Contemporary Canadian Literature and Intercultural Learning. Analyzing Louise Penny's novel "Bury Your Dead"

Anthology from the year 2013 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, , language: English, abstract: Canada has only recently become a topic of literary interest in modern grammar schools in Hessen. It was thus logical that schools, teachers and students were confronted with a fairly unknown topic that belongs to what is referred too as English-speaking literature. Canadian literature is, strictly speaking, part of what is commonly considered to be 'Literature of the Colonies', a term that sums up literature from Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Canada in this respect still holds a key position for European readers simply because of its historic links to England and France and its deep roots in native elements, all of which seem to have enriched its historical, cultural and literary variety. All three influences have contributed to the key term of present Canadian literature which seems to focus on the concept of survival and its manifold presentations in past and present day Canadian writing.

It is thus not astonishing to spot this notion of survival in all types of writing, and detective stories, in general, also do not seem to be an exception. It is therefore natural for the reader to trace and find this notion in Louise Penny's novels, too.
Louise Penny herself is considered to be one, if not the most outstanding contemporary Canadian representative of this type of writing, and it was simply a question of time when she came into the focus of public attention. Books like Still Life (2005), Dead Cold (2006), The Cruellest Month (2007), The Murder Stone (2008), The Brutal Telling (2009), Bury Your Dead (2010), A Trick of the Light (2011) soon gained her the reputation of a fine writer.

Most of her novels, however, include another aspect central for modern language learning in the socalled Oberstufe.
The talk here is about what is generally called 'Intercultural Teaching and Learning' because the critical reader working here gains a lot of historical, cultural and social insight into Canada and the Canadian soul. It is at this crossroad where Penny steps in. With the elegance of a Shakespearian pen of the 21st century she presents various characters and thus teachers and students alike can learn a lot about the different dimensions - individual and collective - of the Canadian psyche. This results in knowledge, feeling and respect for Canada and Canadian mentality which are conveyed in a convincing and authentic way.