Title: From animal story to animal as symbol
Variant title:
- De l'histoire sur les animaux à l'animal comme symbole
Source document: The Central European journal of Canadian studies. 2014, vol. 9, iss. [1], pp. 73-83
Extent
73-83
-
ISSN1213-7715 (print)2336-4556 (online)
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/134381
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Rights access
embargoed access
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
This paper starts with an analysis of a representative Canadian naturalist animal story, Charles Roberts' "Do Seek Their Meat from God," and then passes to a discussion of two more short stories in order to demonstrate that in the modern Canadian narrative discourse animal images usually work as symbols. For example, in Margaret Laurence's "The Loons" the bird images in the title appear as a symbol of a character's state of mind and fate, while in Guy Vanderhaeghe's "Dancing Bear" the bear image illuminates the protagonist with a feeling of brotherhood with all God's creatures. This makes him experience a strong psychological identification with the bear, which thus becomes a symbol of his humiliated dignity and pride, before finally becoming a metaphor of death.
L'étude part de l'analyse du récit naturaliste avec des animaux intitulé "Do Seek Their Meat from God" ["Et ils cherchèrent la nourriture de Dieu"], représentatif du Canadien Charles Robert, pour poursuivre avec l'analyse de deux autres nouvelles afin de démontrer que, dans le discours narratif moderne, l'image de l'animal fonctionne d'habitude comme un symbole : dans "The Loons" ["Les Huards"] de Margaret Laurence, l'image de l'oiseau du titre apparaît comme un symbole de l'état d'esprit et du sort d'un personnage, tandis que dans "Dancing Bear" ["L'Ours qui danse"] de Guy Vanderhaeghe, l'image de l'ours illumine le protagoniste d'un sentiment de fraternité avec toutes les créatures de Dieu et lui fait ensuite vivre une forte identification psychologique avec l'ours devenu ainsi le symbole de sa dignité et fierté humiliées, avant de devenir finalement une métaphore de la mort.
References
[1] Atwood, Margaret. Survival. A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Anansi, 1972.
[2] Chevalier, Jean and Alain Gheerbrant. Dictionnaire des Symboles. Paris: Seghers, 1974.
[3] Huggan, Isabel. "Afterword" to Margaret Laurence, A Bird in the House. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1989, 192-97.
[4] Laurence, Margaret. "The Loons", The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, 143-51.
[5] Morley, Patricia. "The long trek home: Margaret Laurence's stories", Margaret Laurence. An Appreciation. Ed. Christl Verduyn. Peterborough, Canada and Lewiston, N. Y.: Broadview Press, 1988, 38-51.
[6] Roberts, Charles G.D. "Do Seek Their Meat from God", The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, 19-23.
[7] Seifert, Martina. "Charles G.D. Roberts: 'Do Seek Their Meat from God'(1892)", The Canadian Short Story. Interpretations. Ed. Nischik, Reingard. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2007, 41-52.
[8] Taylor, Charles. "The Politics of Recognition", Multiculturalism. A Critical Reader. Ed. Theo Goldberg. Oxford, U.K. and Cambridge, MS: Blackwell, 1994, 75-105.
[9] Vanderhaeghe, Guy. "Dancing Bear",The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
[10] Watson, Margaret. "The Realistic Animal Story in Canadian Children's Literature", Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Volume 2, Number 3, Autumn 1977, 8-9. | DOI 10.1353/chq.0.1655
[11] Xiques, Donez. Margaret Lawrence. The Making of a Writer. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2005.
[2] Chevalier, Jean and Alain Gheerbrant. Dictionnaire des Symboles. Paris: Seghers, 1974.
[3] Huggan, Isabel. "Afterword" to Margaret Laurence, A Bird in the House. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1989, 192-97.
[4] Laurence, Margaret. "The Loons", The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, 143-51.
[5] Morley, Patricia. "The long trek home: Margaret Laurence's stories", Margaret Laurence. An Appreciation. Ed. Christl Verduyn. Peterborough, Canada and Lewiston, N. Y.: Broadview Press, 1988, 38-51.
[6] Roberts, Charles G.D. "Do Seek Their Meat from God", The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, 19-23.
[7] Seifert, Martina. "Charles G.D. Roberts: 'Do Seek Their Meat from God'(1892)", The Canadian Short Story. Interpretations. Ed. Nischik, Reingard. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2007, 41-52.
[8] Taylor, Charles. "The Politics of Recognition", Multiculturalism. A Critical Reader. Ed. Theo Goldberg. Oxford, U.K. and Cambridge, MS: Blackwell, 1994, 75-105.
[9] Vanderhaeghe, Guy. "Dancing Bear",The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English. Ed. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
[10] Watson, Margaret. "The Realistic Animal Story in Canadian Children's Literature", Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Volume 2, Number 3, Autumn 1977, 8-9. | DOI 10.1353/chq.0.1655
[11] Xiques, Donez. Margaret Lawrence. The Making of a Writer. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2005.