/lit/ - Literature

>>12165600

I'm currently in the process of writing Canada's.

>>12165600
What’s the American national epic?

>reading the Columbiad on a chilly morning along the Boston Harbor

I love being American.

>>12165631
Rambo First Blood

>>12165631
It is unofficially officially Barlow's "Columbiad," though some say:
>Leaves of Grass
>Cantos
>Song of Hiawatha

>>12165631
Moby Dick

>>12165625
Seriously, why has Canada seemingly failed to produce anything of great literary value?
The population is small, but not enough to explain how tragic the "Essential Reading" on the wiki is compared to other countries, I don't think.
I'm not a big fan of American lit and I can still name at least 20 American books better than all of pic related off the top of my head.

>>12165668
Small population + no history

American lit was born out of the huge population's desire for an identity. Even if that desire is present in Canada, it doesn't have enough talented people or been independent for enough time for good lit.

>>12165631
The Holohoax

>>12165668
Because you have no history and culture

>>12165668
Canada is where Asians go to start over.
There's no culture. It is a dumping ground for Asians and their business.

>>12165716
And not even cool Asians. Cool Asians stay in their own countries like Japan to make cool culture. But rather weak excuses of human beings are the ones that get to Japan.

>>12165625
I'm seriously interested in your project, anon. I'd love to give it a read or edit.

Re: Canada and >>12165631
Longfellow's Evangeline is criminally underrated.

>>12165668
>>12165682
The general issue is a lack of care. What ever 'great works' we have are neglected, while our lack of support fails to encourage great artistic endeavour. I mean, didn't Richler leave Canada because he thought no one gave a shit.

Also, I highly recommend Robert W. Service and Archibald Lampman.

>>12165625
Please do. Culture is embarrassing in our country, even in Quebec where it's more of a cultural hub.

>>12165631
My Antonia

>>12165631
Moby Dick

>>12165625
Pretty sure Scott Pilgrim already came out

>>12165668
Anglo colonies (I'm not referring to the US) have all develops an anti-intellectual culture that makes people unwilling to dedicate themselves to the arts in a non-ironic way.

That is due to the destruction of the Anglo class hierarchy. For example, even upper class Australians will resemble the British working class more than anything else.

>>12165625
Hey cool. I guess we can get into a little literay competition of who's crowned the great canadian novelist.

>>12165899
Dunno if you're right, but that's interesting. Hadn't considered Australian "literature", and what I've seen of their culture fits what you say as well
For what it's worth, I'm a brit myself and I've noticed a similar kind of anti-intellectualism among by (very middle class) peers. And I don't think my country has produced much of literary value since the war.

>tfw your country has a national epic and no one on this board has read it

>>12165625
better make it bilingual

>>12165631
The Sopranos

>>12165600
>Tfw your country's epic is about Outlaws BTFO of the police militia and Jannies
Based

>>12165998
have you lol

>>12165998
more like poor fellow my READER haha amirite possums?

>>12165631
McDonald's menu

>>12167325
yoooo

>>12167325
*marks you down as not now nor ever being clever*
Nice try.

>>12165631
Torah

>>12165683
I am not sure if you are being ironic or not but this is probably the most universally recognized epic story in the US.

>>12165631
Vollman
Gass
Pynchon
Delillo
DFW
Saunders
America is currently destroying every other country in literature just like they've always done.

>>12167391
>America is currently destroying every other country in literature
Decent.
>like they've always done
Ruined it. Half of that (you) is a pity one.

>>12167391
>DFW
>current

I bet Canadian inuits would write something good if they werent all killing themselves

>>12167445
If a work is released posthumously they're still current!

>>12167403
you know it in your heart to be true

>>12167454
They make some sick music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM7VjSFanfU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAflHne54fA
Unfortunately, like every cultural movement in this country, it gets mostly ignored.

>>12165631
The constitution.
>WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES...

Countries that have 'official' national works of literature, official nation dress are immature and culturally insecure. A ghastly product of sickly sweet 19th century folk nationalism. I'm glad anglos don't go in for this shit

>>12167557
stick to moe, kiddo

>>12167144
Gave up half way through mate I said no one on this board and I meant it

>>12165631
unironically Hamilton.

>>12165600
What are the various latin american countries national epic?

>>12165631
W H I T M A N

singin that body electric and yarns about blowing men on the railroad

What's England's national epic? Beowulf? Mort Darthur?

>>12165625
Is it in english or chinese?

I've never even tried to read the Táin desu

>>12168244
No time like the present boyo

>>12167478
US has literally never produced a great writer. Pro-tip: you can't.

>>12168227
Lord of the Rings

>>12165668
What website is that in your picture?

>>12168370
/lit/ wikia >>1931854

>>12168370
It's the /lit/ wiki you fucking newfag. Does no one read the sticky?

>>12168382
implying someone reads the sticky
ohnonononono

>>12165633
more like the columbine-iad, am i right?

>>12165631
Atlas shrugged

>tfw your country doesn't have a name
>tfw your country doesn't have McDonalds since 8 years ago

>>12168529
>having mcdonalds is a good thing
Poor thing, so naive...

>>12167325
Now this is epic

Based Brothers Grimm here in Germany

>>12168672
>Brothers Grimm
these are fairy tales. our national epic is The Song of the Nibelungs, du Nasenbär

>>12167325
great post

>>12165636
that was written by a canadian and is unironically bretty gud

>>12168529
I thought you guys had the Iliad

>>12165668
"Canadian" is a negative identity. It doesn't say what you are, it says what you are not- you are not American. Canada is extremely spread out and 95% of it is uninhabitable. Furthermore, it had no founding ideals or national movements like the United States. Because of this any cultures that exist within Canada are very small and regionalist. Finally, Canada is poor relative to the United States, and it is a smaller market, so there is little incentive to produce culture specifically for Canada. It's not like say in Germany where you have 80 million Germans and it's your native language so you might as well. In Canada you probably speak English and you have an English speaking market literally 10x bigger than your home country ten minutes south of where you grew up.
Finally, Canada's population is becoming increasingly urban, and its cities are indistinguishable from the United States anyways. A kid growing up in Vancouver has infinitely more in common with a kid in SF than even a kid in Chiliwack or Barrie. Canada's window to grow into its own culture has closed. Becoming more and more like America is inevitable and frankly is almost complete.

>>12165631
Leaves of Grass

>>12169890
>not being American is a negative identity

You see where you're going wrong here, right? The problem with our country is that population growth without immigration has stagnated. If we weren't accepting so many immigrants our population would literally start decreasing. That's why this country is considered a haven for immigrants and multiculturalism. How many brown people do your major cities have? That's what sets Canadian culture apart from America. This probably also has to do with liberals supporting the minority more than majority, but it's not Canadian culture that's dying, it's white culture. And I'm sure it was the same problem in America until Trump got elected.

>>12169937
How the fuck will more white babies invalidate anything I said? We didn't produce shit in the last 100 years when we were 90% white and growing.

>>12168201
Martín Fierro for Argentina. Don't know about the others.

>>12168852
>The Song of the Nibelungs
>Wagner
fuck off nazi

>>12165631
Literally just the 2nd amendment

>>12170078
Taking this bait I just clarify as a welcoming gesture to all non-germanofags that the saga is medievil while Wagner wrote his work in the 19th century prior to all nazism.

>tfw your country has two equally GOAT national epics

>>12165600
What country?

>>12170899
MX

>>12170901
Mexico? Huh. The spaniards erased what history you had before I guess.

>>12165631
Grapes of Wrath

>>12165668
>Atwood
>Epic

I'm so sorry

>>12165668
Canada is not a real country. Canada is America, but Canadians don't know it yet. Canada will probably be annexed outright this century anyway.

>>12166249
this is a really good answer,
considering USA is by and large the home of the moving image and The Sopranos represents an unparalleled view into American life that hasn't been topped (inb4 wire shitters, only S2 was good)

>>12170988
>american national epic
>the sopranos
wrong. it's red dead remption I. historically accurate and characterizing.