The Prairies and Quebec Through Their Literature
Meeting Online

**Accepting New Members**

A collaborative effort between the Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners (CALL) and the McGill Community of Lifelong Learning (MCLL), this discussion group will provide participants with an opportunity to increase, through literature, their appreciation of two distinctive places—the Canadian prairies and Quebec. Members of the group will read and discuss two novels by writers from each of these distinctive regions (four novels in all) that offer nuanced insight into the histories and cultures of each place.  The novels we will read are: : The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields, The Book of Eve by Constance Beresford-Howe, The Break by Katarena Vermette, and How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired (Comment faire l’amour avec un negre sans se fatiguer) by Dany Laferriere.  

Each session will be devoted to discussing one novel, in the order listed above. The final (fifth) session will be spent comparing and contrasting the four novels and discussing the light each may shed on the cultures and societies they depict. In addition to focusing on the ways in which each novel depicts a particular time and place, we will also discuss each in terms of other key elements of the novel form, such as plot, character development, narrative method and point of view, themes, symbolism, and style. While the facilitators will take responsibility for introducing each book and moderating discussion, individual members will be expected to contribute to the learning experience by sharing their responses and insights.