Post-Modern Malaise and the Truth About Stories

One of the most significant developments in academics in the last several decades is the rise of Post-Modernism. For the uninitiated, post-modernism questions the truth of everything – from social tradition to personal ritual, a post-modernist would argue that every aspect of human existence is constructed by human themselves. If everything is a construct, nothing is “true,” or we might say nothing is “real.” Post-modern historians have likewise questioned the value of history, since every fact or idea a historian has about the past represents their bias and the choices they make about how and what history they are presenting. But if it is so constructed, is history valuable? Today we examine our struggle with that question.

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Remembering and Reading Alistair MacLeod

Alistair MacLeod died yesterday at age 77. For many years he has been one of my favourite authors. I've read his books many times and have always found it sad that more Canadians have not read his works. I've often looked him up in bookstores, hoping to see another published collection or novel. There is a small (but growing) club of great Canadian authors, though I am sure its members changes depending on who's speaking. For me, Alistair MacLeod is at the top of that list and his passing moved me to write this post in the hopes that maybe some of our readers will pick up his work.

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