Sumários

Revision for written test

20 Abril 2020, 14:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

Review of Canadian literature from 1960s to present. Followed by an overview of history.

Zoom Class - the Canadian Political system, discussion of written test layout and beginning of revision for test

15 Abril 2020, 14:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

We began with a presentation of the Canadian Political system and I have sent the related ppt presentation to the class email. If you have not received this send a request to my email cbeecher@campus.ul.pt.

Discussion of written test layout - the written test will take place on Weds 22nd April. I will sent the test to the student email list at 13.50 and students will return their completed test by 16.10. There are 2 students who will be doing another test in the class immediately preceding our test. These students will have an extra 30 minutes to submit their tests. I will be available on Zoom and will ask students to enroll in this Zoom meeting so that they can do the test.

The test will have 2 sections: 1 on history (3 questions to answer 1) = 20% 2 on literary analysis (4 questions to answer 2) 2x40% = 80%.

We began the review of Canadian literature - ppt also sent to class email

Zoom class - The History of Emily Montague within its historic context

6 Abril 2020, 14:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

I would like students to watch part 2,3,5,11,12,& 14 of the TV Ontario series Origins: A History of Canada the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5xmRScYeU

The History of Emily Montague (1769) was originally published in four volumes. The first Canadian novel to be written in English and for an English audience, it is part travelogue, part political report, part love story. It is an epistolary novel – a compilation of letters exchanged between the eight main characters – like her previously work The History of Lady Julia Mandeville. This format was popular at the time. Although at times a stilted device, the epistolary format does convey the distance of the colony from England, and the isolation, especially during the winter months when dramatic news would be months in arriving.

Edward Rivers, a British soldier has recently retired to Québec where his meagre salary will stretch further than it would in England. He writes to his sister Lucy and satisfies her curiosity regarding life in the new colony. Of the 228 letters, only five originate from Lucy, for she is the stand-in for the audience - the "relatable character" for the reading public in England. Edward also continues a correspondence with an old friend, John Temple, a cad with a propensity to break young hearts. Almost immediately, Edward Rivers meets and falls in love with Emily Montague, a young British woman living in Québec. By setting this love story in the "exotic locale" of colonial British North America, Frances Brooke is able to have her characters express their love of nature and the grandeur of their environment to their English correspondents. The repeated adjectives "noble," "awe-inspiring," and "sublime," capture the drama of the unspoiled landscape; for Québec is a kind of Edenic paradise to the characters. This trope is in keeping with the spirit of Romanticism. However, as we saw in the texts, we looked at, overexposure to this natural beauty “alone” also had its problems.

It was written at a very unique time in Canadian history between the Treaty of Paris (1963) and the signing of the Quebec Act (1774), offers insight into the colony of Quebec after the fall of New France when Québec became a British colony. The tone of colonialism is very evident, and the native tribes are described as simple or savage – there are many references to this in the extract of the text in the manual. Moreover, none of the letter-writers are complimentary to the French Canadians, nor to natives they encounter. In fact, they are more likely to be described with the words "idle," and "indolent," "ignorant," "lazy," "dirty," and "stupid." The vagueness of these descriptions give the impression that perhaps Frances Brooke may have had only limited exposure to those outside her own class, and also re-enforces the superiority of the British over the conquered races. This tone of superiority is also found in her scathing descriptions of the how convents of Quebec and the “Romish” religion negate women a full life.

Frances Brooke uses The History of Emily Montague as a political tool to forward her own and her husband, Rev John Brooke’s political agendas to eliminate French cultural references from Quebec countering the leadership of Governor James Murray. Murray served as governor from 1760-1768 and believed that the smartest way to rule over the Canadian population was in a tone of tolerance. He considered that any successful government of British North America needed to recognise and accept the French language, law, religion with their own clergy and bishop, and even to allow Protestants to convert and remarry according to Roman Catholic rites when desired. This did not suit John Brooke who believed the colony should have a national religion (Anglican), with little allowance for those of different beliefs. Brooke worked to facilitate the transfer of the colony from Roman Catholic to Anglican (including all property). The Brookes and the English merchants believed this conversion should occur as quickly as possible with the enforcement of English language and laws. Because of his conflict with the British merchants, and men like John Brooke, Murray was recalled from his post in 1766.

Online class (Zoom) Discussion of abstracts

1 Abril 2020, 14:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

Individual discussion of corrections and comments on students' abstracts for their final essays

Zoom Class - Discussion of essay abstracts

30 Março 2020, 14:00 • Cecília Maria Beecher Martins

Discussed essay abstracts with students individually to help them structure their research essay best.

General guidelines:

First, final essays to be submitted by email by 15th April.

General comments about your essays:

1) Grades and readjustments of abstracts: I have given you a provisional grade for your abstract. As I said in class, an abstract is a starting point. When you write your essay, you may add new lines of investigation, readjust proposals. When/if this happens you must also readjust your abstract so that it provides a suitable presentation of your work. Your grade for your abstract may be readjusted if this is significantly better than the original. However, the readjusted grade will never be lower than the original one.

2) Please submit your final essays in Word format, – it is difficult for me to make corrections on pdfs. The essay (2,000-2,500 words) should be accompanied by the adjusted abstract, 3-5 keywords and bibliography. The last three components are not included in the word count.

3) Referencing system: to harmonise the referencing system, use MLA version 8: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_ guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html

4) Additional references for Canadian Cinema: Quite a few of you have chosen to work with film, and most of you have referred to Timothy Corrigan’s Guide to Writing about Film and this is appropriate, but You will also need a reference that applies specifically to Canadian film, especially if you are thinking of applying a national film angle to your analysis. There are 2 books that can help you with this, one written by George Melnyk, the other edited by him. They are One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema (2004) by George Melnyk, University of Toronto Press and Great Canadian Film Directors (2007) George Melnyk (Ed.) University of Alberta Press. Large sections of both are available on Google books.

5) Discussion of your abstract: there is a schedule attached. I have sent you all the Zoom link so we can talk in small groups at the time attributed. You can also send your questions by email.