David French is one of Canada’s most renowned playwrights of the 20th century. With his play "Jitters", which he wrote in 1979, French turned away from his more serious plays to create his first comedy. The plot is set in the theatrical world of a small Toronto theater, the Leicester Street Play-house, and takes place shortly before, during, and after the performance of the play-within-the-play, "The Care and Treatment of Roses". French uses the characters in his work to illustrate the contradictory attitudes regarding the clash of Canadian and American culture, in this case from the point of view of actors, producers and henchmen of the stage. And even though the play revolves around the institution of theater, French’s depiction of its characters also aims at the Canadian people as such. In "Jitters" he gives an insight into the weak Canadian self esteem and the attempt of forming a Canadian identity in competition against the more dominant American culture.
Thus, in this term paper, I would like to elaborate on Canadian–American relations in French’s play. In a first step, I will give an overview about the historical development of theater in Canada and to what extent it is intertwined with the question of national identity in that country. With this theoretical knowledge as a basis, I will further go on with an analysis of the people in "Jitters" itself. I will begin that part of the term paper by looking at the minor characters in the play and will then go on characterizing the two protagonists, namely Jessica Logan and Patrick Flanagan. These two are used by French as the strongest opposing forces when it comes to different attitudes regarding the relations between the two north American nations. My analyses will be made against the background of the images which are created of Canada and the United States and the relations between these two countries respectively. Professional theater in Canada is not older than about fifty years. The wish to establish this art form, however, reaches back to the early days of colonization by European settlers. Back then, in the 16th and early 17th centuries, the theater was dominated by the French lan-guage which was because north America had become the battlefield of French and English interests. Thus, the development of a national theater was closely connected to the political and military situation in the young country.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- National Identity and the Canadian Stage: A Historical Overview
- Canadian-American relations in Jitters
- Characters in Jitters
- Jessica Logan
- Patrick Flanagan
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper delves into Canadian-American relations as depicted in David French's play Jitters. The analysis aims to explore the historical context of Canadian theater and its connection to national identity, and to understand the portrayal of Canadian-American cultural clashes through the characters in the play.
- The development of professional theater in Canada and its connection to national identity.
- The depiction of Canadian-American relations in Jitters, focusing on the characters' attitudes and perspectives.
- The contrasting images of Canada and the United States presented in the play.
- The influence of American culture on Canadian identity and the search for a distinct Canadian identity.
- The interplay between Canadian and American cultural values and their impact on the characters in the play.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction presents David French's Jitters and its focus on Canadian-American relations. The first chapter provides a historical overview of professional theater in Canada and its intertwining with the question of national identity, highlighting the influence of French and English cultures. It explores the development of Canadian theater, from its early stages dominated by British influence to the emergence of a distinct Canadian voice in the 20th century. The chapter explores how Canadian identity is shaped by its relationship with both British and American cultures.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this text are: Canadian theater, national identity, Canadian-American relations, cultural clash, Jitters, David French, Canadian self-esteem, American influence, British influence, cultural identity, cultural values.
- Quote paper
- Roman Büttner (Author), 2007, Canadian-American relations by the example of the characters in David French's "Jitters", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/90947
