캐나다 동시와 캐나다 정체성: 데니스 리의 『악어 파이』와『니콜라스 넉과 다른 사람들』을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper starts with questions concerning the paucity of Canadian children’s poetry even after the British North American Act went into effect in 1867. Against the weak background of Canadian poetry for children up to the 1960s, this study discusses the significance of Dennis Lee’s theory and poetry, which had an impact on fostering Canadian national identity and the freedom of imagination. Criticizing Canada’s colonial position and its inward colonization, Lee explores the authenticity of Canadian writing, which has roots in the “here and now.” He senses cadence as presence, and actively employs sound, nursery rhymes, Canadian settings and home-grown domestic details. Alligator Pie (1974) and Nicholas Knock and Other People (1974) are “complementary” books of poems; in the former for younger children, linguistic games with child-like playfulness convey Canadian culture and sensibilities, and in the latter for older children, “the liberation of repressed energies” is involved. Lee’s word play and nonsensical use of language provide the early childhood with a knowledge of Canadian identity and the liberating power of imagination.