Читать книгу Let It Snow. Keeping Canada's Winter Sports Alive онлайн

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Winter is not simply one of four seasons to a Canadian. It’s not merely the time separating fall from the spring. It’s much more. Winter in Canada is a force. Its power has made Canadians who they are, in the same way the Declaration of Independence defines Americans and soccer-playing connotes the Brazilians. It’s what we’re known for whether we like it or not. Take winter away and would we still be Canadians? Perhaps our own self-image would adjust, but the rest of the world might have trouble responding to this lost cliché.

Robertson Davies claimed that “cold breeds caution,” suggesting not too subtly the relationship between the winter climate and the psyche of Canadians as a whole. Canada is in a winterized state for a major part of the calendar year. In certain areas of Canada, winter is extreme, debilitating, and fierce. The calendar definition of the season running from just before Christmas through late March is one of the more misleading markers. Davies argues that because of the cold climate Canadians are perhaps more cynical and paranoid. This receives added credence in the way it contributes to the Canadian desire to separate themselves from Americans.