A LITERARY TOUR OF CANADA
English 163, Other English Literatures
Spring 2012
Carol L. Beran, Ph.D.
GV207 631-4432
cberan@stmarys-ca.edu
Whether we consider a very small community—a relationship, a family, a rural town—or a very large
one—a city, a nation—communities differ by “the style in which they are imagined,” writes Benedict
Anderson in Imagined Communities (7). As we make our literary tour of Canada, we will look at how
some Canadian writers imagine communities in their fiction:
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Lucy Maud Montgomery not only put Prince Edward Island on the map, she created the novel
from which many people say all of Canadian literature sprang
Alistair MacLeod writes short stories about fishing communities in Nova Scotia
Anne Hébert imagines Quebec’s past in her passionate account of love and murder; Roch Carrier
presents a view that includes Canada’s favorite sport
Robertson Davies sees British culture clashing with other cultural influences in a small city in
Ontario as someone plays a cruel trick on two shy people
Alice Munro’s short stories often focus on interpersonal relationships in rural Ontario
communities
Margaret Atwood envisions troubled communities centered around three women and a
mysterious friend in recent times in Toronto
Margaret Laurence evokes immense sympathy for her multicultural characters in a prairie town in
this once-censored masterpiece
Aritha Van Herk takes readers on a mining expedition near the Yukon border where men and
nature challenge the lone woman in the camp
Robert Kroetsch’s characters hunt dinosaur fossils along a river
Sheila Watson depicts a dysfunctional community haunted by Coyote in the interior of British
Columbia in a short novel that begins with a murder, Emily Carr writes of her experiences
painting pictures of decaying totem poles, and Raven tricks an old man in a Haida creation myth
to reveal a world full of light and life
Readings:
Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride, 1993
Robertson Davies, The Leaven of Malice, 1954
Anne Hébert, Kamouraska (in translation), 1970
Robert Kroetsch, Badlands, 1975
Margaret Laurence, The Diviners, 1974
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908 (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/anne-table.html)
Aritha Van Herk, The Tent Peg, 1981
Sheila Watson, The Double Hook, 1959
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Selected stories:
Emily Carr, Klee Wyck, 1941 Ch. 6, “D’Sonoqua” (http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100131.txt)
Roch Carrier, “The Hockey Sweater,” 1979; film (http://www.nfb.ca/film/sweater)
Hugh MacLennan, “Concussion” (http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he5_connections/literary.pdf)
Alistair MacLeod, Island, 2000 (ERes: ENGL163)
Alice Munro, The Progress of Love, 1986
“Raven Steals the Light” Haida Myth (http://agatheringofmen.org/stories/raven_steals_the_light.html)
Learning goals: Artistic Understanding
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Engage in close reading and serious analysis of a group of texts important in the development of
the short story form.
Read with attention to the language and formal features of each text; note each writer’s use and
revision of conventions of the genre and be able to relate formal features of each text to the
writer’s purpose.
Apply appropriate critical vocabulary (“point of view,” “plot,” “genre,” “literary convention,” for
example) in analysis of texts.
Develop familiarity with multiple and evolving forms of the short story
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance: no more than 3 cuts. Cutting class more than 3 times has a negative impact on
your participation grade. Departmental policy requires that any student missing more than 9
classes receive an F for the course. I expect you to come to class on time, with your course
pack and the books in which you have assignments for the day, and stay for the whole sixty
minutes. Repeated tardiness or frequently leaving while class is in session will count as absences.
I challenge you to have perfect attendance—and I give extra credit on the participation grade for
those who do come to every class.
2. Prepare all assignments carefully. Read critically. Respond thoughtfully.
3. Participate actively in class discussion and activities. Your participation grade is composed of
classroom contributions, attendance, and turning in freewritings on the days assigned.
4. Three out of four essays. You may do all 4 and have your lowest grade crossed out.
5. Make use of my office hours and the Writing Center. In general, I don’t allow rewrites. Note
also that in fairness to other students, I cannot read your entire essay in advance of grading, since
I could not possibly do this for all of my students. I am happy to talk to you about key ideas,
organization, possible outside sources if needed, and so on.
6. Project. Sign up for your project as soon as possible. Topics are scattered throughout the
syllabus according to the day on which they will be presented to the class. These will be oral
presentations, with only the thesis and bibliography (MLA format) and notes used to present
turned in.
7. Final Exam. We will create this together at the last class.
8. When you communicate with me by email, please use your Saint Mary’s account.
9. Academic honesty: all work must be your own, and done specifically for this class. Sources
must be acknowledged by using parenthetical citations and a works cited list (MLA format,
section 58, Handbook). Any paper turned in without a Works Cited list gets an automatic F.
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10. Turnitin.com: You must upload your 3 essays to Turnitin.com. Papers not uploaded by the
deadline will lose credit. Not having all of your essays on Turnitin.com at the end of the semester
will negatively impact your participation grade.
11. Final grade: the average of 6 grades—3 essay grades, a grade on your project, a grade on the
final exam, and your participation grade.
Student Disability Services: Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate
accommodations that take into account the context of the course and its essential elements, for
individuals with qualifying disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the
Student Disability Services Director at (925) 631-4164 to set up a confidential appointment to
discuss accommodation guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the
services available may be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website:
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and-achievement/student-disabilityservices.html
Assignments:
(Feb. 6 Americans looking at Canada. Borders. Peace, order, and good government. Geography of
Canada. Imaginaries of place.
Feb. 8 Anne of Green Gables, ch. 1-9 (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/anne-table.html)
Feb. 10 Anne, ch. 10-18
Feb. 13 Finish Anne. Project: Prince Edward Island __________
Feb. 15 MacLeod, “The Road to Rankin’s Point” (ERes: ENGL163). Project: Nova Scotia __________
Feb. 17 MacLeod, “Island” (ERes: ENGL163)
Feb. 20 Read one article about Anne and one about Island from the library databases; freewrite about key
points in each article and your reactions to them. Bring Anne to class. Projects: Labrador
__________, Newfoundland __________, New Brunswick __________
Feb. 22 Kamouraska, 1/2. Project: the Acadians and “Evangeline” __________
Feb. 24 Finish Kamouraska.
Feb. 27 Essay #1 due. View “The Hockey Sweater” (http://www.nfb.ca/film/sweater). Projects:
Quebec __________, Wolfe, Montcalm, and the Plains of Abraham __________. Continue
discussing Kamouraska in class.
Feb. 29 The Leaven of Malice, ch. 1-3. Project: Colonialism and Post-Colonialism __________
Mar. 2 Finish The Leaven of Malice
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Mar. 5 Projects: movie, Black Robe __________, Ontario __________. Continue discussing Leaven in
class.
Mar. 7 Munro, “Miles City, Montana”
Mar. 9 Munro, “Circle of Prayer”
Mar. 12 Munro, “Lichen.” Project: The Canadian (Precambrian) Shield__________
Mar. 14 Munro, “White Dump”
Mar. 16 Essay #2 due. Read an article about Progress and one about Leaven on the library databases;
freewrite about key points in each article and your reactions to them. Bring Progress and Leaven
to class.
Mar. 19 The Robber Bride, ch. 1-14. Project: The Group of Seven__________
Mar. 21 The Robber Bride, ch. 15-28
Mar. 23 The Robber Bride, ch. 29-43. Project: “The Robber Bridegroom” and other related stories in
Grimm’s fairytales __________
Mar. 26 Finish The Robber Bride
Mar. 28 Read 2 articles about The Robber Bride from the library databases; freewrite about key points in
each article and your reactions to them. Projects: Manitoba __________, Saskatchewan
__________
Mar. 30 The Diviners, ch. 1-3. Project: Louis Riel and the Métis ________
Apr. 2-9 Easter Break
Apr. 11 The Diviners, ch. 4-6. Class will not meet while I am away at a conference. Instead, you should
get together with one or more classmates to discuss the reading.
Apr. 13 The Diviners, ch. 7-9. Class will not meet while I am away at a conference. Instead, you should
get together with one or more classmates to discuss the reading.
Apr. 16 finish The Diviners.
Apr. 18 Essay #3 due. Read 2 articles about Laurence related to The Diviners from the library
databases; freewrite about key points in each article and your reactions to them. Projects:
Alberta __________
Apr. 20 Badlands, 1/3. Projects: Alberta’s dinosaurs __________, Alberta’s oil sands __________
Apr. 24 Badlands, 1/3 Project: theYukon __________
Apr. 27 Finish Badlands
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Apr. 30 The Tent Peg, 1/2. Project: the Franklin Expedition __________
May 2 Finish The Tent Peg. Project: Arctic explorers related to The Tent Peg characters (other than
Franlkin) __________
May 4 18 Essay #4 due. Read one article related to Badlands and one article related to The Tent Peg
from the library databases; freewrite about key points in each article and your reactions to them.
Bring Badlands and The Tent Peg to class. Project: the Northwest Territories __________
May 7 The Double Hook, 1/2. Project: Nunavut __________
May 9 Finish The Double Hook. Project: British Columbia __________
May 11 Emily Carr, ch. 6, “D’Sonoqua,” from Klee Wyck ”
(http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100131.txt), and “Raven Steals the Light,” a Haida
creation myth (http://agatheringofmen.org/stories/raven_steals_the_light.html). Exam
planning.
May 14 Final exam 11:30-1:30
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