‘By Any Other Word ...’: The Designations of Canadian Literature in French

· DA VID M. HA YNE 'By Any Other Word I. The Designations of Canadian Literature in French The most recent and the most complete history of literary activity in Quebec! begins its account with the introduction of printing into Quebec City in 1764. During the remainder of the eighteenth century an increasing amount of printed material was published in what would later become the province of Quebec, but few 'literary' works appeared until the 1830s, when French-Canadian or Quebec literature is usually considered to have begun. The parallel development of a Canadian literature in English revealed the need for suitable designations of these two literary traditions, a problem that has not been entirely resolved to the present day. In recalling the various names given to French and English writing in Canada, Richard Giguere called for a study of the topic: II Yaurait un essai aecrire sur la fortune des differents vocables au cours des Xlxe et XXe siecles, en rapport avec l'evoiution des ideologies, de la culture, de l'histoire et de la litterature elle-meme.2 In the next few pages I shall try to provide some notes on the Frenchlanguage component of this evolving nomenclature. In the documents recording the transfer of power from France to England after the conquest of 1760, the French-speaking inhabitants of the former New France were referred to variously as 'habitants du Canada,' 'Frannt" at an end but at Blais Canadien. C'etait la fami1le. Adol(~sctmt/le Sllisaeverm L:an.adjlen,-trcm~ais; c'etait Ie nationalisme traditionnel. I BY ANY OTHER WORD I 487 NOTES 1 La Vie liUeraireau sous 1a direction de Maurice Lemire H-"Cd,.uLt,<:;-L Les 2 3 4 S Presses de }'Universite Laval 1991- ). rfH~P'lntlirpp des quetJeCi'Jlse et canadienl1e \ "xC .........." ..'-, Les Presses de l'Universite Laval SnI. (Vie des Que~becoisE~S, 23) 1) 1: 10 (novembre 289-97. De l'ordfe et de l'aventure: la des lettres 6 Revue d'histoire litteraire de 10 France 1 464-85. 7 Whn-nfTJrp frm-l('oi:o::e lJOrs de France Paris: A. ;::'Clt'uacm:er; Lausanne: 8 La tm,lzolthe/1ue universelle et revue 92-114. 9 See Marie-Andree 10 11 113e der Halden: d'un inconnu Albert litterature fra~!CQ1"C;l' au Canada 12 ryjf'1rJUPC U'VlOln.tn~al: Louis les 13 14 15 16 note sur l'identite COl1te1nv()rar'lI French Civilization 2: 1 no. of Les Lettres Houvelles 210. Re Parti see Robert lM!ont:r~ll: Hurtubise HMH du actuelle au Canada 251. For an account of the evolution from an idE~ol()gilcal of view, see Marcel Les du SeuiI ...