|
''Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature'' is a survey of Canadian literature by Margaret Atwood, one of the best-known Canadian authors. It was first published by House of Anansi in 1972. A work of literary criticism, as Atwood writes in her preface to the 2004 edition, ''Survival'' was an attempt to deal with her belief that in the early 1970s, Canadian literature was still looking for a grounding in a national identity that would be comparable to that of Great Britain or the United States (Atwood 2004, 3). The thematic approach of the book and its intended non-academic audience (6) corresponds with a focus on contemporary Canadian literature as a point of entry. Therefore, the book does not provide an extensive survey of the historical development of Canada's literature, but an introduction to what is ''Canadian'' about Canadian literature for readers as citizens of Canada (cf. 22). In ''Survival'', literature emerges as central to the development of national identity, what she calls a sense of "here". See criticism of Atwood's book and survival thesis below. ==Central image== To Atwood, the central image of Canadian literature, equivalent to the image of the ''island'' in British literature and the ''frontier'' in US-American literature, is the notion of ''survival'' and its central character the ''victim''. Atwood claims that both English and French novels, short stories, plays and poems participate in creating this theme as the central distinguishing feature of the nation's literature. See also garrison mentality. The central image of the ''victim'' is not static; according to Atwood four "Victim Positions" are possible (and visible in Canadian literature). These positions are outlined below. *Position One: To deny the fact that you are a victim〔 〕 :This is a position in which members of the "victim-group" will deny their identity as victims, accusing those members of the group who are less fortunate of being responsible for their own victimhood. *Position Two: To acknowledge the fact that you are a victim (but attribute it to a powerful force beyond human control, i.e. fate, history, God, biology, etc.) : In this position, victims are likely to resign themselves to their fate. *Position Three: To acknowledge the fact that you are a victim but to refuse to accept the assumption that the role is inevitable :This is a dynamic position in which the victim differentiates between the ''role'' of victim and the ''experience'' of victim. *Position Four: To be a creative non-victim :A position for "ex-victims" when creativity of all kinds is fully possible. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|