The Oxford Book of French-Canadian Short Stories ed. by Richard Teleky (review)

164Book Reviews Current analyses are always available in Books in Canada, the American Review of Canadian Studies, and Canadian Literature. ROBERT ALLEN PAPINCHAK Boise State University RICHARD TELEKY, ed. The Oxford Book ofFrench-Canadian Short Stories. Introduced by Marie-Claire Biais. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1983. 268 p. This anthology comprises twenty-one short stories by Québécois writers as well as one by the celebrated Acadian novelist Antonine Maillet. The selections span the entire chronological sequence of French-Canadian fiction, from Philippe-Ignace-François Aubert de Gaspé in the early nineteenth century to the present. The purpose of the book is to introduce the leading exemplars of short story writing in French-speaking Canada to an English-speaking audience. Most major authors are represented, although one regrets the absence of André Langevin, Marcel Dubé, and some others. The stories themselves are of unequal merit. Certainly, "The Torrent" by Anne Hébert has the greatest claim of all to the status of a classic. Yet it is really more of a novella than a short story. Its unusual length (it is more than twice as long as any other work included) creates an imbalance in the arrangement of the collection. Alain Grandbois's "May Blossom," though a fine work in itself, also seems out of place here because of its exotic (i.e., non-Canadian) setting and characters. Some of the selections, like those by Gabrielle Roy and Roch Carrier, despite their charm read like episodes of autobiographical reminiscence rather than distinct short stories. Some tales are so brief, e.g., Louise Maheux-Forcier's "The Carnation," that it is difficult to get a clear idea of the author's style merely from the text provided. Maillet's contribution is basically a short pastiche of her famous longer work La Sagouine. Such reservations notwithstanding, this volume furnishes an excellent opportunity for readers to become acquainted (or reacquainted) with the people of Québec and their cultural milieu. We are exposed to both their past and present ways of thinking, and we witness their life-styles in both rural and urban surroundings. In regard to the latter, we are made to understand subtle differences between the cosmopolitan and impersonal atmosphere of Montr éal and the provincial intimacy of Québec City. Most importantly, we are able to see how the French of Québec look at and have looked at themselves through their literature. Each author presents his own personal vision of the world. Yet one can discern throughout the collection several recurring aspects of French-Canadian life which all the people hold in common. One senses the metaphysical turn of mind of the French-Canadians, their preoccupation with the deeper levels of meaning which underlie everyday reality. This philosophical orientation is revealed in a number of literary modes, including the Gothic (Aubert de Gaspé), the surrealist (Jacques Ferron ), and the allegorical (Michel Tremblay). This attitude is complemented by a corresponding difficulty in adaptingto the real world. Fear ofthe unknown, as regards God, life, oneself, and other people, is a dominant sentiment among Book Reviews165 the people portrayed in these tales. Happiness is of nearly impossible attainment . Frustration constantly predominates over satisfaction, be it on the individual level or the collective. These are stories about a dispossessed nation whose feeling of alienation has carried over into the lives of its citizens. In her introduction, Marie-Claire Biais rightly emphasizes the theme of the exile in this literature. Upsurgings of revolt and efforts to escape normally fail. Each individual remains a prisoner of his own solitude. Communication does not function. Ironically, the only authentic couple in the volume, Albert and Marie in Ringuet's "The Heritage," are both rejected by society as a whole and only turn to each other because each has no one else in the world. In all, we are presented here with a highly pessimistic picture of human life. The FrenchCanadians seem to share with Unamuno's countrymen a "tragic sentiment of life." There is not a total absence of hope, however, for there exist fleeting instances of humor, the desire to know, and the wish to change things for the better. The reader is impressed...