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Friends, I thought that some of you might be interested in the following course that I am offering through the Dalhousie English department in January 2001. EN 4005: "Green Reading: Canadian Literatures of the Environment" "The real Canada is an ideal with nobody in it." -- Northrop Frye, The Modern Century "There's only one way we're going to be able to build the golf course," the mayor told John Ciacca. "That's with the army." -- Jean Oullette, quoted in People of the Pines: The Warriors and the Legacy of Oka Although the content and context of these statements are radically different, they raise related issues that might serve as starting for our consideration of the interconnections between nature and culture in Canada. For example, to what extent do myths of the empty continent continue to shape our understanding of Canada? What are the spatial forms and fantasies that influence decisions about land use and land rights in this country? How does our representation of the land influence the way that we treat it? Beginning with an introduction to the central premises of ecocriticism, this course aims to develop what might be called "green readings" of selected twentieth-century Canadian texts. Paying special attention to the relationship between environmental response and cultural difference, we will explore literary and theoretical constructions of ideas like "wilderness," "nature," and "north." The primary texts include: Margaret Atwood's Wilderness Tips; Marian Engel's Bear; Tom King's Green Grass, Running Water; Thomas Wharton's Icefields; and Alanis Obomsawin's Kanesatake (movie). Secondary readings will be taken from a course-reader, which will be available from Ekonocopy in early January. Hope to see you there! Carrie Dawson Assistant Professor Dept. of English Dalhousie University -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Looking for an old message? You'll find it in the sust-mar ARCHIVES ... http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar
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