Mcgill prof advocates the study of Céline
An ‘ambiguous’ figure in Quebec culture
At a lunchtime talk at Mcgill University Wednesday, Erin Hurley was saying that here in Quebec, it’s hard to escape Céline Dion.
That was proved again in the past few days when news broke that notre Céline nationale had come down with a virus that led to a damaged right vocal cord, forcing her to cancel shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Dion has cancelled all of her shows through March 18 and will only return to performing in Vegas in June. Her doctor has ordered her to rest up for six to eight weeks.
The news has received widespread coverage in the media here, underlining once more that anything to do with La Dion is a big deal in Quebec.
Hurley, a Mcgill theatre professor, was giving a lecture – sponsored by the university’s Quebec Studies program – on how Dion represents Quebec’s national identity. Of course, casual listeners of My Heart Will Go On and The Power of Love might be forgiven for not realizing Dion was representing much of anything except the power of a great voice belting out romantic ballads.
Hurley admits many of her academic peers can’t believe one of their colleagues would take a serious interest in Dion. But she has spent years studying performance in Quebec and quite rightly figures the province’s best-known entertainer is worthy of analysis.
She talked of how Dion is an “ambiguous” figure in Quebec culture. With her small-town background, “she fits into a traditional notion of Quebec identity,” but at the same time, she’s an international pop star who lives in the U.S. and holds the record for the most appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“She’s both past and future,” said Hurley.
She’s also both loved and hated. Hurley thinks francophone Quebecers feel the love for Dion more than anglos. In a survey, she found that “francophones would say they admire her even if they don’t like her.” Anglos are more likely to express their anti-céline sentiments openly.
Hurley began studying the phenomenon that is Céline Dion when she was teaching at the University of British Columbia just over a decade ago, but her interest intensified when she came to Mcgill in 2004.
Dion may well be Quebec’s most famous cultural ambassador, but Hurley still isn’t sure how she represents our culture on the world stage. “She’s not a chansonnier. She doesn’t sing about Quebec. She sings about love. She can mean anything to anyone.”
Hurley was a tad coy in a chat Tuesday when asked if she’s a fan of Quebec’s top-selling songbird. After a moment’s pause, she admitted she hadn’t bought a Dion album until she began studying the diva.
When Hurley played the video for Dion’s 1999 chart-topper That’s the Way It Is at the talk Wednesday, it was clear to see it wasn’t a hit with the room full of professors and students.
“There’s no irony in her songs,” said Hurley. “There’s no self-reflection. There’s no meta level.”