The Nature of the Canadian Imagination: A Product of Cultural Influence

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The Canadian imagination may be divide into two distinct (However, not uniquely apart) forms: hinterland, or that of the wilderness and being often associated with unstructured verse; and baseland, or that of the settlements, following closely with traditional structured form carried over by colonists. Although apart in terms of verse form and theme, the two are linked by a largely prominent patrilineal cultural norm. That is, that both branches of this Canadian imaginative effort borrow methodology from some other source, and are not unilaterally Canadian. With the former statement in mind, the nature of a true “Canadian” imagination becomes one of question: is it possible to ascertain a unique Canadian identity without including the biases of external cultures? Moreover, can it be possible to determine a true Canadian imagination by allowing for this range of diversity? This essay will explore a hypothesis that suggests the Canadian imagination is not truly unique, rather it is the byproduct of a cultural mosaic; moreover, it is an identity that displays no novel characteristics and is largely composed of an increasing number of external influences. Furthermore, while the previous notion might suggest Canadian imagination as being rightly a product of multiple influences, it is assumed that a truly unique identity is one that can be discerned upon reading and not left to ambiguity and questioning. For the purpose of essay, works by Al Purdy, A.J.M. Smith, A. Lampman, and Isabella Crawford will be examined to determine their consistency to a developing imagination and to what extent they portray uniquity. In D.M.R. Bentley’s essay The Mower and the Boneless Acrobat, Bentley discusses the two orientations of Canadian poetry as mentioned in the introduction to this essay, baseland and hinterland. Bentley’s describes baseland poetry as, “… a tendency towards

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