Two Solitudes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Two solitudes may refer to any of the following:
- A 1945 novel by Hugh MacLennan.
- A 1978 motion picture, written and directed by Lionel Chetwynd.
- A 1994 email novel by Carl Steadman.
- A phrase expressing Canada's bilingual and bicultural nature. Traditionally, French and English Canadians have had little to do with each other -- hence the "two solitudes", together but separate, alone but together. The "two solitudes" at one point were most clearly illustrated in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Main, Saint Lawrence Boulevard (boul. Saint-Laurent), divided Montreal into east and west. Legend has it that the French never set foot west of it, and the English never set foot east of it. Montreal as a clear example of this Canadian quirkiness broke down during Quebec's Quiet Revolution.