Canadian Subtext in Atwood & Ondaatje

Like many other brands of national writing, Canadian Literature is shaped around the ontological quest of its Nation. Multiculturalism raises questionings about the Canadian identity which constitute the very fabric of the Canadian literary production.

Focusing on two of the major contemporary Canadian writers, Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, this essay explores the Canadian watermark which provides both structure and subtext to two of their works "Wilderness Tips" and "In the Skin of a Lion".

It is fascinating to realize how two texts, albeit very different, are yet both (re-)working the concepts of History and Memory, trying to assess their implications for the characters and for their (post)modern readers.

Cet essai est une étude croisée de "Wilderness Tips" de Margaret Atwood, et "In the Skin of a Lion" de Michael Ondaatje. Il analyse les concepts d'Histoire et de Mémoire dans les deux oeuvres, et comment, au travers de leurs personnages, ces 2 écrivains pourtant si différents, tous deux explorent et tentent de définir les enjeux identitaires de la société Canadienne.