FALL-WINTER 2013 - University of Toronto Press Publishing

Literature and Paintingin QuebecFrom Imagery to IdentityNEW IN PAPERBACK William J. BergThis unique study explores how Quebec’s landscapes have been represented inboth literature and visual art throughout the centuries, from the writing of earlyexplorers such as Cartier and Champlain to work by prominent contemporaryauthors and artists from the province. William J. Berg traces recurrent imagesand themes within these creations through the most significant periods inthe development of a Quebecois identity that was threatened initially by thewilderness and indigenous populations, and later by the dominance of Britishand American influences.Focusing on the interplay between nature and culture in landscaperepresentation, Literature and Painting in Quebec contends that both havereflected and fashioned the meaning of French-Canadian nationhood. As such,Literature and Painting in Quebec presents a new perspective in the approach tothe notion of national identity, something that few groups have pursued morepersistently than the Quebecois.William J. Berg is a professor in the Department of French and Italian at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.“William J. Berg’s ambitious book, solid in its scholarship, impressive in itsrange, and original in its conception, provides an insightful discussion of theinterrelations between textual and painted representations, revealing them as arich source for reflection into questions of national identity.”Émile J. Talbot, Department of French, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign410 pp / 6 x 9 / June 201340 illustrations, including 16 colour platesPaper 978-1-4426-1594-6$34.95 (£24.99) CeBook 978-1-4426-9830-7 $34.95Literary Studies / Art History/ Cultural Studies“Literature and Painting in Quebec is an excellent and very well-written book. Itshighlights include a well-documented analysis of French explorers’ descriptionsof nature; a convincing study of race, place, and identity in short stories and art;and careful analyses of landscape in romans du terroir that result in a profoundlyoriginal conclusion.”Mariel O’Neill-Karch, Department of French, University of Torontoutppublishing.comOf related interest:National PerformanceRepresenting Quebec from Expo 67to Céline DionErin Hurley978-1-4426-4095-5$45.00 / 2011Winner of the International Council forCanadian Studies Pierre Savard Award and theCanadian Association for Theatre ResearchAnn Saddlemyer Award59