Phillippe Aubert de Gaspé’s Les Anciens Canadiens was published in 1863 and is heavily influenced by traditional Quebec folk songs and stories. Two young men, one of whom, Jules d’Haberville, is a Canadian, and the other, Archibald Cameron of Lochiel, a Scotsman, become friends during college life. Separated by the necessity of earning their livelihood, they again come together, but under different flags, during the war in which France and England fought for the last time for the soil of Canada on the Plains of Abraham and the fields of Ste Foy. Their old friendship is broken, then resumed with reserve. The author turns to account all the incidents that he gathers about this main theme in relating the life led by his countrymen at the already distant period of the Conquest. There is a sense of nostalgia of for the simplicity of traditional life which allows for the longevity of interest in the story. Many Quebecers really like this story because they enjoy the idealistic view of traditional Quebec society. Mordichai Richler is a mid-20th century Quebec writer who is famous for his satire of contemporary society and his portrayal of the Jewish community in Montreal. He is famous for his books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and Barney’s Version among other works. Both books are funny with their critiques as well as the general absurdity of everyday life sometimes. He was later critical of Quebec nationalism and separatism in the 70s.
Ringuet’s Thirty Acres is not only written by a Quebecois, but also discusses the intricacies of living in rural Quebec. Thirty Acres was written in 1937 and is the story of Euchariste Moisan’s life and family not only describes the life of a man, but what it was like for all the men just like him living off of the land in rural Quebec. Ringuet discusses the rural mans thoughts on the big cities like Montreal, the rest of Canada, and North America. And, it really gives insight into the rural culture of Quebec and how it helped to shape the culture of the province. It is especially important because there are many men just like Euchariste still living similar lives in rural Quebec. Also, it demonstrates the concerns that agriculturalists that are of French descent had because often, they were far different that those of the English, this is exemplified in the discussion of war in the novel.
Hugh MacLennan’s Two Solitudes (1945) also touches on some of the same issues that Thirty Acres does and expands on them. The book focuses on the separation between English and French Canada and demonstrates that it is hard to be a part of both factions. Like in Thirty Acres conscription is a divisive issue among the two groups, these are examples of issues that are impossible for the two groups to agree on. This is something that speaks to a larger issue of Quebec and Canada being a culture of negatives. Instead of Quebec and Canada being unified they are instead divided by negative issues, Quebec is not really a part of Canada because the rest of the country is not French speaking, or not inclusive, or Quebec does not believe in the First World War. Much like Canada prides itself as being a certain way simply because it is not like Americans.
Quebec also has a rich tradition of newspapers in its history. The Gazette is an English-language paper published daily out of Montreal but with circulation outside of the province as well. Le Devoir is famous as it was founded as a French-language newspaper by Henri Bourassa in 1910. Having resigned from the Liberal party in opposition to Sir Wilrid Laurier’s decision to construct a Canadian navy, Bourassa created the paper. Le Devoir went on to be a leading critic of the government during the war (especially with conscription) and a proponent of Quebec nationalism. La Presse is another French-language paper out of Montreal and circulated in Quebec. It has generally been a federalist paper having endorsed the federalist vision in both the 1980 and 1995 referendums.
Music from Quebec is likely not that well known save for one major artist, Celine Dion. The majority of other major Quebecois singers are believed to be from other areas, perhaps Toronto. Or more often they are believed to be American (though, this may be believed about artists from all over Canada,) Celine Dion is hands down the most recognizable name in Quebec music, and this is likely because she sings in both official languages and has sold a record number of albums in both languages. Celine Dion is an overt part of Quebec culture, because she is instantly recognized as a Canadian musician, whether it is because she is well liked is another issue. But, there are other Quebec musicians that have become quite popular but do not have the same definite Quebec-ness as Celine Dion. Leonard Cohen was born and raised in Montreal, and yet many people do not see him as a Quebecer, but he is someone that the Quebecois would want to claim. He is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, as well as an authour. His music has reached all around the world, and his song Hallelujah has been covered over a dozen times by various artists.Arcade Fire is another band that is from Montreal but they have done something different for Quebec, they have put it on the radar, not just within Canada, but throughout the world. They paved the way for the Montreal Indie scene which seems to have taken over Canadian music in recent times. Though these three artists are significantly different they exemplify three different areas of the Quebec music scene, and contribute to Quebec culture
