Thomas Kings All My Relations :: Essays Papers

Thomas Kings All My RelationsThis is an anthology of writing by nineteen primeval Canadian writers, which represents both an attempt to promote inseparable writing, and an effort to undermine commonly held misunderstandings. It is published by McClelland & Stewart, The Canadian Publishers, which gives the compendium a status of national and cultural importance, while indicating how these writers are functional in and through Canadas hegemonic refinement. This would seem to go some way towards undermining the books claims to authenticity, but for the fact that Kings stated purpose is much to a greater extent complex than that. In fact, his introduction specifically considers the concept of the authentic, and is wary of what is potentially a exceedingly limiting notion. Thus, the selection includes work that represents natives in both traditional and modern roles and situations and the format of the writing ranges from a transcription of an oral narrative to examples of accord ance with the generic conventions of the Western short story. He is reluctant to constrain the possibilities for Native expression, but is ready to admit that the advent of a written culture with English as a shared language has allowed the various indiginous cultures to let on and explore areas of common belief and practice.Although King believes that it is too early in the history of Native publishing to be able precisely to portray characteristic patterns, the two major themes which he cites as frequently revenant are those of community and the role of oral literature. He has included a short story of his own in the volume, The One About brush wolf Going West. Coyote is an example of the mythological Trickster character who oft occurs in Native literature. King himself says The trickster is an important figure for Native writers for it allows us to create a particular kind of world in which the Judeo-Christian concern with good and evil and order and disorder is replaced wit h the more Native concern for balance and harmony. (King, xiii) He relates the story in a colloquial, spoken style. Witness the opening lines This one is about Coyote. She was going west. see her relations. Thats what she said. You got to watch that one. Tricky one. (King, 95) As the story unfolds, the reading experience evoke seem strange for the non-Native. Characters change gender and identity, abstract nouns are cloud-covered with concrete nouns, and the physical universe is represented as a radically unstable place.