Hi everyone!
My name is Lisa and I’m a language/literature major. I’m really interested in the linguistic and discourse realm of my degree but I also really appreciate Canadian literature. I’m a little nervous about how aesthetically pleasing I can make this blog (I’m not the most savvy). I do think I’ll enjoy the freedom of navigating my thoughts through the articles/books we will be reading this term. Through this Canadian Literature course we shall be reading lots of stories surrounding First Nations and Canadian history, I hope to be able to expand my own knowledge about our history even further this term! My goal for the course is to allow myself to think more critically about the Canadian identity as a whole (or not?).
My passion for Canadian literature didn’t start until probably 3rd year (I’m in my 5th year), when I took a course that allowed me to read the book Monkey Beach https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/156126/monkey-beach-by-eden-robinson/9780676973228 by Eden Robinson https://www.arts.ubc.ca/alumni-profiles/eden-robinson/. I have since gotten a chance to also read her novel Son of a Trickster. Both of her novels have really resonated with me in surprising ways. Would definitely recommend these novels for anyone that has not read a lot of Canadian lit yet.
I’ve taken another Canadian lit class and I’ve also taken an Asian-Canadian lit class. I feel like I somewhat have a bit of an understanding of what Canadian literature looks like and means to me! Another book that really touched me is Ru by Kim Thuy https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/ru-by-kim-thuy/article545169/. It’s truly a beautiful, poetic novel and I cried throughout parts of it (haha). It’s also quite short and could be finished in one sitting!
I wanted to mention these books because I think they might be great suggestions for someone who hasn’t read a lot of Canadian literature. Canadian literature is such a vast category and there are so many different narratives to seek out. I feel as though Eden Robinson and Kim Thuy have really impacted my view of Canada and my passion about literature (not a 18th century lit person sorry!)
Thank you to whoever got a chance to read my introduction! Looking forward to reading many other blogs as well!
Works Cited:
Hughes, Graham. “Ru, by Kim Thuy” The Globe and Mail, Feb 10, 2012. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/ru-by-kim-thuy/article545169/
Robsinson, Eden. “Eden Robinson – Master of Fine Arts 1995” The University of British Columbia. https://www.arts.ubc.ca/alumni-profiles/eden-robinson/
Robinson, Eden. “Monkey Beach” Penguin Random House Canada.https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/156126/monkey-beach-by-eden-robinson/9780676973228
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January 10, 2020 — 10:29 pm
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EmiliaBrandoli
January 14, 2020 — 9:33 pm
Hi Lisa! I’m excited to see you have read Monkey Beach, I have it upcoming on a reading list and would love to hear some further thoughts of yours on the book. I also have a copy of Ru I’ve been meaning to devour! You state your “goal for the course is to allow myself to think more critically about the Canadian identity as a whole,” which is a sentiment I echo. I’m curious about how you would describe the intersection of Asian-Canadian Literature and Indigenous literature, in your experience? Do you find them at odds with each other, or do they share commonalities?
I appreciate your honestly in that you are not an 18th century lit person! I used to find so much comfort in the classics but have been finding that in the current political climate, and perhaps some distance from my undergrad, contemporary work resonates more.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Emilia
Lisa Hou
January 16, 2020 — 6:10 pm
Hi Emilia,
Thanks so much for reading and replying! I’m so excited that you’ll end up reading the two books! I hope you enjoy them!
I don’t want to spoil to much or I might impede with your thoughts and experience. Very broadly, I appreciated how much Monkey Beach transcending my own expectations with resonating with the preservation/resistance to culture. Love to talk about it later on if you would like to!
Going off of that with your next question about the intersection of Indigenous lit and Asian-Canadian lit, I view the two quite separately. I would probably say that I hardly think of them in context to each other. I don’t think I’m necessarily right to do that but I think that I still need to know more about First Nations culture and history before I do that. I hope this class helps me garner a more definitive answer! Or even change my mind. I currently think of the two narratives as linear to one another within the topic of Canadian identity, but not correlated.
Thanks Emilia!
erikapaterson
February 6, 2020 — 4:54 am
Thank you for a great introduction and reading tips – I look forward to working together this semester. One trick for aesthetics is to link url with the title of the link rather than the address. Thanks. Erika