|
LITR 4328: American Renaissance .png){kind=small} |
Model
Assignments |
 |
Austin Green
Classifying the Canon
One of the most interesting aspects of any of the literature classes I
have taken is when the idea of what separates literature between being classic
or not is brought up. Who gets to decide what a classic is? A variation of this
question or idea has sprung up in nearly every literature class I have taken,
and the answer is always about the same. Time dictates what is or is not a
classic, and books can and do come and go all the time. As a student, I am
always curious to what my professor’s feelings are regarding certain classics.
Most will simply ignore it if they feel it is not worth discussion. It is much
easier to figure out what books and authors our teachers enjoy; simply look at
the books or works they decide to teach during their class.
It
was in this class, however, that we got a little bit deeper into the
classifications of older texts. By breaking the texts down to three different
categories, it gives an avenue for the reader to better grasp why some books
would be taught while others would not. It helps the reader understand what they
are reading. By splitting American literature into three distinct
groups—classic, popular, and representative—we can see how these three
categories have helped shape our view of literature and reading is. Falling into
one category does not prevent a work from also belonging to another category.
These three groups often mix.
Classic literature are the works I have been previously describing. Those texts
that are taught in school, and have been deemed valuable to an education. A
reader should be able to find meaning and thought in these works. They may not
be the most fun to read, many are tough to get through; making the reader work
to reach the next page instead of flowing smoothly, but they are the texts that
if you can make it through to the end, you should be better for it. These are
the texts that readers are able to find meaning in over and over again, over
time. The pleasure in reading these is different than what you get from the
other two categories. A good example of this from our readings this semester
would be Hawthorne. His works were not the most accessible, but if you spend
time with them and understand them, they were very rewarding. Mark Twain summed
up classic literature as "A classic is something everybody wants to have read,
but no one wants to read.” Most people have heard of the texts considered
classic, and may know the story in the book, but few today take the time to
actually sit down and read them.
Most
readers today prefer the next category of classification: popular literature.
This would be the stories that are fun or easy to read, but that may not be as
timeless or as rewarding as the classics. These works may even be better known
today than the classics, but the difference is they have a shorter lifespan of
being read. Many of the highest selling books of the year for the past 50 years
are now completely forgotten by modern day readers. That said, these books do
serve a purpose. They are often more entertaining to today’s reader than
classics or representative literature. Many people look to books as just another
form of disposable entertainment. As long as they enjoy it while they are
reading it, that is all that matters. It is easy as a literature student to be
dismissive of popular literature, but I think it is important to note that many
works of classical literature were once just considered popular literature.
American culture tends to give older things more weight as being intelligent.
Stephen King may be read in 200 years from now, or he may not. No one around
today will be making that decision. Some books can fall into being both
classical and popular literature. For example, Cooper’s “Last of the Mohicans”
on surface level appears like it may belong in the popular literature category
(which it does), but it also has earned a place in classical literature. It is
still being taught in classrooms across the country today.
The
last category American literature uses to classify itself is representative
literature. This may be the lesser read, or lesser known of the three
categories, but it can be the most powerful, and is often the most important.
The texts in this category are those written by people lower on the social
ladder than most. It can be used to bring attention to someone or something. It
can be used to show people how others live. It makes the reader experience life
through the perspective of someone different than themselves. It makes the
majority look at something from a new angle. In another one of my classes this
semester, I read Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” a great example of
representative literature. As a white male I might not know what it is like to
not be represented, and to be marginalized, but Morrison’s powerful writing here
gave me the closest glimpse that I have ever had. That is the power they convey.
It can help you connect to someone else’s experience.
The
purpose of these classifications is to create a literary canon. A collection of
works that can be widely viewed as acceptable and worthwhile of being taught.
This is extremely helpful in teaching, and as a teacher. If one wanted, I’m sure
an entire course could be created using none of the more popular classical texts
or authors, spending time only with lesser known works. While the class being
taught may get the same conclusions from this class as they would any other,
when moving on to another class they may be left behind. The most important
aspect of the canon of texts is it lets us have a discussion about literature
much easier. If most can get the same base of literature knowledge before
delving into lesser known or maybe even completely unknown works, it allows us
to be able to discuss literature as a whole, as movements, or as periods of
time.
