| Summary: | My dissertation aims at contributing in an immediately practical fashion to a trans-cultural dialogue and broader understanding between Canada and the Arab world. The trans-lation of Ronald Sutherland's Second Image: Comparative Studies in Quebec/Canadian Literature will fan an already lively interest in Canadian and Australian literatures, as well as the literature produced by the third world coun-tries, in Lebanon and other countries of the Arab world. There are parallels in the political and cultural tensions in Canada and in Lebanon, which are reflected in the litera-tures of the two countries, parallels which Sutherland's book should bring to the mind of the Arabic-speaking reader. Indeed, even the local controversies aroused by Sutherland's study are certain to suggest to the knowledgeable reader of Arabic literature controversies of a similar nature in the literary milieu of Lebanon and the Arab world more general-ly. There is no question that Second Image can contribute to a fuller understanding of the Canadian literatures among Arabic readers, but chances are it will do more: it will generate a shock of recognition in minds that had not antic-ipated it, thereby contributing in some degree to interna-tional understanding. Secondarily, the exercise of trans-lating Second Image illuminates some of the problems of comparative literature and translation.
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