Écho des études romanes 2024, 20(1):55-63 | DOI: 10.32725/eer.2024.005
La fin du monde au Nord à travers le roman Le retour de l’ours de Catherine LafranceFrench
- Université Masaryk, Brno
Mots clés: Apocalypse ; la fin du monde ; nordicité ; Catherine Lafrance ; amérindiens ; écofiction ; Québec ; littérature québécoise
The End of the World in the North through the Novel Le retour de l'Ours by Catherine Lafrance
The novel Le retour de l'ours by Quebec writer Catherine Lafrance represents one of the recent French-Canadian books inspired by the end of the world. It narrates the story of the inhabitants of an Inuit village in Canada's Far North, survivors of a climate apocalypse. Now a legend to them, the Apocalypse is accompanied by a prophecy of the return of a polar bear. When Aloupa, the village watchman, announces having spotted one, the peaceful existence of the villagers comes to an end. The return of the bear is a reflection on the Canadian Far North and its environment, changed after severe climatic cataclysms. A tale of ecological anticipation, this story with strong mythological elements examines human beings and their ability to constantly adapt and push their limits to ensure survival. In our contribution, we will analyse how the notions of survival and Nordicity are present in this work.
Keywords: Apocalypse; the end of the world; nordicity; Catherine Lafrance; first nations; ecofiction; Quebec; Quebec literature
Accepted: August 27, 2024; Published: November 11, 2024 Show citation
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