Jessica Peterson

The Western  Canon: Why a Required Reading of the Classics is No Longer Enough

As Edith Wharton said, “the greatest books ever written are worth to each reader only what he can get out of them”.  For a book to be considered “great” is a relative term that is defined by the reader. Traditionally, English instructors have often made literature of the “Western Canon” required for their students, which is very limiting and does not offer rich and diverse texts that have relevancy or a profound connection for the students. While a “read and respond” approach to literature can have merit in an introductory English course, as teachers of Literature we must move past that beginner’s approach and learn to actively discuss and analyze the themes, while also teaching students to value the purpose of a book, wherein lies its worth. When a student makes connections with a text, the value of the text increases and so does the student’s overall treatment of that text.

After having read the required readings for our course, I have often wondered how to integrate Objective 1A - mediate the “culture wars” between the “old canon” of Western classics and the “new canon” of multicultural literature by studying them together rather than separately - into my potential future English class. It seems that you, Dr. White, were able to incorporate the “classics” with the “contemporary” seamlessly into our course with little interruption. Prior to taking this class, I considered it impossible to teach the traditional with the modern and still find common ground between such different pieces of literature. An example in my own life that comes to mind are my frequent visits to the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is able to integrate both classical art pieces with modern and contemporary, which makes it possible for anyone with an appreciation for any type of art to find something that they like and can relate to that is on display there. It also increases the tension between such different art forms, which opens the realm for debate and discussion and enriches the overall experience at the museum and interaction with such a diverse range of art pieces. Literature is also a form of art and when we are able to enjoy such different genres of literature simultaneously we leave that experience with a broader range of knowledge.

According to Richard J. Lane in his book The Postcolonial Novel, “the relationship between the western literary canon and postcolonial novels  as a critique and rewriting of that canon – known more technically as the production of counter discourse….it is crucial to emphasize that the intertextual relationships between canon and critique are complex…”. The postcolonial novel provides the commonly identified minority (or oppressed) groups with a voice as an accurate resprentation of the culture he or she most closely identifies with and has a connection to. The intertextual concept of the old and new literary canon is to allow the texts to “talk to one another”, or form a dialogue. In reading and reflecting on the required novels in the second half of the course, I found it culturally acceptable for Hukum Chand to displace Mano Majrans or have sexual relations with a child prostitute in Train to Pakistan, both situations symbolic of his role as a corrupt bureaucrat in the novel or the title character’s harrowing journey and transitition of identity in the novel Jasmine. Both Chand and Jasmine seem to grapple with their identity and are viewed somewhat sympathetically by the reader for their individual crisis of Identity, whether by a cultural disconnect or transnational migration, respectively. In comparision, Okonkwo struggles during the course of his life to rise above the example of his own father being a weak and feminine man. He even kiils his own surrogate son to avoid appearing maternal, a complete reversal of the inner feelings of compassion and love he actually feels for him inThings Fall Apart. Ironically enough, Okonkwo commits suicide by the end of the novel, his final scenario in the novel plagued by controversy and considered by many readers a coward’s end.  

Chand, Jasmine and Okonkwo demonstrate little problem with adaptability of identity by cultural influences, whether it’s their native culture or their assimiliation into a new culture; however, Peachey and Dravot feel the need to alter the culture they encounter  “to make Kafiristan a country where every man should eat in peace and drink in quiet, and specially obey [them]” (Kipling 2.36). These two characters have a commanding presence in the novel and choose to interact with the native people with imperialism and forceful intent. Reading these 4 novels within one course allows the reader to notice the intertextual relationships; a comparision and contrast of multicultural literature can make it evident of the similarities and differences that exist between writers of varying races and genders.

On the topic of literature, Thomas DeQuincey states there are two distinct roles: “There is first the literature of knowledge, and secondly, the literature of power. The function of the first is--to teach; the function of the second is--to move, the first is a rudder, the second an oar or a sail. The first speaks to the mere discursive understanding; the second speaks ultimately, it may happen, to the higher understanding or reason, but always through affections of pleasure and sympathy.” While literature initially offers new information and a tool for instruction, it is the secondary position of literature that gives a voice to those that would normally go without being heard, an identity to a culture that has easily been stereotyped in the past, a platform for debate and change to occur. As Abby Estillore explained in her first 2009 essay, “There are multiple points of view surrounding the narratives that give rise to plurality of meanings, interpretations, and insights.” While Okonkwo could be viewed as a coward for his suicide at the end of the novel in Things Fall Apart, maybe the novel’s title stemmed from his own inner struggle between compassionate and emotionally disconnected; his only escape from the turmoil is to commit suicide. Our ability as reader to recognize different perspectives of the same text broadens the scope for discussion and interpretation, making the novel richer in meaning and purpose and part of a collective construct to better understand cultural connections and motivations.

In my first essay of my midterm, I discussed how inclusion of different genres of literature would create an atmosphere that decreases cultural tensions and increases acceptance. It is not enough to just teach the traditional canon of literature, instructors should also consider it imperative to teach literature that students can make a connection to and that provides a voice for a wide range of global cultures. After writing my midterm, I want to continue to raise awareness on the importance of multicultural literature not only in the classroom but to broaden global perspectives.

My second research posting was about how integral Ebonics, or non-standard English, is to African literature, both past and present. A good comparison is the western classic Huckleberry Finn (1920s) and his use of “negro dialect” to Caribbean author Patricia Powell’s 1993 novel Me Dying Young, it is easy to see how ebonics can span ethnic and time period boundaries to create a contemporary black vernacular literary tradition. An understanding of and respect for African Literature can dispel the stereotypes and broaden the reader’s knowledge of cultures and culturally acceptable traditions and beliefs, fulfilling the purpose of Objective 3A to overcome the “issues of American ignorance of larger world and alternative worldviews.

In Susie Allen’s class discussion on October 6, she asked a very bold but necessary question to consider; “Is it acceptable to read a novel for pure entertainment and ignore the references that will affect our global future?” I think we have a duty not merely as a reader but a learner of English Literature to do more with the texts we encounter than merely read and discuss them at length in the classroom. We must use the texts not only as a basis for research and to broaden our knowledge base, but to educate others and affect global change. Both the western and modern canon of literature can offer readers a wide range of perspectives and worldviews; while they are very different in terms of time period, these genres of literature can offer similar themes, conflict, characters and other literary connections. Oftentimes, history and literature collidein a text and simultaneous readings of the past and present canon make this interaction all the more possible and necessary in the multicultural literature classroom.

In conclusion, I would like to highlight the quote from your summary of the key term Historicism; “All knowledge is rooted in a life, a society, and a language that have a history; and it is in that very history that knowledge finds the element enabling it to communicate with other forms of life."(Foucault, The Order of Things 372/3). Rather than ignore or replace the old canon of Western Literature with contemporary Multicultural Literature, it would be a more rewarding and culturally accessible approach to include both genres of Literature in the modern English classroom. A union of past and present styles of Literatures makes the reader more aware of the cultural differences, while also embracing the similarities that unite us as global citizens, voices for our generation.