During this period, the society of New France was being built with great difficulty. The French merchants contracted to transport colonists did not respect their end of the bargain, the French and their Indian allies are at war with the Iroquois, allied to the English until 1701 etc.
In spite of this, some notable documents were produced in the early days of the colonization and they were be passed down from generation to generation until today. The Voyage of Jacques Cartier, the Muses de la Nouvelle-France of Marc Lescarbot, the Voyages of Samuel de Champlain are memories of the exploration of North America and the foundation of New France.
The Relations des jésuites, Le Grand voyage au pays des Hurons of Gabriel Sagard, the Ecrits of Marguerite Bourgeois were written by the many religious founders of New France who had undertaken the task of converting the Sauvages to christianity.
Many songs and poems were transmitted orally by the early French settlers. A popular French ballad, À la claire fontaine will be adapted by the voyageurs and give the version that is known today in Quebec.
The first patrotic song of Quebec was written by a soldier, François Mariauchau d'Esgly. Entitled C'est le Général de Flip, it pays tribute to the resitance of the French at Quebec during the siege of General William Phips in 1690.
Until 1760, the themes of nature, explorations, and the Sauvages will continue to mark the imaginary of the civilization of New France. The Moeurs des sauvages américains of Joseph Lafiteau, Histoire de l'Amérique septentrionale of Bacqueville de la Potherie and the Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle-France are in continuity with the end of the precending century.
The first attested use of the term Canadien to designate the descendants of French settlers in Canada was written in a song composed in 1756 in honor of Governor Vaudreuil after the victory of Fort Chouaguen. In 1758, Étienne Marchand wrote Quebec's most famous 18th century poem in Le carillon de la Nouvelle-France. This song tells the story of the battle of Fort Carillon.
The first poem written by Canadiens after the cession of Canada to England is Quand Georges trois pris l'Canada by an anonymous author in 1763.
More than a decade after the Conquest, the printing press will enter what has become the Province of Quebec. The literary trends of Europe and the rest of America will penetrate the cities, primarily Quebec City and Montreal. The writings of the Enlightenment and the debates on the American and French revolutions will be dominent in the available literature.
Valentin Jautard and Fleury Mesplet will publish the first journal of Quebec, the Gazette du commerce et littéraire, in 1778-79. Valentin Jautard, a disciple of Voltaire published many poems under different pseudonyms.
Some notable names of the time are Joseph-Octave Plessis, Ross Cuthbert, Joseph Quesnel and Pierre de Sales Laterrière.
The 19th century marks the beginning of the first real literary works published by Quebecers.
Michel Bibaud, Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, François Réal Angers, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé (son), Amédée Papineau, Joseph Doutre, François-Xavier Garneau, Pierre Jean Olivier Chauveau, John Huston, Louis-Antoine Dessaulles, H.-Émile Chevalier.
By 1860s, the authors are able to acquire a certain autonomy. It is easier to publish a book and reproduce it in mass.
Antoine Gérin-Lajoie, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé (father), Louis Fréchette, Arthur Buies, William Kirby, Honoré Beaugrand, Laure Conan, William Chapman, Jules-Paul Tardivel, Pamphile Lemay.
An anonymous song, Les Raftsmen, becomes popular at the beginning of this century.
Émile Nelligan, Louis Hémon, Victor Barbeau, Lionel Groulx, Jean-Charles Harvey, Hector de St-Denys Garneau.
Anne Hébert, Roger Lemelin, Gabrielle Roy, Germaine Guèvremont, Paul-Émile Borduas, Leonard Cohen.
Yves Thériault, Jacques Brault, Jacques Ferron.
Michel Garneau, Jacques Godbout, Fernand Dumont, Hubert Aquin, Michel Tremblay, Réjean Ducharme, Roch Carrier, Pierre Vallières, Victor-Lévy Beaulieu.
Gaston Miron, Yves Beauchemin, Antonine Maillet. XVIth and XVIIth centuries
XVIIIth century
XIXth century
XXth century
1900 - 1940
1940 - 1950
1950 - 1960
1960 - 1970
1970 - 1980
