Literacka i intelektualna ekspresja „nowego człowieka” – brytyjskiego Kanadyjczyka (od relacji pierwszych osadników do pisarzy okresu poprzedzającego akt Konfederacji)

Abstract

In her discourse about the first English settlers of North America, the author aims to determine the attributes of the typical Canadian, a man from a new geographical place and historical time predating the development of capitalism and imperialism. From the perspective of social and philosophical anthropology, this new man is analyzed as a member of a particular human community (colony, English language, British Empire), a large social unit whose members have in common geographical area, norms, and values. Inch by inch, this community forges the specific Canadian identity in a polyethnic society. The first English Canadians, their emotions and quandaries, are examined through their relations with their parent state, government institutions, the First Nations, and the North American wilderness, as well as their economic, spiritual, and literary activity. A selection of fiction and nonfiction texts is used to illustrate these deliberations.