Portraits of 'past actuality': The tragedy and triumph of Japanese-Canadians as portrayed in historically based Canadian literature.

Abstract

This thesis addresses the concerns of both historiographic theorists who are skeptical of the power of narrative to present historical information reliably, and of literary critics who are suspicious of any text that lays claim to factual or truthful representation. Through the analysis of texts that blend the self-referential uncertainty of modern (or postmodern) literature with the utilitarian objectives of historiography---works of literature that strive to represent, faithfully, events from history---the thesis assesses the relative truth value of the historical project and evaluates the role of narrative in effectively imparting historical information. I begin with an overview of the theoretical debate over the form of historical writing and the source of historical knowledge, since classical times, followed by an analysis of primary texts in the context of current trends in literary and historiographic theory. These texts, which pertain to the history of Japanese-Canadians since the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, include Joy Kogawa's novels Obasan and Itsuka, and Dorothy Livesay's documentary poem for radio entitled Call My People Home. In addition I provide an analysis of a historiographic text, Mutual Hostages, that contradicts the prevailing perception of this historical event. As revisionary history, this text provides the opportunity to examine a competing narrative and its mechanism for establishing and communicating historical information. Through the analysis of these works, this thesis demonstrates that narrative is appropriate to historiography, and that figurative speech---as in poetic and rhetorical devices---can be more effective than literalist speech in representing historical events.