people, traditions, and landscapes. With their prose, they have represented Canada’s dynamic nature in dramatic, comedic, and poetic ways, that have always been enlightening. As Canada’s 150th year of confederation quickly approaches, it seems fitting to honour some of the best works of Canadian literature that have contributed so greatly to its identity.
Hugh MacLennan’s Barometer Rising is a seminal piece of Canadian fiction, widely regarded as establishing the literary movement in Canada. Written in 1941, Barometer Rising tells the story of two lovers, Neil Macrae and Penny Wain, and their struggle to rekindle their relationship during the days leading up to the 1917 Halifax explosion. Their romance is complicated, however, by Penny’s father Col. Wain, who tries to hinder Neil’s attempts as a result of an incident that occurred in the colonel’s battalion. MacLennan’s melodrama is rich in the World War I detail, evoking the sense of life that was common during the days of the war. Barometer Rising is a monumental work by an important writer who bravely depicted the Canadian experience in literature when few were doing so.
Margaret Atwood is a similar writer who also explored Canadian history, but with a slight twist. As MacLennan’s romance dealt with fictional characters set during a historical Canadian period, Atwood’s Alias Grace tells the true story of a famed convict, Grace Marks, set in Upper Canada. Taking place in 1843, Atwood recreates the suspicions held against Marks regarding her involvement in the murders of her employer Thomas Kinnear and his housemaid Nancy Montgomery. Part fact and part fiction, Atwood’s award winning novel brilliantly conjures up Canada during the 19th century, a period of Canadian history rarely seen in popular fiction.
The works of Thomas King similarly bring to life the stories of people and places rarely seen in contemporary fiction. King’s Alberta-based novel Green Grass, Running Water is an audacious work of literature that combines a contemporary narrative with traditional native oral storytelling. Set in a First Nation’s Blackfoot reservation, King tells the story of a family trying to cope with the construction of a new dam on Native territory. At the same time, the narrative incorporates the retelling of the Creation story, linking the ethereal with the events on the reservation. King also explores similar themes in Medicine River with more emphasis on a character trying to reconnect with his community following a separation. King is a wonderful writer, using heart and humour to tell inherently dramatic stories.
No discussion on Canadian literature is complete without the inclusion of Alice Munro. Similar to the previous writers, Munro’s stories also closely focus on Canadian characters and settings. Known for championing the Southern Ontario gothic genre of Canadian literature, Munro writes about the lives of ordinary people in Southern Ontario as they are caught in moments that range from the mundane to the extraordinary. The Love of a Good Woman is a powerful example of such writing. Despite the brevity of some of the stories, Munro’s stories evoke life, death, love within a Canadian context that are always deeply felt by the reader. Munro’s most recent (and widely rumoured to be her last) collection, Dear Life, is a powerful reminder of Munro’s status as one of our greatest living writers.
The works of these great Canadian writers and more can all be found at the Thunder Bay Public Library. Visit our online catalogue or consult the Reader’s Advisory to find more great titles. Be sure to stay tuned in the future as we celebrate more Canadian artists during this landmark year in Canada’s great history.
Petar Vidjen
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