literary canon
Great books collection
A literary canon is the body of works considered most important, influential, or representative within a particular tradition, culture, or field of study.
The Western canon, for example, includes Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante—authors whose works are deemed essential reading.
Canons are contested territory; critics argue about which works deserve inclusion and whether traditional canons marginalize women, minorities, and non-Western voices.
The professor challenged students to question why certain books made it into the literary canon while others were excluded.
- feminist criticismGender-aware textual interpretation
- novelNew and unusual
- influencePower to affect others
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
- diversityState of varied elements
tradition · marginalization · inclusivity · authority · Harlem Renaissance · merit · short story · racial bias · cultural heritage · gender bias · cultural imperialism · representation · Enlightenment · high culture · required reading · revisionism · close reading · preservation
- literaturebooks, book, fiction, poetry, stories
- classicsHomer, Iliad, the Iliad, Odyssey, the Odyssey
- literary studiescriticism, literary history, modernism, literary movements, literary themes
- Literature Studiesliterary analysis, literary theory, close reading, literary movements, literary periods
- anthologiesanthology, anthologies, collection, poetry collection, compilation
- literary criticismliterary theory, literary analysis, close reading, New Criticism, criticism
literary canonbestseller lists
Rankings of top-selling books
pulp fiction · airport novels · potboilers · penny dreadfuls · dime novels
literary canonminor works
Lesser creative output
apocrypha · underground literature · ephemera · samizdat · banned books
literary canonoral tradition
Culture passed by speech
oral literature · folk tales · zines · spoken word · memes