The Importance Of Canadian Literature

1354 Words6 Pages
Good writers can be found all over the world. Reading literature from other countries is important as it allows students to develop a greater understanding of the world. While international literature is important, Canadian students should prioritize literature native to their country; as this allows students to become familiar with the local literature. Moreover, this is important as it will allow Ontario students to become inspired by Canadian culture, encouraging them to promote along with establishing more Canadian writing. Due to Canada's proximity to the United States of America, Canadians are often swamped by the surrounding American culture. Unfortunately, this is relatively common in Canadian history as Canada has always been a "branch plant" of another country; starting with England and France. Canada being a "branch plant" is unfortunate as Canadian culture has not been able to develop. Likewise, being under the thumb of other powerful cultures, for years, Canadian students would study British writers such as Shakespeare and American writers such as Fitzgerald. As a substitute to focus on Canadian writers, many schools limit student's exposure to the Canadian novels to ISP reading lists. In this sense, Canada is an attic in which American, as well as British…show more content…
Many of the authors studied in Canadian classrooms are primarily white, English Canadian. This is a problem as it is not reflective of Canada's modern multicultural society. As Robertson Davies stated, "Canada is not going to have a national literature in the mode of those European lands where a long history has bound the people together, and where a homogeneous racial inheritance has given them a language, customs, and even a national dress of their own." 2 It is important that students look at the work of diverse Canadians as it is a chance for students to connect with their diverse

More about The Importance Of Canadian Literature

Open Document