"Field literature" in contemporary Quebec. A first theoretical overview, followed by some concrete examples

The article analyzes the notion of “field literature”, recently introduced by Dominique Viart, and questions the extent to which it would be applicable to certain contemporary Quebec novels. On the example of La Femme qui fuit (Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, 2015), Kuessipan (Naomi Fontaine, 2019) and Encabanée (Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba, 2018), it demonstrates that, on the one hand, there is a similarity of approaches between today’s French literary theory and Canadian book production. However, at the same time, the three novels examined express a specifically Canadian sensibility which only partially corresponds to the Viartian notion. Could field literatures be extended to “territorial literatures”, more oriented towards the narrator's relationship with the landscape, nature, climate or, even beyond, towards a metaphysical dimension, often inspired by First Nations religious traditions? Such a Franco-Canadian dialogue could lead to a new path in contemporary literary theory.

Keywords: Canadian literature; field literatures; territorial literatures; Dominique Viart ; Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette ; Naomi Fontaine ; Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba