04-03-2010, 05:42 PM | #1 |
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Is there a 'theme' in the national literature of your country?
This is a spin-off from a discussion in the 'what are you reading' thread about Canadian literature I remember reading in university a book by Margaret Atwood where she theorizes that every nation has a central theme or image that keeps recurring in its literature. For example, Britain has 'the island' and America has 'the frontier.' Canada's theme is 'survival.' At first, this was literal survival i.e. the snow and wilderness and wild animals etc. Now (as in, 1972 when the book was written) it manifests as a more metaphorical survival---and witnessing the always prolific literary sub-genre of 'man comes home from the war' books we seem to get every year, I think that her theory still holds up.
It seems many American books are still about the 'frontier' in some way. Many American books deal with 'man' going out into the world to seek his/her fortune. And many Canadian books deal with 'man' coming home. In other words, he is not going out and exploring but rather he is going out and trying to survive the exploring he has already done. There are lots of family secret books, lots of coming home from the war books, lots of 'group of friends dealing with some great tragedy' books. Atwood's theory really does hold up, even though the book is almost 40 years old. So, what do you think? Is there a theme or image that keeps recurring in the literature of your country? What is it? |
04-03-2010, 06:11 PM | #2 |
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....comic books. Seems to about the level of most reading for the younger generation.
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04-03-2010, 06:43 PM | #3 |
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I think the theme of most American books today is that everybody is getting laid. That's why I read mostly public domain lit.
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04-03-2010, 09:11 PM | #4 |
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Snow comes to mind.
There are definite "themes" and they also vary over time. I'm reading some mystery / detective stuff from the mid-1910s through the late 1920s ... from US, Canada and Britain ... there's a strong change of direction in the 1930s and 1940s ... and good gravy ... ovels from the late 1960s and early 1970s from the US portray a radically different world view than their 1950s predecessors. |
04-04-2010, 03:14 AM | #5 | |
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04-04-2010, 09:56 AM | #6 |
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Water often comes back, and sea journeys. But generally, I don't like Dutch books, as they often are either drama or horror and I don't like either...
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04-04-2010, 12:57 PM | #7 |
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Ireland - depression, poverty, self pity and martyrdom. Except me, I'm full of sweetness and light
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04-04-2010, 01:43 PM | #8 |
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I don't believe in Atwood's theory; but if there was a theme for Britain I reckon it would probably be 'class' rather than 'island'.
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04-04-2010, 04:35 PM | #9 |
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04-04-2010, 04:49 PM | #10 |
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