The theme of the 2021 PAMLA conference focuses on ideas and forms of cities, fictive cities, and symbolic cities, and on various representations of urban cultures and peoples. This virtual (online) panel focuses on real and fictional Canadian cities, expressing visions of city types, culture, and the development of identity through cityscapes in Canadian literature and/or by Canadian writers. Given Canada’s great size but small, dispersed population, “city” has divided Canada into the “Big Three” -- Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver -- and the rest, not only from the Canadian perspective, but also from external perspectives. Canada is further divided into distinct geographical zones: Atlantic (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick), Central (Ontario and Quebec), Prairie (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta), Mountain/West Coast (Alberta and British Columbia), and North (Northwest Territory, Iqaluit, Nunavut). Each of these zones contributes a different perception of what a Canadian city and urban population are. In addition, Canada’s English/French divide, post-colonial status, and position as a British Commonwealth country juxtaposed with Canadian multiculturalism suggests other aspects of Canadian cities related to historical, cultural, and social considerations. This panel will expose some uniquely Canadian concepts about the city.

This virtual (online) session “The City and Canadian Literature” calls for proposals for papers on, but not limited to, the following topics related to Canadian literatures/authors: