The Quest for a ‘National’ Nationalism

In his 2018 Pratt Lecture, The Quest for a ‘National’ Nationalism, renowned author and critic George Elliott Clarke investigates E.J. Pratt’s poetic attempt to become the epic poet of Canada. And while Pratt’s epic poems, such as Brebeuf and His Brethren and Towards the Last Spike, stand as lofty poetic achievements, the poet is never able to escape his own identity and speak convincingly for all Canadians. Unable to speak for Francophones, Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour, Pratt becomes the epic poet of the establishment, but never truly of the people.
The PRATT LECTURES were established in 1968 to commemorate the legacy of E.J. Pratt. Over the years, the series has hosted a litany of world-renowned authors and scholars, including Northrop Frye, Seamus Heaney, Helen Vendler, and Dionne Brand.

Reviews

“This is Breakwater’s first published Pratt Lecture, a slim, crisp, pocketful of learned-ness.”
– The Telegram

Awards

There are no awards found for this book.
Excerpts & Samples ×
In his 2018 Pratt Lecture, The Quest for a ‘National’ Nationalism, renowned author and critic George Elliott Clarke investigates E.J. Pratt’s poetic attempt to become the epic poet of Canada. And while Pratt’s epic poems, such as Brebeuf and His Brethren and Towards the Last Spike, stand as lofty poetic achievements, the poet is never able to escape his own identity and speak convincingly for all Canadians. Unable to speak for Francophones, Indigenous peoples, and People of Colour, Pratt becomes the epic poet of the establishment, but never truly of the people.

The PRATT LECTURES were established in 1968 to commemorate the legacy of E.J. Pratt. Over the years, the series has hosted a litany of world-renowned authors and scholars, including Northrop Frye, Seamus Heaney, Helen Vendler, and Dionne Brand.

Reader Reviews

Accessibility Detail

Accessibility summary
EPUB Accessibility Specification 1.0 AA
Table of contents navigation
Single logical reading order
Full alternative textual descriptions
Print-equivalent page numbering
Use of high contrast between text and background color
Next / Previous structural navigation

Details

Dimensions:

64 Pages
7.5in * 4in *
0.5kg

Published:

February 26, 2021

City of Publication:

St. John’s

Country of Publication:

CA

ISBN:

9781550818758

9781550818772 – Kindle

9781550818765 – EPUB

Book Subjects:

LITERARY CRITICISM / Canadian

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

No author posts found.

Related Blog Posts

There are no posts with this book.