American Literary Canon Analysis

Rooted in the Christian theological discourse, the term “canon” referred to the standardisation of chapters of the Bible and other scriptural writings on the basis of certain qualitative rules. While in literature, the term “canon” suggests a body of literary texts that are considered the most important. The term ‘canon’ seems to apply a certain authority to a work of literature. It offers an official authentication as valuable texts and earns respect as a reward for these texts. However, there is no rigid qualification for canonization, and whether a work will be canonized or not remains a slanted decision. In short, a literary canon implies the evaluation or estimation of literary texts as the most important during a particular time. The canon is not merely a set of texts; it is a set of standards, evaluative procedures, and values. Belonging to a canon confers a guarantee of literary greatness. A canon is formed, by a particular group, to channelize cultural hegemony over the others, or, it can be constructed, by

In Francine Prose’s essay “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Sing” Prose tends to evoke her unsureness on why schools use certain books to teach students their moral values. Prose argues that certain books should be taught in English classes, that in fact, teach students their values. Prose uses several literary examples, such as Frankenstein, How To a Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, etc. She also provides several controversial opinions, such as using different books to try and teach students, like The Diary of a Young Girl, Teaching The Novel, and many more that she has personally read in her lifetime. She also claims that teacher should start teaching curriculum that has meaning and that will provide skills that a student would

Prose starts off with very strong language in her essay “I know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read”. Prose’s opening paragraph includes words such as “appalled”, “dismal”, and “dreariness”, which establishes negative connotation, a central feature of the essay(Prose 176). These words signify the lack of confidence that Prose has in the trends of American education. By beginning her essay with judgemental and cogent language, Francine Prose develops a clear and concise argument. She intends to hook her readers by immediately stressing the importance of the subject and conveying her justifiably strong perspectives. Prose claims that she is “ appalled by the dismal lists of texts that her sons are doomed to waste a school year reading” (Prose 176). Prose’s use of negative connotation allows her to clearly and effectively convey her message regarding the negative influence that American education has had on literature.

She does not understand why the older and well-known authors are not being read in high school. Prose uses a personal experience from her son’s sophomore English class. He had to read a “weeper and former bestseller by Judith Guest” (424), about a dysfunctional family dealing with a teenage son’s suicide attempt. “No instructor has ever asked my sons to read Alice Munro, who writes so lucidly and beautifully about the hypersensitivity that makes adolescence a hell,”(424). She again mentions books she approves of that should be read in English classes.

All high school English students should not have to read the same specific texts because it would result in more disadvantages than positive aspects. A literary canon is “an authoritative list, as of the works of an author” as well as a “basis for judgement; standard; criterion.”(Landow) Having a literary canon would have a harmful impact on many students’ interest in reading. Additionally, literary canons often exclude many excellent books from diverse cultures. Nevertheless, there is a multitudinous amount of people who think a literary canon would be beneficial to students’ future education, yet a set English curriculum would be damaging to their college learning experience.

In the late sixteenth century, a religious reform arose among the church of England. The puritanism reform brought foundation to the religious, intellectual, and social structure in New England. Puritanism closely relates to the Amish which is a christian church that connects to the protestant reformation also in the sixteenth century Europe. The puritanism and Amish both are hundreds of years old as is the American Literary Canon. This canon consists of american literature from different authors at different times. The Judgement by Beverly Lewis should be a part of the literary canon because it opens deeper perceptions about the lives of the Amish women. It also provides insight for readers to the complex struggles Amish women faced with religion, society, culture and the self.

Failures of these classes may be due to choosing poor examples to study, such as Jersey Shore and other reality television shows, as these shows rarely show the “reality” of an unscripted Hollywoodized world. Also, there was the issue of fictional works not being seen as educational, “were not available in public library collections for decades because librarians dismissed them as popular texts that had little or no literary value;”. (Marshall and Sensoy) Many whom are against this idea may also see it as a waste of time and not a real area of study. It is something very new and not very well known so that in and of itself may cause discomfort.

Books have always been taught to students for many reasons. The main reason is that it is part of the teaching curriculum. Although students feel like they should not read books that are given to them, some are more important than they think. One book for example, is the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This book has taught students many things that has happened back in the 1930’s and some still happen in the present day.

High School English teaches students think about, react to and solve problems they might face outside of the classroom. Including fiction in the curriculum can achieve these goals. Novels address issues in today’s society that can help students make connections between the classroom and the real world. A recurring issue in society today focuses on the rise and popularity of technology. A novel, such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, that shows the harmful effects of technology can help students connect the problems with technology in their own lives.

The value of controversial American literature is of great importance to society. Controversial novels helps readers see into the past and to understand it in a more suitable way. Readers see that occasionally society puts a grasp on people, but every now and then there are people who move more towards community. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see two different protagonists attempt to help two black men. The society sees this as horrible to their people, while some people, like the protagonists, manage to escape the grasp of society and move into a community of righteousness. The novels were both banned for their foul language and tackling the issues surround black rights. The

Every year, students in all grades read novels ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird to The Great Gatsby. Yet, these students almost always complain about being required to read these classic works of literature. Classic novels have been put in the school curriculum for ages. Why would we change that now? Students need to continue reading the classic novels in school in order to further their education, expand their reading selections, and keep author’s legacies alive and well.

So who exactly is responsible for that torturous month in the tenth grade you spent slogging through the Adirondack wilderness with Natty Bumppo in Last of the Mohicans? Its not one person or body of people, but rather the cultural norms present since the late 19th century. Books most commonly taught in AP curricula are usually chosen based on their inclusion in the “literary canon”, a concept described as “a collection of works that best represents and has helped shape what we teach and how we teach” (Miller). This literary canon can trace its roots back to the origin of the common English curriculum, which developed in the 19th century. During this time, literature was beginning to be regarded as a “reservoir of cultured values” and a “source

Because schools must take into account the feelings of their students and their families, many books have been banned to provide the most comfortable learning experience possible. Books that propose ideas on sensitive, taboo, or moral topics while also presenting sophisticated literature are always up for debate on whether or not they should be taught in schools. Most arguments are either emotionally or logically driven, but either stance does not have to be given up for the other. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1885, is an example of effective satirical writing that should be recommended to any student who is interested in exposing themselves to provocative themes and complex literary genres.

Countless authors, all throughout time, can be seen to write about their passions, their experiences or their opinions on a certain topic. The question has been asked: do any of these authors early life experiences or the time setting when they grew up in have any impact on why the writer developed the work? A range of authors and texts are being covered in this report and the content will vary from World War One experiences to more recent times of racial segregation in America. This report has been formed to answer questions and form relationships between authors and the reason(s) or any influence(s) as to why the following authors have developed their work: Harper Lee, Wilfred Owens, Ernest Hemingway. I decided to investigate the following texts: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Sentry by Wilfred Owen, To Good Guys Dead by Ernest Hemingway. If the aim is to find out whether early life experiences of these authors or the time setting when they grew up in promoted or influenced the development of their work, three questions must be asked for an accurate conclusion to be drawn: How heavily did the Harper Lee’s early life experiences influence her writing? Where there any government influences that impacted on the authors writing? Why exactly did the author write the text?

American Literature is a symbolic role in the world and for the human mind. During this semester we have read several pieces of American literature that are key points in the art of what these authors were trying to input to other people's mind. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two stories which will be “The Trickster Tales” and “The American Scholar”. These two pieces of art were chosen by me to write about because they opened my mind and fascinated me with the author's creativity and intel they provided within the stories.