Evolution of Literature in Quebec

Extract

[...] In comedy, humor must not be gratuitous but must serve to instruct. 18th century : The 18th century is often presented as the century of the Enlightenment. For the authors who distinguished themselves at this time, it is a matter of participating in the development of critical thinking. It is the century of the French Revolution and the abolition of privileges and one finds in the works of authors the traces of an important reflection on inequality. 19th century : Romanticism: Romanticism is characterized by a dominant first-person expression. [...]

[...] We question the heritage that civilizations that preceded us transmit to us. Contrary to patriotic withdrawal, we advocate for the mixing of different cultures, which presents itself as a true richness rather than a loss of identity. Identity is built in contact with others. Postmodern Literature: In a second movement, postmodern literature presents itself as a return to expression in the first person singular and the exploration of personal feelings through what is called autofiction, the way of treating oneself as a character in a novel and expressing one's interiority. [...]

[...] How to introduce historical features of literature into your assignment? 1830-1900 : Literature from the second half of the 19th century in Quebec is characterized by a strong presence of orality. The language is willingly popular, simple, or even relaxed. We find works that present themselves as a certain transgression of reality, religious principles. But on the other hand, we also find works whose purpose is to instruct and educate the reader, to elevate them morally in a society where religion, particularly Catholicism, is strongly present. [...]

[...] The Theatre of the Absurd: The Theatre of the Absurd, mainly illustrated by Eugène Ionesco and Samuel Beckett, presents itself as an exploration of the contemporary absurdity of an individual of the 20th century plagued by the lack of meaning of existence. Humour is sometimes a recourse to this difficulty of living and to the absurd. Postmodern Literature: Recent, contemporary, so-called 'postmodern' literature presents itself as a return to the first person. We question ourselves, sometimes starting from the principle that oneself is the reflection of society as a whole. Introspection, subjectivity allow, in a more or less paradoxical way, to reach the universal. [...]

[...] It is a matter of studying what determines men and women in their actions and in different social milieus, including the most disadvantaged social classes. Symbolism: Symbolism opposes an observation of reality in what it has of most ordinary and prosaic. One seeks rather to elevate oneself, to express what one feels at the deepest level of one's soul. One expresses a need for escape from a reality often felt as too heavy and too difficult to bear in its monotony. [...]