Americanite and Quebecite : The converging form of Quebec identity as illustrated in 'Une histoire americaine' and 'Le declin de l'empire americain'

This paper explores the presentations of identity as they relate to the post-referendum Quebec society of the 1980s. Specifically, it uses Jacques Godbout's novel Une histoire americaine and Denys Arcand's film, Le declin de l'empire americain, to underscore the relationship of Quebec to North America, and the cultural and geographical influences of the province and the United States in particular. Using americanite as a filter, the two works provide images of quebecois society that reflect the province-wide sentiment following the failed nationalist agenda. This paper efforts to relate the competing notions of americanite and quebecite through the social constructions of marriage, family, love and relationships as well as the crisis of identity of individual characters, all of which inform the overall presentations of what it meant to be a citizen of Quebec in the post-referendum society.