Images of Canada: from a eurocentric perspective to multiperspectiveness

When a German thinks of Canada, his or her image of this country is strongly determined by hetero-stereotypes. A survey which I conducted at the University of Würzburg in 2004 shows that German students of English know very little about Canadian literature, about Canadian geography and about Canadian society. What they do know best are preconceived images which reveal a Eurocentric view of the country. Among the few features of this image the most prominent are ‘the noble savage,’ ‘the lumber..