What is the Western literary canon?

What is the Western literary canon?

The Western canon is the body of high culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of art that is highly valued in the West: works that have achieved the status of classics. The word ‘canon’ is derived from Ancient Greek: κανών (kanṓn), meaning a measuring rod, or standard.

What is the purpose of literary canon?

The term “literary canon” refers to a body of books, narratives and other texts considered to be the most important and influential of a particular time period or place. Take a 19th century American literature course, for instance.

Should there be one canon for Western literature?

A canon is necessary, even just for university reading lists. Exploring the great works of the past allows people to build on it, enhances their reading of contemporary work, and allows people to talk with one another with a common understanding. A canon is needed.

When was the Western canon created?

1994
The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages is a 1994 book about western literature by the critic Harold Bloom, in which the author defends the concept of the Western canon by discussing 26 mostly English language writers whom he sees as central to the canon.

What makes a book canonical?

The literary canon can be narrowly defined as that which is accepted as authentic (as for example in the context of distinguishing canonical from apocryphal works in relation to the Bible or to Shakespeare), but it is usually defined more broadly as that which is assumed to be ‘good’ literature, in fact the ‘best’ …

What defines Western literature?

Western literature, also known as European literature, is the literature written in the context of Western culture in the languages of Europe, including the ones belonging to the Indo-European language family as well as several geographically or historically related languages such as Basque and Hungarian.

Why is it important to learn about Western literature?

This course provides insights into such issues as identity, authority, emotions, relationships and social change and structures, from a broad palette of significant writers. Students develop their ability to recognize literary themes, authorial style and the connections between literature and history.

Why do we need to study those canonical works?

Canonical works are an important way of exposing students to perspectives and issues beyond their immediate experience. Such exposure is essential for students’ intellectual growth.

What is canon story?

In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction.

What is canon formation in literature?

Abstract. From the perspective of Bourdieu’s cultural field of literature, canon formation means cultural familiarization of canons—a process of wider socialization and institutionalization whose aim is to reach an extensive social recognition.

How many languages could Harold Bloom read?

Bloom’s books have been translated into more than 40 languages. Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literary departments were focusing on what he derided as the “school of resentment” (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, neoconservatives, and others)….

Harold Bloom
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Which is the best description of the Western canon?

The Western canon is the body of high culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of art that is highly valued in the West: works that have achieved the status of classics.

Why are some works removed from the canon?

Charles Altieri, of the University of California, Berkeley, states that canons are “an institutional form for exposing people to a range of idealized attitudes.”. It is according to this notion that work may be removed from the canon over time to reflect the contextual relevance and thoughts of society.

What was the canon of the twentieth century?

In the twentieth century there was a general reassessment of the literary canon, including women’s writing, post-colonial literatures, gay and lesbian literature, writing by people of colour, working people’s writing, and the cultural productions of historically marginalized groups.

Where does the word canon come from in the Bible?

The word canon is derived from ancient Greek κανών, kanṓn, meaning a measuring rod, or standard. The Bible, a product of ancient Jewish culture, from the Levant, in Western Asia, has been a major force in shaping Western culture, and “has inspired some of the great monuments of human thought, literature, and art”.

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