OOH CANADA!

For this week’s blog post, I chose to answer question 6 from Unit 3:1. The question is focused on Lee Maracle’s paragraph where she 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)”. Maracle answers the question she poses in the excerpt in the following paragraphs in her essay, and she describes what she sees to be the function of literary criticism in Salish society. Today I will be summarizing her answer, and I will be drawing comparisons between Maracle and Frye’s analysis of the role of myth in nation building.

For Lee Maracle, developing a system for literary criticism in Salish society is essential and needed. Maracle writes that discourse must serve the same function that it has always served in order for criticism to arise naturally within our culture, and then goes on to ask ‘what will its function be in our societies?’. Maracle writes that in her society, ‘story creates discourse around health communal doubt, which inspires us to face ourselves and to grow and transform, also calling us to create myth from the new and transformed being’ (85). Maracle answers her question by first writing that the purpose of examining an old story is to understand it, see oneself in the story, and then to see our common humanity through the story. Maracle writes that from this past discourse we create new transformation myths designed to help us clear obstacles and point us in the direction of ‘the good life’ (85). The creation of these new stories help us gain awareness of the impact we have so we can learn from the consequences.

According to Maracle, criticism is done by individuals within the culture who understand the ‘original story base’ (84). Maracle writes that ‘the deployment of the historic and the continued use of original processes become part of the responsibility of the myth-maker’ (85). This means that the process of myth creation requires the myth-maker to be original and spark the interest of the nation because the nation is the one recognizing the story and interacting with the myth-maker. Maracle then goes on to discuss how transformation is at the centre of our oratorical story tradition and it is the objective of life itself. Maracle believes that the function of discourse in our societies is to primarily build upon it, learn from it, teach others about it, and build our common humanity toward a better life. Maracle puts a large focus on the role of myth and the myth-maker, and how the myth-maker can invoke the processes for story creation from within the culture. The myth-maker is responsible for respecting the knowledge of history and original processes in the interest of the nation within the culture.

Frye focuses in Canadian national identity, and the problems are different for Maracle and Frye. As mentioned in this unit by professor Paterson, both Maracle and Frye do share a connection, despite their different beliefs. Maracle is concerned with cultural growth, and writes “… with a broad and solid foundation in their society’s knowledge […] they do so through a careful and connected study of old and recent literary products that clearly arise out of the original story base (84).” Frye is also focused on growing culturally and believes in maintaining tradition like Maracle. 

Frye and Maracle take two very different approaches to tackling the topic of nation building and how oratory and literature affects it, but they share commonalities and recognize its importance. Both Frye and Maracle are concerned with addressing nation building, questions regarding nationalism, and focusing on literature and how oratory affects a nation’s ability to build and ‘grow culturally’. 

Thanks for reading! Maya 🙂

Works Cited

Maracle, Lee. “Toward a National Literature: A Body of Writing.” Across Cultures, Across Borders Canadian Aboriginal and Native American Literatures by Paul Warren Depasquale, Renate Eigenbrod, Emma Larocque (z-lib.org), Broadview, 2010. Print.

Frye, Northrop. The Bush Garden; Essays on the Canadian Imagination. 2011 Toronto: Anansi. Print.

Stugu, Ola Svein. “Myths, History and the Construction of National Identity.” Academia.edu – Share Research, www.academia.edu/6159236/Myths_History_and_the_Construction_of_National_Identity.
Thom, Brian. Coast Salish Transformation Stories, 15 Jan. 1998, www.web.uvic.ca/~bthom1/Media/pdfs/ethnography/transform.htm.