Literature and Painting In Quebec : From Imagery to Identity

Focusing on the interplay between nature and culture in landscape representation, __Literature and Painting in Quebec__ contends that both have reflected and fashioned the meaning of French-Canadian nationhood.

This unique study explores how Quebec's landscapes have been represented in both literature and visual art throughout the centuries, from the writing of early explorers such as Cartier and Champlain to work by prominent contemporary authors and artists from the province. William J. Berg traces recurrent images and themes within these creations through the most significant periods in the development of a Quebecois identity that was threatened initially by the wilderness and indigenous populations, and later by the dominance of British and American influences.

Focusing on the interplay between nature and culture in landscape representation, Literature and Painting in Quebec contends that both have reflected and fashioned the meaning of French-Canadian nationhood. As such, Literature and Painting in Quebec presents a new perspective to approach the notion of national identity, a quest that few groups have engaged in more persistently than the Quebecois.

This unique study explores how Quebec's landscapes have been represented in both literature and visual art throughout the centuries, from the writing of early explorers such as Cartier and Champlain to work by prominent contemporary authors and artists from the province. William J. Berg traces recurrent images and themes within these creations through the most significant periods in the development of a Quebecois identity that was threatened initially by the wilderness and indigenous populations, and later by the dominance of British and American influences. Focusing on the interplay between nature and culture in landscape representation, Literature and Painting in Quebec contends that both have reflected and fashioned the meaning of French-Canadian nationhood. As such, Literature and Painting in Quebec presents a new perspective to approach the notion of national identity, a quest that few groups have engaged in more persistently than the Quebecois Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction. The Landscape of Quebec: Nature and Culture, Space and Place 13 Chapter One. The French Heritage: From Utopia to Eden 25 Chapter Two. Race, Place, and Identity in the Nineteenth-Century Short Story 49 Chapter Three. The Father’s Land Lost: Country versus City in the Early Novel 78 Chapter Four. New Horizons in the Late Nineteenth-Century Novel 109 Chapter Five. Impressionism and Nationalism in the Early Twentieth Century 143 Chapter Six. Space, Place, and a Race That Will Not Die 167 Chapter Seven. Liberation and Modernity in the Wake of the War 202 Chapter Eight. From Solitude to Solidarity: La montagne secrète 228 Chapter Nine. From Confinement to Constellation: Le premier jardin 253 Chapter Ten. ‘My Land(scape) is Winter’ 281 Conclusion. From Imagery to Identity 311 Notes 323 Works Cited 359 Index 385