Review: Two Solitudes
Posted in Books on 09/06/2010 08:00 am by JennMaclennan, Hugh. Two Solitudes. McClelland and Stewart. (2008, originally 1945).
Two Solitudes, by Hugh MACLENNAN(Toronto, New York and Des Moines, 1945), is a novel whose title has become emblematic of Canada’s most troubling legacy: the relations between English and French Canadians. Using historical settings within a mythological framework, MacLennan explores the tensions in these relations from WWI to 1939. The French Canadian realities are set in the parish of Saint-Marc-des-Érables, which is dominated by its priest, Father Beaubien, and by Athanase Tallard, a powerful but tragic figure ostracized by his church for trying to industrialize the village. Montréal, on the other hand, is dominated by characters such as Huntley McQueen, a Presbyterian businessman from Ontario. Tallard’s son Paul, at home in both languages but alienated from both cultures, embarks on an Odyssean quest for his own identity and for a vision of Canada as he struggles to write a novel which will define his own Canadian experience. It has been translated into French, as Deux solitudes (Paris, 1963), and Spanish, Swedish, Czech, Dutch and Estonian.
The Canadian Encyclopedia Online
This book is provides deep insight into the French/English divide that has occurred in Canada, and still continues to affect relations today. The Conscription Crisis further divided the country by “race” and we are still seeing the scars. For those who are not from Canada, there has been a lot of talk over the years about some nationalists wanting to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. There is just too much politics to go into here (I don’t have the energy to tackle it), but you can go here and here if you are interested in reading more about what it means to be French or English Canadian and here if you want to read more about the Parti Québécois.
What I really appreciated about this novel is the ability of Maclennanto write from both sides of the debate, although I must say the English-Canadians were presented in a more disapproving light. The book itself is written in 4 parts and follows a family over 2 generations, WWI and the beginning of WWII. The prejudices of the characters are definitely accurate and continue even today (by some, but not a majority). There was also a strong human element to the characters. Not everyone is defined by one characteristic and the ability to make connections with others is representative of that, especially in the younger generation. Canada is a very large country and there is difficulty uniting the population for a common cause because it is so vast and there are so many cultural influences. Paul, half French and half English, represents this divide as he has difficulty reconciling it in himself.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about Canadian history from a people’s point of view. Although it is a piece of fiction, the underlying themes and causes are real. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes books with a strong male perspective, well-developed characters and books that span generations.
I read this as part of my personal Governor General Award for Fiction Challenge and I am giving it
I liked it, but it was a bit dry in parts. Overall, an excellent choice for GG winner.
