Canadian Literature: A Cultural Tapestry with Sebastian Angelosante

Day: Thursdays
Dates: January 9 – February 13, 2025
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30 pm
Location: Carleton University
Price: $175+HST

Zoom Information will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the lecture date.

Overview

While often overlooked for its cultural merit because it does not have the fanaticism of American
literature nor the larger history of English literature, Canadian literature addresses themes and motifs
that have shaped our changing national culture. This series will examine a variety of genres including
exploration and travel narratives, horror, fantasy, along with modern classics to understand how the
authors use these genres to examine Canada’s ever-changing identity. We will proceed chronologically
(kinda), but we occasionally interrupt this path with older texts that will provide cultural and historical
contexts.

Schedule

Dates	Description
January 8	A Brief History of Canadian Literature This session will focus on establishing the themes of the course along with a brief overview of the foundations of Canadian literature and its implications.Maurice Metayer, “The Blind Boy and the Loon” from Stories from the Canadian North (1972)Jack London, “To Build a Fire” (1908)Margaret Atwood, “The Sin Eater” from The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories (1983)
January 15	This Bitter North This session will focus on the rich history of Canadian horror. We will focus on the indigenous voices and stories they derive from as well as the historical implications of these stories. Jessica Johns, Bad Cree : A Novel (2023) Margaret Atwood, “Concerning Franklin and his Gallant Crew” from Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature (1995) Margaret Atwood, “Eyes of Blood, Heart of Ice: The Wendigo” from Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature (1995)
January 22	Below of the 45th Parallel This session will focus on Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale. It will focus on its satirical view of various social, political, and religious trends of the United States in the 1980s while also emphasizing Canada’s role in the text as synonymous with freedom and its cultural implications. Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) Robertson Davies, “The Ugly Spectre of Sexism” from High Spirits (1982)
January 29	Canadian Gods This session will focus on portrayals of different cultures influencing and analyzing Canadian ideals and identity. We will analyze how different texts utilize folklore to explore Canada and its people. We will mainly focus on Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring and what she reveals in the collision of folklore and industrial Toronto. Nalo Hopkinson, Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) Michel Tremblay, “The Devil and the Mushroom” from The Oxford Book of French-Canadian Short Stories (1983) Morley Callaghan, “Last Spring They Came Over” from The Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories (1986).
February 5	Ordinary/Extraordinary This session will focus on the combination of the otherwise bleak and uninteresting Canadian landscape with supernatural events. We will analyze the cultural implications of the collision of the otherwise ordinary landscape of Canada and how they impact the supernatural events these authors place upon them. André Alexis, Days by Moonlight (2019) James K. Moran “Carl and Monty’s Prairie Wager” from Fear Itself (2022)
February 12	Trauma and Triumph This session will focus on Waubgeshig Rice’s novel Moon of the Crusted Snow. It will focus on the use of Canada’s disturbing history regarding the abuse of indigenous societies and the implications Rice puts forward. Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of Crusted Snow (2018)

About the Lecturer

Sebastian Angelosante is a recent graduate. He received his Master’s in English literature from the University of Ottawa (2024). During his studies, he focused on queer representation throughout British and American literature. He also worked with the university’s Fulcrum newspaper and collaborated with his professors to lead engaging discussions on various works of horror and science fiction. In his free time, he enjoys reading and watching all things horror and/or queer.

Registration Form

If you have a credit with LLeaP please proceed with registering for this series. Upon completion of your registration email lifelonglearning@cunet.carleton.ca to inform us of your credit. We will process a refund in the amount of the credit to your original form of payment.

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