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Children's Literature in Education

, Volume 44, Issue 2, pp 140–155 | Cite as

Reading Place: Bodies and Spaces in Québécois Adolescent Literature

  • Geneviève Brisson
  • Theresa Rogers
Original Paper
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Abstract

This paper examines two Canadian (Québécois) novels for young adults, translated from French to English in Canada: The Road to Chlifa by Michèle Marineau, and Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras. We examine the representation of adolescent bodies in space and movement, and how these coming of age narratives play out in relation to discourses about nationality and citizenship. This paper suggests that there are subtle differences in sensibilities in works published in French by Québécois writers and publishers, and that there is evidence of a lingering solitude in relation to young adult literature in Canada. We argue that we need to understand and continue to explicate the complex set of cultural readings and re-readings engendered by these and other coming of age novels that cross real and imagined boundaries of federation and language; that is, we encourage educators to examine representations of adolescent protagonists in relation to the production and reception of literary works that travel within and across our borders.

Keywords

Adolescent literature Representation of bodies in space and movement Canadian (Québécois) literature 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Language & Literacy EducationUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverCanada

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