Oscar De Profundis by Catherine Mavrikakis

As I lack space to comment on all twenty chapters, I would like to focus on some of them. Novels as well as films are analyzed.Ĥ Since it is an edited volume, the collection is uneven. The final part considers generic fluidity. The second part is devoted to bridging national divides the third part looks at fiction that “constructs” bridges as a means to deconstruct myths of the Canadian nation the fourth part considers texts that bridge gender divides while the fifth part examines fiction that bridges the species divides. The editors also argue that with the exception of Margaret Atwood and David Cronenberg, most Canadian authors of speculative fiction and filmmakers have received little critical attention, and they suggest that much work remains to be done.ģ The first part, which is presented as a prologue, considers early examples of speculative fiction in colonial texts. The introduction demonstrates how relevant the field of speculative fiction studies is, with authors using speculative fiction to explore current issues, from climate change to gender roles, to critiques of colonialism. As shown by Judith Leggatt and Kristina Baudeman, bridges can be built, but they can also be burned down, danced upon, or traversed in zigzag (156).Ģ The volume is divided into five parts and twenty chapters, with a dense introduction presenting the field of speculative fiction studies, and most particularly Canadian speculation fiction, which developed in the late 1970s.

This is not as naïve as it may seem-as pointed out by the editors-as bridging gaps does not mean erasing differences, nor does it mean that Canadian speculative fiction purports to bridge every gap.

Secondly, they were asked to work on the trope of bridges in the novels, films or authors they chose to study. The concept of two solitudes is extended to divide binaries such as settler/indigenous cultures realist/fantastic literatures, normative/queer identities, and even human/post human subjects. First, they were asked to revisit Hugh MacLennan’s concept of “two solitudes” that came to symbolize Canadian culture, on the premise that the original concept of two solitudes fails to take into account Canadian immigrant and Indigenous literatures. The editors have asked their authors to consider two starting points. The collection, edited by American scholar Amy Ransom, a specialist of Québécois literature, and Canadian scholar Dominick Grace, aims to consider the specific traits of Canadian speculative fiction, horror and fantastic fiction. 1 This collection of essays is published in Palgrave Macmillan’s new series, Studies in Global Science Fiction, devoted to science fiction/speculative fiction.

Oscar De Profundis by Catherine Mavrikakis