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Dissertation Information for Heather Muriel Murray

NAME:
- Heather Muriel Murray

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Literature

SCHOOL:
- York University (USA) (1984)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: LANGUAGE AND LAND IN ENGLISH-CANADIAN PROSE FICTION

Abstract: "Dichotomous critical models--the ""garrison,"" nature/culture--are frequently employed in Canadian criticism. But the terrain of English-Canadian fiction may better be viewed as a ""cline"" or continuum of land values, ranging from city to wilderness, with a ""pseudo-wilderness"" at midpoint. The city may be a place, variously, of isolation or community; the wilderness, of self-knowledge or de-humanization; and the pseudo-wilderness (frequently a cottage country or rural area, and the dominant location in English-Canadian fiction) mediates between these sets of locations and values. It may also substitute for the ""true"" wilderness as a ground for intense natural experience.

Onto this continuum of land values is mapped a spectrum of linguistic values. The city may then be the location of art, or of cliche; the wilderness, of poetry or stunned silence; and again the pseudo-wilderness mediates, as a ground for tale, folklore, fiction.

This dissertation examines, over a span of texts from 1830-1980, the Canadian novel's development of ideas of the appropriateness of different kinds of language to different settings, especially the notions of ""natural"" language and inspiration. It further suggests that these ideas are not only developed thematically, but are displayed stylistically: that is, these ideas about language control the diction of the text itself. (For example, there may be an increase in figure, or a deepening of syntactic rhythm, when wilderness scenes or experiences are depicted.) The dissertation thus pairs a diachronic examination--of texts by Moodie, Roberts, Connor, Stead, O'Hagan, Ross, Wilson, Watson, Laurence, Atwood, Kroetsch--with stylistic analysis of each novel, to show the development of the land and language themes in each, and the relationship of these themes to discourse. The dissertation suggests that the progression of English-Canadian fiction may be viewed as a gradual integration of ""language"" and ""land."""

MPACT Scores for Heather Muriel Murray

A = 0
C = 3
A+C = 3
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2012-08-19 14:31:39

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Students under Heather Muriel Murray

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- Juliana Marie Stabile - University of Toronto (2002)
- Leslie Anne McGrath - University of Toronto (2005)
- Greta Petronella Golick - University of Toronto (2010)