[arc628]

I couldn't agree with you more. The poor job our schools do of teaching our kids about Canada, its history and its culture is one of my pet peeves. Try writing a letter to your MP, get a petition going, run for a position on your local schoold board, go to a local PTA meeting and bring it up. There is plenty you can do. This is one of those problems that is pretty easily solved, and will have many benefits for our country. <br />

[Marcarc]

I'd like to somewhat play the devil's advocate since I know this is hypothetical and the odds of actually changing curricula is slight to none. <br /> Personally, coming from the maritimes we have a long tragic history of blase literature. Even in cinema the maritimes are constantly portrayed (except anne of green gables of course) as depressingly horrible and the 'happy ending' usually consists of the protagonist getting the h*** out of there (think of the Bay Boy and New Waterford Girl). We read Morley Callaghan and I remember reading "Each Man's Son" which were completely demoralizing to a high school student and can only be thought of as propaganda from Ontario publishers. Likewise, while a good writer I don't wish David Adams Richards on my worst enemy, they make me want to nuke all of New Brunswick and put it out of its misery. <br /> I have similar low opinions of Margaret Atwood's novels and Modechai Richler's. I'm not saying this to be denigration, but I think far more important is that instead of novels students be taught history. The function of English at the high school level is not literary criticism (because no literary critics are even studied), but the mechanisms of the english language, which can be just as easily learned through the excellent history books. In accordance with this I think use of the student's primary interest -namely music, should be incorporated. This is particularly true in the maritimes where the music industry is far more far reaching and less propagandistic than literature. <br /> All that being said however, I would think that any good junior high english has encouraged reading anne of green gables. My recollections of high school english are nonplussed: 1984, Each Man's Son, and some shakespeare or another. None of which my high school mind could remotely comprehend, and even my adult brain has trouble with.

[lesouris]

I dunno, literature in High School had a big impact on me and my views. The book "The Great Gatsby" really taught me that money will not buy you happiness, and plays like "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello" really exposed me to prejudice and the danger that comes along with it. However, I had no idea about the extent of Canadian literature until I went out and researched it myself. I mean, there are great books out there that are by Canadian authors. And not all of them are about sleepy farm towns. <br /> <br />Literature to me, was a very important part of my educational experience, I just wish it was more Canadian (the least we could've read was Anne of Green Gables). I personally like Mordecai Richler and Margaret Atwood, but that might just be because I'm a cynical metropolitan kind of person who prefers bleak portrayals of life. I also read somewhere that Mordecai Richler's works are not taught in any Universities in Canada except McGill, I find that sad because he was a very good author.

[robert_fisher]

[QUOTE BY= lesouris We have so many great literary figures in Canada, Pierre Berton, Mordecai Richler, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie Macdonald [/QUOTE] <br /> <br />I think it depends where you are, there must be hundreds of school boards in the country. In my region we read Atwood, and Richler, but only because it was pushed by our head of the ENG. Dept. Unfortunately though I didn't know who Pierre Berton was until yesterday. The library is across the street from my house, and now that I do know.... <br /> <br />As for Atwood and reading her work when I was seventeen, it truly didn't have an effect on me. Infact I resented it. I felt that it was the farthest thing from relevance to my life, and where I was going. <br />I loved the Chrysalids, Lord of the Flies, the Secret Garden, Animal Farm, 1984, and Shakespeare. I think it would really take some doing to get the curriculum changed, as there are so many good books in it already.

[lesouris]

[QUOTE BY= robert_fisher] I think it would really take some doing to get the curriculum changed, as there are so many good books in it already.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />I agree, there are great books out there, maybe boards could offer classes in Candian literature?

[cathou79]

i must say that the ROC is late in that. i admit that i've never read any candian litterature, but here in cegep (post high school) we have a wole session on quebec litterature that is a standard class that everybody must pass to have a diploma...

[Kory Yamashita]

In BC, my textbooks were all from the early 80's (I graduated in 2002) and the novel sets were usually just as old. <br /> <br />If they're going to replace them, why not with Canadian content? On the other hand, I do recall reading a lot of Canadian literature (specifically Jack London strikes me as very Canadian). It might have just been that my teachers were very pro-Canadian, or perhaps there's already such Canadian literature programs working within our English classes.

[robert_fisher]

[QUOTE BY= lesouris] maybe boards could offer classes in Candian literature?[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />[QUOTE BY= cathou79] i must say that the ROC is late in that.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />What do you mean? I took Canadian Literature in my public high school in the old OAC system, in 2000 That's Ontario aka, ROC, so I don't think that was a well thought out statement. Like I said there is a lot of variance across the country. What it really comes down to is a push on the local level. <br /> <br />After posting yesterday I though of another couple of books that were great in school: Picture of Dorian Grey, and 5th Business.

[Guest]

LeSouris <br />[QUOTE]We have so many great literary figures in Canada, Pierre Berton, <b><u>Mordecai Richler</u></b>, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie Macdonald and now promising (relatively) young authors like Miriam Toews and others.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />Mordecai Richler might have been a good writer in the ROC, but he is despised in Quebec. His anti-Quebec, anti-French comments are just plain disgusting. He said that our grandmothers (in the 1800's and 1900's) were sows! He said that Quebec was an anti-semite "tribe" lucky enough to have been saved by the anglo-saxon world.

[lesouris]

[QUOTE BY= Delenda Carthago] LeSouris <br />We have so many great literary figures in Canada, Pierre Berton, <b><u>Mordecai Richler</u></b>, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie Macdonald and now promising (relatively) young authors like Miriam Toews and others.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />Maybe Mordecai Richler wouldn't be suitable for a high school then. I didn't know feelings were so strong in Quebec, sorry if I offended you.

[robert_fisher]

I also didn't know that. I had a crazy head of English at my school, that would explain it. <br /> <br />If it's any consolation Delenda I didn't read the book, and farced my way through all the work related to it!?!?! <br /> <br /> <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/biggrin.gif' alt='Big Grin'>

[Perturbed]

[QUOTE BY= robert_fisher] [QUOTE BY= lesouris We have so many great literary figures in Canada, Pierre Berton, Mordecai Richler, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie Macdonald [/QUOTE] <br /> <br />I think it depends where you are, there must be hundreds of school boards in the country. In my region we read Atwood, and Richler, but only because it was pushed by our head of the ENG. Dept. Unfortunately though I didn't know who Pierre Berton was until yesterday. The library is across the street from my house, and now that I do know.... <br /> <br />As for Atwood and reading her work when I was seventeen, it truly didn't have an effect on me. Infact I resented it. I felt that it was the farthest thing from relevance to my life, and where I was going. <br />I loved the Chrysalids, Lord of the Flies, the Secret Garden, Animal Farm, 1984, and Shakespeare. I think it would really take some doing to get the curriculum changed, as there are so many good books in it already.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br /> <br />Don't forget 1984. <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/cool.gif' alt='Cool'> I think we can at least lose a bit of the Shakespeare....but don't replace with Margaret Laurence, she's good but puts me to sleep....

[Perturbed]

[QUOTE BY= Delenda Carthago] LeSouris <br />[QUOTE]We have so many great literary figures in Canada, Pierre Berton, <b><u>Mordecai Richler</u></b>, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie Macdonald and now promising (relatively) young authors like Miriam Toews and others.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />Mordecai Richler might have been a good writer in the ROC, but he is despised in Quebec. His anti-Quebec, anti-French comments are just plain disgusting. He said that our grandmothers (in the 1800's and 1900's) were sows! He said that Quebec was an anti-semite "tribe" lucky enough to have been saved by the anglo-saxon world. [/QUOTE] <br /> <br /> <br />Canadian soveriengtists also wouldn't like him, as he was quite a pompous guy, with little substance on political issues...I haven't read his stuff, and hope his awful personality didn't affect his work, but you can watch his free-trade debate with Globe and Mail columnist and writer Rick Salutin <a href="http://http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-73-536-2799/politics_economy/free_trade/clip6">here</a>