Variations on a Canadian Theme

Identities, icons, stereotypical images and the Northern Myth constitute essential themes in Canadian culture and literature. The work endeavours to formulate definitions. Forms of identity and national consciousness fuse through all the chapters highlighting distinct approaches and the fluidity of the concept since there is not one general definition, but many. These terms invariably shift and reformulate themselves from one generation to the next and from society to society. Exploring these specific segments of cultural phenomena through the artistic expressions of The Group of Seven and Emily Carr, and contemporary Canadian poetic expressions, illustrate a greater overview of its meanings and understandings within contemporary Canadian society.