A work such as Lament for a Nation, while compelling and even brilliant in places, assumes a national legacy that never wholly existed, writes Guest Contributor David Polansky.
While this piece captures some truth, I feel like it ignores the "love of one's own" that infuses Lament for a Nation. While it isn't viable now, Grant's Canadian nationalism was thick with a mixture of British imperial sentiment merged with American ruggedness that was positive.
This is a nice point, and I think Grant’s “love of one’s own” was quite real. I’m just not sure how much it corresponded to an intersubjective understanding on a national level, even then.
While this piece captures some truth, I feel like it ignores the "love of one's own" that infuses Lament for a Nation. While it isn't viable now, Grant's Canadian nationalism was thick with a mixture of British imperial sentiment merged with American ruggedness that was positive.
This is a nice point, and I think Grant’s “love of one’s own” was quite real. I’m just not sure how much it corresponded to an intersubjective understanding on a national level, even then.