Assignment 3.2 – Myths of a Nation

For this blog post I have decided to answer question six, which I will post here:

6] Lee Maracle writes:

In order for criticism to arise naturally from within our culture, discourse must serve the same function it has always served. In Euro-society, literary criticism heightens the competition between writers and limits entry of new writers to preserve the original canon. What will its function be in our societies? (88)

In the following paragraphs in her essay, Maracle answers her question describing what she sees to be the function of literary criticism in Salish society. Summarize her answer and then make some comparisons between Maracle and Frye’s analysis of the role of myth in nation building.

Lee Maracle makes some really important points in her article, “Toward a National Literature: A Body of Writing,” in regards to criticism as well as myth building. First, I will discuss her viewpoints on critique when it comes to the function of criticism in Salish society.

One of Maracle’s most striking points is when she says that the key to liberation for Salish people is through literature (and storytelling.) Through these art forms, the Salish people hold the key and “cultural knowledge” to avoid cultural oppression from Western colonizers (Maracle, 95). Now, Salish people have developed extensive educational systems for their cultural thoughts and practices and even touched on areas of science, philosophy, and politics. The problems arise, as outlined by Maracle, when one realizes that the Salish lack methods of analysis when it comes to their own literature. This is not to say that there are not Salish literary analysts, however, the issue is that they approach Salish literature with Western mindsets. Maracle hopes that she can form a system to criticize Salish literature while respecting and retaining the historical knowledge and traditions of Salish people (Maracle, 95).

Jumping gears for a second to myths and nation building, Northrop Frye touches on the concept of identity: “the question of identity is primarily a cultural and imaginative question” (Frye). This statement implies that identity stems from our imagination; it is created by our perceptions, our ideas, our preconceptions. Nationalism, for example, is really nothing more than a mentality. This ties into literature, especially with Frye’s definition of it as a “conscious mythology… its mythical stories become structured principles of storytelling… its mythical concepts become habits of metaphorical thought,” (Frye, 234). Our idea of who we are as pertaining to our “nation” is based on the formulation of mythological stories within our national canon. I did some additional research on the relationship between nationalism and mythology, and found a very interesting article by Michalis N. Michael. He confirms ideas presented by Frye when he says “myth survives thanks to the spreading of national ideology, while, simultaneously, nationalism partly survives thanks to the spreading of myth,” (Michael, 149.) Check out the full article here!

After further educating myself on the connection of mythology and a sense of nationalism, I feel as though I understand Maracle’s point even further. Maracle understands the importance of myth and how it can build a nation. We, as Canadians, follow a canon of Canadian literature and culture that places our social ideals and knowledge in a category that we call Canadian.  This consensus of knowledge helps us form an identity and a unified nation (albeit, it doesn’t always appear that way.) By understanding the power that myths hold when it comes to creating a nation, it only makes sense that Maracle would advocate for the systemization of literary critique to be within the Salish community. The ability to invent and critique their own literature will allow Salish people to withhold and strengthen their independence as a nation. They get to create the realm in which their own knowledge and culture exists, and that is key to creating a sense on nationalism.

Works Cited

Frye, Northrop. The Bush Garden: Essays on the Canadian Imagination. Introduction by Linda Hutcheon. Concord, ON: House of Anansi Press, 1995. Print.

Maracle, Lee. “Toward a National Literature: ‘A Body of Writing.’” Across Cultures, Across Borders: Canadian Aboriginal and Native American Literature. Ed. Paul DePasquale, Renate Eigenbrod, and Emma LaRoque. Toronto, ON: Broadview Press, 2010. 77-96. Print.

Michael, Michalis N. “History, Myth and Nationalism: The Retrospective Force of National Roles within a Myth-Constructed Past.” Nationalism in the Troubled Triangle. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010. Web. Accessed on 28 Feb 2020.

Montgomery, Marc. “Canada a confederation not quite so unified.” Radio Canada International, 2019. Web. Accessed on 28 Feb 2020.