For more information or to place an order for the new book, Canada and
the Idea of North, please see the web site below or fax the publisher:
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
ISBN: 0-7735-2247-6
Price: $49.95
Pages: 365 with 9 colour plates and 30 illustrations
Orders can be placed with the publisher at the web site:
http://www.mqup.mcgill.ca/
or by fax: 514/398-4333
Canada and the Idea of North
Sherrill E. Grace
Abstract:
Canada and the Idea of North examines the ways in which Canadians have
defined themselves as a northern people in their literature, art, music,
history, geography, politics, film, and popular culture. From the
Franklin mystery or the ideology of the 19th century Canada First
movement to early 20th century "Mountie" movies, Glenn Gould's 1967
sound documentary The Idea of North, the paintings of Lawren Harris, and
recent Molson beer ads, ideas of North have been central to the Canadian
imagination for at least 150 years. Sherrill Grace argues that
Canadians have always used ideas of Canada-as-North to promote a
distinct national identity. In her penultimate chapter-"The North Writes
Back"-Grace considers newly emerging northern voices and shows how these
northerners view the long tradition of southern representations of the
North. In the context of the recent creation of Nunavut, the increasing
concern about northern ecosystems and social challenges, and a renewed
attention to Canada's role as a circumpolar nation, Canada and the Idea
of North shows that nordicity still plays an urgent and defining role in
Canada at the beginning of the 21st century.
Comments by readers:
Ted Chamberlain, English, University of Toronto--"This is a remarkable
book. Wonderfully well written, it takes us beyond the cosmopolitan
commentary that characterizes so much writing about the north to a
deeply moving reflection on the nature of belief. It is an essential
read for all Canadians."
Ken Coates, History, Dean of Arts and Sciences, University of
Saskatchewan--"Grace provides a sweeping, analytically and conceptually
rich examination of northern images and ideas that raises provocative
and challenging questions."
Russell Brown, English, University of Toronto at Scarborough--"This is a
major work that casts an extraordinarily wide net, taking in Canadian
music, art, drama, and fiction."
Bio:
Sherrill Grace is a Professor of English at the University of British
Columbia. She has published extensively on 20th century literature and
the arts with books on expressionism, Margaret Atwood, Malcolm Lowry,
and Canadian drama. Canada and the Idea of North is her 12th book and
she is currently completing a study of Tom Thomson, called Inventing Tom
Thomson, a new edition of Mina Benson Hubbard's 1908 classic, A Woman's
Way Through Unknown Labrador, and a co-edited collection of
international essays on Canadian theatre.
ORDER INFORMATION:
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
ISBN: 0-7735-2247-6
Price: $49.95
Pages: 365 with 9 colour plates and 30 illustrations
Orders can be placed with the publisher at the web site:
http://www.mqup.mcgill.ca/
or by fax: 514/398-4333