Criticism and Influence
In her study of Native literature, Penny Petrone includes Jeannette Armstrong amongst a young generation of university trained Aboriginal authors who contributed purposeful, exciting, and original creative works to Canadian literature during the 1980s (138).
Despite Armstrong’s involvement in the 1980s upsurge of Aboriginal literary activity and her prolific work, in-depth scholarship on her writing principally examines her poetry and, more extensively, her first novel. Petrone, nevertheless, comments on Armstrong’s poetry, describing it as “direct, unequivocal, and assertive, even aggressive” (163).
The scholarship on Slash, however, is more abundant and varied. In a 1989 interview with Hartmut Lutz, Armstrong relates that some feminist scholars question her decision to select a male central character for her novel; however, Armstrong compellingly contends that female strength and male development are portrayed effectively through the perspective of Slash (18). In the same interview, Armstrong notes, “I’ve been criticized by non-Native critics in terms of character development” (qtd in Lutz 15-16). She explains that she could not isolate the character of Slash from his community in order depict his individual nature and still compose the story for her people (Lutz 16). Significantly, and consistent with the view she expresses in “Land Speaking,” Armstrong argues that Slash’s personal growth can be perceived through his relationships with his family and community (Lutz 16).
In her study of Slash, Manina Jones catalogues a number of critical responses to the work and states that many academic articles concerning it relate the difficulties that audiences experience in their attempts to address Armstrong’s novel. Jones also describes Slash as a work that refuses priority to speech or writing, insisting instead on a hybrid status (55). As Jones and the critics to whom she refers demonstrate, Slash is unique in its aesthetic practice and didactic purpose. In Slash, therefore, Armstrong compels audiences to read and consider her text in ways that may be unfamiliar to them. Ultimately, an innovative critical reading approach is essential for the appreciation of her work and to achieve the aims of the Okanagan Indian Curriculum Project.
Armstrong is dedicated to the advancement of literature and the arts among First Nations people and the realization and promotion of the distinct artistic forms of Aboriginal people in the international arts and literary community (Creative 126). Armstrong’s insights as an educator, creative force, and activist are respected by First Nations individuals and international audiences alike.
Read more about this topic: Jeannette Armstrong
Famous quotes containing the words criticism and, criticism and/or influence:
“A friend of mine spoke of books that are dedicated like this: To my wife, by whose helpful criticism ... and so on. He said the dedication should really read: To my wife. If it had not been for her continual criticism and persistent nagging doubt as to my ability, this book would have appeared in Harpers instead of The Hardware Age.”
—Brenda Ueland (18911985)
“Like speaks to like only; labor to labor, philosophy to philosophy, criticism to criticism, poetry to poetry. Literature speaks how much still to the past, how little to the future, how much to the East, how little to the West.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)
“Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them. Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)