Why did maps and descriptions of place become central to Canadian literary writing?

Maps and descriptions of place became central to Canadian literature because they served as foundational tools for explorers, travelers, and settlers to document their journeys and establish a sense of identity in an unfamiliar land. These early records—including charts, diaries, and journals—evolved into a documentary tradition that reflects the ongoing quest for both personal and national self-definition.1

As the critic Northrop Frye famously noted, Canadian literature is haunted by the question "Where is here?". Consequently, metaphoric mappings of people and places became essential to the evolution of the Canadian literary imagination. This focus on geography and discovery allowed writers to:1

• Establish Origins: Early topographical narratives and travel accounts helped name and define the new land and its inhabitants.1
• Break Colonial Bonds: Modernist writers later used the act of naming and taking possession of the landscape to move beyond a "garrison mentality"—a colonial frame of mind characterized by fear of the unknown and reliance on convention.12
• Capture Nature: Poets and novelists sought to depict the "answering harmony" between the human spirit and the mystery of the Canadian wilderness.1