I chose to read Is the Literary Canon Still Racist and Sexist? and The Literary Canon–What Books Should Be Required Reading? After reading these two articles I have come to understand that canons can change over time. They do not constantly have to look the same and be the same for each person. I have also come to understand that when something is added to a canon, another thing on the canon must come off. I have also learned that it is possible to not change the canon itself, but to change the way people look at the canon. They definitely made me think a bit about my high school’s literary canon, considering I was not assigned any of the readings listed in these two articles. In high school, all english classes read the same 3 books throughout high school, so I was not exposed to much culture and diversity when it came to my high school’s literary canon list. These articles have shown me that canons can be changed, altered, taken away from, added to, and looked at in a whole different way as time goes on even if the canon itself has not changed. I have also learned that different people may have different perspectives on that same canon. I honestly do not see much value in the existing notions of a canon because I think it limits the amount of culture we are exposed to. If we can only strictly pick from what is on the canon, we are limiting ourselves to other things.
Potential Canon:
10,000 Miles
Fly Away Home
The Last Song
I can go the Distance-Hercules
Let it Go-Frozen
I Hope You Dance:
I Dare You to Move
Only Hope
Canons I have not been exposed to:
Musicals. My roommate is a theatre major and she constantly makes fun of me that I don’t know about the theatre culture and don’t appreciate musicals. I have only seen 2 musicals, but I was not exposed to them growing up so they are not on my canon because I would not consider them as important as someone else would.
tracyre8 