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Ambivalent Constructions of Nature and Region in Lynn Coady's Fiction: An Ecocritical Reading By Peter Thompson A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Canadian Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario June 9,2009 © Peter Thompson, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-60124-2 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-60124-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par ('Internet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extra its substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT This thesis examines Canadian author Lynn Coady's representation of nature in her four published works of fiction, Strange Heaven (1998), Play the Monster Blind (2000), Saints of Big Harbour (2003), and Mean Boy (2006). Using post-structuralist ecocriticism as a model, I argue that Coady presents nature as a cultural construction and undermines efforts by the state, the tourism industry, and previous generations of writers to portray idealized depictions of the Maritimes and its landscape as permanent, essential, and arising spontaneously. While early ecocritics mainly considered literature that dramatizes a search for redemption or enlightenment through nature, in this thesis I demonstrate that Coady presents a historicized account of constructions of the natural environment. My ecocritical approach identifies three potentially deconstructive sites with which Coady engages: the feminine and masculine body, idyllic portrayals of nature, and toxic landscapes. I focus on the way in which her ironic treatment of these concepts challenges romanticized portraits of the region. In Coady's fiction, conventional definitions of nature are based on three inter related and socially constructed truths: that women are close to nature, while men possess the ability to control it; that the region is quaint and welcoming to outsiders looking for dramatic yet accessible scenery; and that the natural world exists primarily as pristine wilderness. Coady uses images of the abject to dispute the idea that women are connected to nature through mothering and illustrates the harmful personal and environmental effects of the process by which adult males indoctrinate adolescents into a violent masculine culture that advocates control over the land. By juxtaposing outsiders' expectations of the Maritimes with the impoverished communities they encounter once there, Coady contests the serene and therapeutic version of the region promoted by the tourism industry. Finally, Coady's fiction complicates the definition of nature as untouched wilderness through her emphasis on the permanence of the pollution and waste products that dominate rural Cape Breton's post-industrial landscape. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I apologize in advance if this runs a little long, and if it simply reads like a series of lists, but many people played an instrumental role in me completing this dissertation. My supervisor, Michele Lacombe, could not have been more generous with her time and effort, even during her sabbatical, and provided incisive comments and meticulous readings of my drafts. Her sense of humour and constant reminder that I should "have fun with it" made writing my thesis a very enjoyable experience. Parker Duchemin, who came out of retirement to be on my committee, provided invaluable observations on early drafts, fortified me with tea and fiddle tunes during meetings, and ensured that I keep a copy of Strunk and White within reach at all times. Peter Hodgins was there always to discuss the most important issue, the ups and downs of the Toronto Raptors, and to help me conceptualize this project. Gwen Davies and Brenda Carr Vellino provided insightful questions and advice on the final draft, and smiled encouragingly through my presentation and answers at the defense. Thank you all so much. I would also like to thank my friends and family who stood by me along the way. My wife, Andy, has always been my champion and my sounding board. Andy has a way about her that is sharp, honest, witty, and caring all at the same time, and she has supported me unconditionally, whether my plan was to get my Ph.D. or to work towards Freedom 32. My parents, Kathy and Leonard, encouraged me in my decision to move to Ottawa to pursue my doctorate, and welcomed me home for much-needed holidays and turkey dinners. Casey and Marie Rocznik embraced me as part of their family and provided respite from my dissertation in Winnipeg, New York, Boisdale, and Madeira Beach. My brothers and sisters, Camilla, Gibby, Emma, and Colin, my aunt Patty, Paul and Ronda White, my cousins, my nephew Noah, Pam, Adam (who kindly helped me edit my thesis), Robbie, Melissa, Nick, Gavin, Andrew, Jenn, Crystal, and many others gave me places to stay, lots of laughs, and loving support. The 12 floor of Dunton Tower has very much been like a second home to me for the past five years. I would like to thank Mary Casaubon, Cathy Schmeuck, Hadbaa Zebala, and Lori Dearman for helping me navigate the bureaucratic demands of grad school and for always cheering me on. Thanks to Paul Litt, Richard Nimijean, Pauline Rankin, Andre Loiselle, Francois Rocher, Brian Johnson, Jennifer Henderson, and Roxanne Ross for their wisdom and guidance. Thanks also to my colleagues, especially Julie Tomiak, Lisa Prosper, Ted McCoy, Jeff Ruhl, Robyn Green, Tim Di Leo Browne, Samah Sabra, Oren Howlett, Sophie Tamas, Miha Vieru, Francesca L'Orfano, Lyndal Neelin, and Mandy McCarthy, who helped me refine my ideas at various points and commiserated with me over lunch, coffee, and beer about research and life choices. Finally, I want to thank my grandfather, Peter White, who saw me through every stage of my academic career, from taking me out for breakfast on grading day in elementary school, to giving me my X-Ring, to pestering me about completing my Ph.D. Strangely enough, he passed away the same week as I submitted my final draft, and just days before I could finally give him a definite date for when I'd be finished. Expressing how much he meant to me in an acknowledgements page is impossible, but I'd still like to make the very modest gesture of dedicating this dissertation to him. As Lynn Coady might say, may God bless and keep SSHRC, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Programme, and Carleton's Faculty of Graduate Studies for their generous financial support of this research. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements iv Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Creating Space for Contemporary Maritime Fiction 21 Chapter 3: Post-structuralism and Canadian Ecocritical Theory 53 Chapter 4: Constructions of the Body and Nature in Coady's Fiction 75 Chapter 5: Coady' s Subversion of the Maritimes' Idyllic Landscape 136 Chapter 6: Coady's Post-Industrial Cape Breton 196 Conclusion 244 Works Cited 253 Appendix A: Bibliography of Writings by Lynn Coady 280 Appendix B: Journal Articles and Book Reviews on Coady's Work 289 V 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Overview Industrial Cape Breton - the region in which Canadian author Lynn Coady (b. 1970) was raised - is home to obvious and not-so-obvious scars of two closely-linked developments that took place over the last half-century: the advent of North America's post-industrial era and the rise of an unprecedented environmental crisis. The collapse of key resources such as coal, timber, and fish has devastated the Maritimes' economy, and the remnants of Cape Breton's industrial projects blight its landscape. Lynn Coady saw first-hand the effects of the breakdown of the region's economy on her community, Port Hawkesbury, a pulp and paper town near the Canso Causeway that separates Nova Scotia from Cape Breton. During the early 1980s, a small business her father owned went bankrupt (Steeves 231). The Cape Breton in which Coady grew up has also experienced the fall-out from North America's environmental disaster, as the all-but-abandoned industrial sector upon which the island was built has left a legacy of toxic waste in the form of the Sydney tar ponds and the shuttered mines and manufacturing sites that dot the island.