Abstract
This paper is situated at the crossroads of English-Canadian and Québécois literature, specifically at its northernmost junction. In the neglected field of comparative Canadian literature, it is fascinating to contrast the portrayal of the North in two distinct cultural and linguistic paradigms while searching for border crossing themes as well as differences. This paper juxtaposes English-Canadian short stories on the North with their Québécois counterparts. A brief summary and analysis of the differing development of the concept of nordicity in Quebec and English Canada, focusing especially on the concept of seasonal nordicity in urban Montreal, is followed by the analyses of an exemplary short story from each of the two national traditions: Monique Proulx’s “Banana Chaudfroid” (1999) and Clark Blaise’s “Words for the Winter” (1973).
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
