What would society be like without its literary canon? Well, one may primarily ask: what is the literary canon? To some, it simply is the well-known, popular series of text a young adult will read throughout their high school and college careers. To others, it is viewed as the crucial pieces of our history that have shaped our society and withstood the tests of time, because of how well-written the literary works are. Both statements, despite being from two viewpoints, share the same main idea: that the literary canon, whichever way defined, is eminent to readers across the globe. In today’s society, however, many may argue that the literary canon is no longer as important as it used to be. The impact of social media and globalization has allowed …show more content…
to be placed on a universal platform that can be read by anyone, anywhere, at any time. The canon has been able to survive because of the fact that such “universal themes” recur throughout the decades, and provides a voice from an author that had lived during that time. For example, upon reading The House of Mirth, a novel written by Edith Wharton, the universal theme that was prevalent throughout the novel had been women’s rights and femininity. The main character, Lily Bart had struggled to achieve a place in high society. Women at this time had protect their reputations at all costs in high society, even if it meant lying or turning against each other to reach nearly impossible social standards. Lily, once submerged in the cut-throat society then resorts to lies and the defamation of others as an attempt to climb the social …show more content…
Because of this collection of well-written works, students will become open-minded to different societies, gain a better understanding of history, and encourage students to expand their thinking beyond what they know. Although its relevance will most probably be debated endlessly, it is essential that the use of literary canon within the educational system is to continue. Without it, we would lose our connections with the past, with other cultures, and each other. The literary canon is a platform for those who want their voice heard— our ancestors, those fighting to expose societal issues, and other cultures. The House of Mirth was a voice for women in the early 1900s, works of Shakespeare are voices from the past that provide us with history so that we can improve upon the future, and A Christmas Carol is a forever iconic piece of English literature that displays the history of European culture to the world. “A high school Language Arts curriculum that omits these diverse writers is missing some of the greatest works in world literature. Far from confining students to writers of a similar, privileged background, a focus on the Literary Canon reveals the variety of world genius.” (Soloway) While many argue that the literary canon is losing its relevance in the modern world, and it should be disposed of, the
Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth, is the story of a girl named Lily Bart trying to find a place for herself in society. Wharton used allusion throughout the book to aid the reader in understanding the events of the narrative. The following essay will highlight three allusions Wharton used, and explain how they helped the reader to understand the corresponding events from the book.
Reprinted in Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia Eds. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1995. Glaspell, Susan. A. Trifles. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers.
Charter, Ann, and Samuel Charters, eds. Literature and its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003.
Literary history is a history of the major literary traditions, movements, works, and authors of a country, region, etc. (Barber 837). The understanding of literary history allows us insight into the past, a recognition of historical events and tensions written into the works of those who witnessed them. By including societal behaviors, political tensions, and common folklore, historical authors have indirectly provided the reader with a broader and deeper understanding of the literature and the period in which it was written. Besides insight into collective societal culture, literary history has provided future writers with models of poetic device, style and content influencing literary works and building upon past literary ideas. Literary history is a vehicle to understanding the past and plays a major role in its influence on literature up to and including the present day.
" Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Vol. 1. Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions.
Through his motivation to find love, Romeo, a dynamic character, changes from a subdued individual, into a jovial lovesick character. In the early sections of the play, Romeo is in love with a woman named Rosaline who does not reciprocate those feelings. This leads him to drone on about, “sad hours “ (I.i.146) and how he would, “rather weep” (I.i.167) because he is, “out of her favour” (I.i.154). The importance of Romeo’s affection for each of his women is essential to address. The feelings that Romeo possesses inevitably leads him to become sorrowful over rejection but then, optimistic for Juliet. Later on in the play, once Romeo meets Juliet, he is quick to forget the love that he had for Rosaline and the grieving that he had underwent. After meeting her at Capulet’s ball Romeo states that she is, “my
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2000. 127-137.
Nature, whether in the form of the arctic tundra of the North Pole or the busy street-life of Manhattan, was viewed by Naturalist writers as a phenomena which necessarily challenged individual survival; a phenomena, moreover, which operated on Darwin's maxim of the "survival of the fittest." This contrasted sharply with the Romantic view, which worshipped Nature for its beauty, beneficence and self-liberating powers. In Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily Bart attempts to "survive" within the urbane "drawing-room" society she inhabits. Although Selden uses Romantic nature imagery to describe Lily, throughout the novel such Romantic imagery and its accompanying meanings are continually subverted. By simply invoking different understandings and views of "Nature," Wharton demonstrates that not only is Lily's ability to "adapt" to various environments isn't necessarily salutary, but also that flower imagery, used in an ironic fashion, captures perfectly Lily's need for "climates of luxury." It is Wharton's image of a "hot-house," however, which ultimately captures the ambiguous nature of what, to Wharton, truly is Nature.
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2010). Literature an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama and
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2013). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Across the Universe of Time: Shakespeare’s influence on 21st century society. It is harder to imagine a more universal writer than William Shakespeare. Rarely, if ever, is one of his many plays not being performed anywhere in the world and similarly rare is the tertiary English student who has not examined his work at length. His plays, sonnets and poems are common fodder for high school English departments across the globe.
Literature is an art form, it is entertainment, history, and a medium of self-expression. There is something magical about the creative power that is within literature. With words alone, literature illustrates the rise of nations, the fall of tyranny, the power of true love, and the tragedy of unescapable fate. When discussing timeless literature, it is almost impossible to not bring up the works of William Shakespeare. However, while some are enthusiastic about discussing Shakespeare, many can’t help but sigh. Some find his work outdated, his language cumbersome, and question: for what purpose is society so fixated on his work? Despite complaints from a few contemporary readers, Shakespeare’s work exhibits quality and thoughtfulness that is
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2/sections/sec2.3
Over the course of the semester, this British Literature course has adequately exposed myself to a variety of works of differing styles coming from a millennium of English authors and poets. With this literary immersion, some works have proved more memorable than others. Out of these select few, I hope to choose the literary work which demonstrates the greatest combination of entertainment and morals for future readers to take away from the text. After some deliberation, I found the solution obvious, as I had to write about Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. While in reflection of the readings this semester, I could not deny that Chaucer’s collection should be preserved as the author succeeded what his stories were meant to accomplish: to “delight and instruct”. With the alluring variety of characters and entertaining situations which are described in well-chosen detail, each story provided by the pilgrims. Additionally, as each of the chosen tales (as stated in the course reading syllabus) provided a lesson that is still relevant after five centuries, the “instruction” comes from these universal morals. Therefore, in the