Building on the spirit of the Quiet Revolution, Québec’s theatre has evolved into an artform that confronts, critiques and celebrates the unique cultural forces of the province. Québécois theatre’s foundational period was steeped in religious themes, shaped by the Catholic Church’s influence over cultural life. Yet, as the mid-20th century approached, the emergence of secular plays reflected a society in transition. Pioneering playwrights like Gratien Gélinas and Marcel Dubé captured the tensions between modernity and tradition, challenging the Church’s hegemony and exploring the limitations of working-class life.

In the 1960s, literature became a powerful tool for expressing the hopes and struggles of a society trying to define itself in a new way. Simultaneously, Quebecers began to ask bigger questions about their identity and place within Canada. French language and culture became key to forming a new, distinct Québécois identity that rejected traditional, European influences.

Through her insightful comparison of Fontane’s Effie Briest with Gabriele Reuter’s Aus guter Familie, German columnist Maddie Hazelden traces both the shelves of a bookshop and the history of literature in this intriguing critique of German literary practices.

In this first article of her column, Germanistik: In search of the female writer, Maddie Hazelden critically explores the inequality in gender representation in the Germanistik curriculum at the University of Bonn.