RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REALITY AND IMAGINA TION IN THE APPROACH TO READING AND TELEVISION VIEWING IN QUEBEC

Not only are watching TV and reading the two major cultural and recrea tional activities of Quebecers, but they also rank as the most popular of all their recreational activities. The most popular books (fiction and biographical best-sellers) or TV programs (series) share some dis tinctive characteristics : both are used as sources of entertainment ( escapism) and information (reflection), inasmuch as their themes are c losely related to current social issues as a general rule. Since the o ffer of foreign products (mainly of American origin) has become overwh elming, it could be seen as a threat to the survival of the Quebecois identity. But both as readers and TV viewers, Quebecers show some spec ificity as much in terms of which foreign products they choose to adop t as in the substantial portion of the market they still devote to nat ional productions. The article purports to show that the above observa tions are valid, based on the analysis of TV program grids and ratings as well as best-seller lists in newspapers compared with various surv eys on reading and viewing habits.