Welcome! My name is Colleen Fish and I am finishing up a BA with a major in Anthropology. I completed a BSc with a specialization in psychology many years ago, long before this online learning system was in existence. I am intrigued by the way in which we are having to do an online blog as it certainly has become a skill worth having in the 21st century. In addition, I am excited to begin to delve into the material for this course.
I am ashamed to admit that my knowledge related to specifically Canadian authors is limited except perhaps Douglas Coupland yet I haven’t read any of his novels. Unlike many of you, I am not an English Major and in fact, it is one of my weakest areas but I love to write. I do have an interest in First Nations and History in general due to my interest in Anthropology and my own personal ancestral background.
The course will focus on who’s stories we listen to, and those we do not along with the way in which stories are told in literature. In a past course I completed, Anthropology of Media, the way in which the image of a ‘savage, or ‘ Indian’ (First Nation/Native American) is manipulated to create a particular story such as the ‘Indian’ being close to nature and/or less ‘civilized’ (whatever that means). This becomes so much more apparent in popular culture after developing a deeper appreciation for the way stories are told/not told such as with the movie Pocahontas.
My expectations for this course mainly revolve around learning more about what constitutes Canadian literature especially as it relates to historical contexts, First Nations, and colonialism. I am looking forward to reading Chamberlin and King as well as learning more about these two influential writers as well as the other writers to be covered during the course.
Turns out I do know a Canadian author, Kelley Armstrong. She wrote the series Bitten which is about Werewolves, specifically a female werewolf which isn’t supposed to exist. There was a TV series created but has been now discontinued, or rather finished.
The SYFY TV Series – http://www.syfy.com/bitten
The Bitten Book Series – http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/series/otherworld/
Citations
Armstrong, Kelley. Otherworld, http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/series/otherworld/. Accessed 10 September 2016.
Disney Princess. “Dream Big Princess.” Found, Walt Disney Productions, 10 September 2016, princess.disney.com/pocahontas.
SYFY. Bitten, www.syfy.com/bitten. Accessed 10 September 2016.