Canada: the inconspicuous silent dreamer on the other-side of the Americas

Title: Canada: the inconspicuous silent dreamer on the other-side of the Americas
Variant title:
  • Le Canada : le reveur silencieux et imperceptible sur l'autre côté des Amériques
Source document: The Central European journal of Canadian studies. 2018, vol. 12-13, iss. [1], pp. 63-77
Extent
63-77
  • ISSN
    1213-7715 (print)
    2336-4556 (online)
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
Canada and the United States share a geographical continent and a history which reaches back to the British Monarchy as its earliest origins and mother country. The US creates and formulates its very distinct American Dream, already embedded in its constitution and its cultural narratives. Canada has its own set of blood-linked issues with the French (Acadiens), the siege of Quebec (the Battle on the Plains of Abraham), the War of 1812, the Métis Rebellion and the execution of Louis Riel, but no revolution or civil war. The historical echoes in this case are, however, muted, silenced, and the attention of the outside world is directed toward the extrovert neighbour, the US. Why? Canada is the silent and introvert partner on the northern side of the continent. What makes Canada more or less distinct from the Americas? How much of the Americas is embedded in the Canadian psyche? Where is the "Canadian Dream"? The article aims to examine various literary and artistic sources in order to establish how these cultures are "strung together then woven into a tapestry and the design is what makes us [Canadians] more" (Shane Koyczan).
Le Canada et les États Unis partagent un continent géographique et de une histoire qui remontent à la Monarchie Britannique, considérée comme pays des origines et mère patrie. Les États Unis ont créé et ont donné une définition du rêve américain bien particulière, incluse dans sa constitution et sa culture de la narration. Le Canada a ses propres tragédies sanglantes avec les Francais (les Acadiens), le siège du Québec (la bataille sur les plaines d'Abraham), la guerre de 1812, la rébellion des Métis et l'exécution de Louis Riel, mais il n'a connu ni révolution ni guerre civile. Au lieu de cela, les échos du monde extérieur ont été dirigés contre les Etats Unis. Pourquoi? Le Canada est resté un partenaire silencieux et introverti au nord du continent. En quoi le Canada revêt une place plus ou moins à part aux Amériques ? Dans quelle mesure l'idée des Amériques est-elle incorporée dans le psychisme canadien? Où se trouve « le rêve canadien » ? L'essai veut examiner différentes sources littéraires et artistiques aboutissant à ce que « strung together then woven into a tapestry and the design is what makes us [Canadians] more » (Shane Koyczan).
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