UVM Blogs

As you recall, the final exam is divided into two sections. In the first, you will have a choice of two questions and will write an essay that responds to one of them. In that essay, you will talk about three texts we have read this semester, at least two of which have to be novels. In the [...]

On Monday’s class, we had a productive discussion about many of the themes that work their way through Boyden’s novel. Find and discuss a scene that you think contributes to one of the main themes of Through Black Spruce . Discuss this in relation to the novel, but also consider whether or not this connects to things we’ve observed [...]

Our class today has been moved to Jeffords 112 due to a power failure in Marsh.
 

What was your response to the ending of Monkey Beach?  What happens to LisaMarie?  What makes it so ambiguous?  What do you think is the significance of the final passage, which clearly echoes one found on page 135?

What did you find to be the most interesting aspect of King’s novel?  How does it connect to the other books on this course? Was it more challenging than other works we’ve read?  Why?
(Your response to this prompt is due Monday May 2)

1. In many of the novels that we’ve read, characters’ lives are affected and even shaped by violence. Focusing on two  novels (and this can include novels you’ve not already written about in your previous essay), compare how one character from each text responds to the violence in his/her life. What does this response reveal to us about each [...]

In class, we talked about Beatrice Culleton Moisioner’s statement that she began writing In Search of April Raintree in order that she might better understand what had happened to her family and why. What do you think that she hopes the reader will understand after having read this novel?  What choices does she make as a writer in [...]

I was talking in class the other day about the case of Helen Betty Osborne who was murdered in 1971 by four white men, a crime very similar to one that we learn about in Kiss of the Fur Queen . Shelley found this important site for us to look at called Stolen Sisters .  It’s a campaign by Amnesty International to [...]

As I mentioned last class, our trip is definitely going ahead on April 1 and 2.  I’ll have a full itinerary for you in the next day or two, but here are the essentials. The bus will be waiting for us at the roundabout outside the Davis Center at 8 AM on Friday April 1 (I promise [...]

As part of this course, I hope you will do some research and reading on your own about issues touched on in the novels we’re reading. Here are some sites that will help you to learn a bit more about the history of the residential school systems and their continuing effects on indigenous peoples today: Where Are the [...]

For this essay topic, you may write about  Ravensong, Kiss of the Fur Queen , and/or  In Search of April Raintree . You can refer to The Truth About Stories and other sources, of course, but your essay still needs to focus on two of the three novels we’ve read so far. 1. Each of the novels we’ve looked at so far features [...]

Tomson Highway’s powerful Kiss of the Fur Queen is unlike anything we have read so far in our course.  Thinking about the assumptions or expectations you brought to this text as a reader, what surprised you the most about this book?  In your answer, make sure to provide specific examples and refer to what you feel to [...]

Here are a few links of interest that I’ve tracked down online: Interviews with Tomson Highway An interview with Tomson Highway from 2009 about the launch of his latest show, Kisageetin: A Cabaret (video) Journey man : The nomadic Tomson Highway talks about writing the first Cree opera (2008) Tomson Highway speaking on stage (and playing the…[Read more]

In today’s class, you split into groups to discuss major themes from the novel.  For your blog posting on Ravensong, tell us about one of the themes your group found to be important to Lee Maracle’s novel.  Why is this theme crucial to the novel?  What two scenes do you think are especially illustrative of this [...]

Last class we talked about the passages from Tom King’s The Truth About Stories in which he describes how legislation was used in the past to define Native status in ways that frequently worked to strip individuals of their designation as Indian and the rights to which that status entitled them.  Thursday’s Globe and Mail has [...]

Here’s a link to a video of a reading by Lee Maracle from 2004.  She reads extensively from Ravensong, so you’ll definitely want to take the time to watch this.   This 1993 interview with Lee Maracle is excellent and contains a good deal of discussion that complements what we’ve been talking about in class. Here’s the bibilographic info for that [...]

You’ll find our schedule now in place on the course syllabus.  Thanks for your patience.  I’ve rearranged the placement of Barney’s Version and Beautiful Losers in order that we might try to see the movie together after discussing the novel.
 

This is the first blog prompt for our course. I’ll be posting a blog prompt for every book we read. Your job is to respond within one week of the blog prompt being posted. As you will be graded on the effort you put into this, take the time to offer a considered response. There’s no [...]

I’m sorry we had to cancel class tonight.  If anything should cause a Canadian literature class to be cancelled, it should definitely not be the weather.  When it became clear that almost none of you would be able to make it tonight, though, there seemed like little other choice.  I wish I could have done that [...]

Hopefully you all received my e-mail earlier this afternoon to inform you that class is cancelled for tonight.  I’ll stop by our classroom at 4 just to make sure no one is there wondering what is going on.
Stay tuned for a discussion assignment later today….
 

I meant to post this early last week, but better late than never! Let’s get started with our blogging by introducing ourselves to each other. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together this semester, so it will help to know a bit more about all of our classmates. Tell us a bit about yourself.  What [...]

I’ve fixed one of the PDF links on our Blackboard site.  If you have any trouble downloading that PDF, just let me know. If UVM closes tomorrow, we obviously won’t have a class.  If the weather causes roads to be treacherous in the afternoon, I may still cancel class.  A number of students in our class have [...]

Please check Blackboard for a PDF of this week’s readings.

English 182 (Colonial & Post-Colonial World Literature) Spring 2010 English 182A: M/W: 8:00-9:15 Lafayette L100 “The Truth About Stories”: Recent fiction by First Nations Writers from Canada In this course we’ll focus on recent fiction by First Nations writers in Canada. Over the past thirty years especially, Canada’s First Nations population…[Read more]

As in several of the books we’ve read this semester, The Flying Troutmans includes characters for whom their past and the present situations are inextricably linked.  Discuss this idea with respect to one of the characters in the novel and use at least one quotation from the book to illustrate your point.

Hi everyone,
Nigel from our class was wondering if anyone wanted to meet up today for a study session.  Feel free to use the comments space on this blog post to arrange a meeting. Or, contact me directly if you’d like his e-mail address.
Paul

Here are the essay questions for the final, as well as the layout of the first part of the exam. For the essay questions, only two of those listed below will be on the actual final. So, you should plan out how you would respond to at least two of them; if you plan for only one [...]

In February, Lisa Moore writes convincingly of the effects Cal’s death has on his family. Choose a scene in particular that you think is especially effective in showing the reader how this loss has had an impact on the life of someone in his family. Include a quotation from this scene and, by focusing on Moore’s writing, [...]

The final project for this course gives you the opportunity to write a paper that explores in greater detail something we’ve read about or covered in class. When you’re thinking about what to write, cast your net widely. Your paper could be on anything from an historical event or an aspect of Canadian politics, to hockey [...]

  As you can see from this snapshot of our whiteboard (with Canadian spellings and all), we had a great discussion in class before the break about the various themes in Through Black Spruce . Find and discuss a scene that you think is essential to the development of one of the main themes of Through Black Spruce . Discuss this in [...]

1. Examine the role of the natural environment in two of the final four novels we have studied. What role does it play in the lives of the characters and how does this connect to the larger themes of the novels? 2. The past, remembering, and personal or cultural loss play play key roles in several of [...]

This blog assignment has two parts:

1) Come up with your own blog prompt for Elizabeth Hay’s novel Late Nights on Air.  Post your prompt here.

2) Choose one of your classmate’s blog prompts and then post your response to this question, using examples from the text to support your argument.

Here are a few helpful links connected to Elizabeth Hay and her novel Late Nights on Air .   Interview with Elizabeth Hay (booklounge.ca) Interview with Elizabeth Hay following her winning of the Giller Prize in 2007. Elizabeth Hay, reading at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Part 1 , Part  2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 [...]

  Create a 7-10 minute podcast about our trip to Ottawa. Your goal is to create an interesting podcast that will pique your audience’s interest in the topic. For it to be engaging, you need, of course, to have an argument or hook of some kind that will make people want to listen to what you have to [...]

Here are the essay topics from which you have to choose. 1. What We All Long For and Nikolski are set in Canada’s two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal respectively.  Discuss the role that each of these cities plays in the novels. How do these particular cities shape the experiences of the characters? How do the characters [...]

Douglas Coupland’s been getting a lot of media coverage for his Massey lecture “Player One: What is To Become of Us?” which he’s currently in the process of delivering across Canada. Check out this interesting (and funny) interview about Player One between Coupland and a journalist from the Ottawa Citizen. The CBC has also produced this short…[Read more]

In today’s class, we divided into groups so that you could explore in more detail some of the themes you described as being important in Nicolas Dickner’s novel Nikolski. For this week’s blog prompt, tell us a bit about the theme your group discussed and why this plays such a crucial role in the text.  [...]

There are a number of really good interviews you can find online with Nicolas Dickner. BookBits – Interview with Nicolas Dickner WatchMojo.com – Interview with Nicolas Dickner CBC Book club: Nicolas Dickner talks about Montreal CBC Book club: Nicolas Dickner at home CBC Book club: Nicolas Dickner on postcards in Nikolski CBC Book club: <a …[Read more]

Choose a scene from the novel that you think is either crucial to the development of one of the larger themes in the novel or to understanding one of the book’s characters.  After quoting the passage (include the page number as well), explain in detail why this scene is so important. What does it reveal? How [...]

     Here is the full itinerary for our upcoming field trip to Ottawa (10/21-23) Thursday, October 21: • Depart from south side of Waterman Building (College Street) at 7:00 AM sharp. Participants will arrive no later than 6:45 in order to assure a prompt departure, because Parliament won’t wait for us (and we won’t wait for you). Students…[Read more]

     Here is the full itinerary for our upcoming field trip to Ottawa (10/21-23) Thursday, October 21: • Depart from south side of Waterman Building (College Street) at 7:00 AM sharp. Participants will arrive no later than 6:45 in order to assure a prompt departure, because Parliament won’t wait for us (and we won’t wait for you). Students…[Read more]

    Here is the full itinerary for our upcoming field trip to Ottawa (10/21-23) Thursday, October 21: • Depart from south side of Waterman Building (College Street) at 7:00 AM sharp. Participants will arrive no later than 6:45 in order to assure a prompt departure, because Parliament won’t wait for us (and we won’t wait for you). Students…[Read more]

Here’s a link to the article I mentioned in class tonight:
How Tim Hortons will take over the world

If you had to pick a poem from Night Work that was your favorite, which would it be? What did you find most interesting about this poem? Make sure to answer in detail, using specific examples from the poem.

Here’s your chance to vote on which book we should read. As you’ll recall, the books you chose as the candidates for the final book for our course on contemporary Canadian literature are as follows: Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (currently only available in hardcover) The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill Blood Sports by Eden…[Read more]

  As you know, each of your groups is focusing on one region of Canada and your group will be creating a blog where you will share with the rest of the class (and the world!) all that you’ve learned about this area. Each week, your group will be responsible for a blog posting that will encompass text, [...]

The Canadian Studies Program and the Dept. of English are hosting the visit of two award-winning Canadian writers later this week. Stephen Brunt is Canada’s preeminent sports journalist and the author of several bestselling books, including the critically acclaimed Searching for Bobby Orr (2006). Randall Maggs is the author of Night Work: the…[Read more]

The Canadian Studies Program and the Dept. of English are hosting the visit of two award-winning Canadian writers later this week. Stephen Brunt is Canada’s preeminent sports journalist and the author of several bestselling books, including the critically acclaimed Searching for Bobby Orr (2006). Randall Maggs is the author of Night Work: the…[Read more]

The Canadian Studies Program and the Dept. of English are hosting the visit of two award-winning Canadian writers later this week. Stephen Brunt is Canada’s preeminent sports journalist and the author of several bestselling books, including the critically acclaimed Searching for Bobby Orr (2006). Randall Maggs is the author of Night Work: the…[Read more]

Choose and discuss a passage from Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For that you think is crucial to understanding one of the characters in the novel. What does this passage reveal about this character that helps to provide a context for what he or she does or says in other parts of the book? To post your [...]