Hello and welcome to Great Works of Literature II, ENG 2850 KTRC.
We’ll be using this course blog to enrich our classroom experience by sharing responses to the readings, announcements, and links to outside material. In addition to your required blog posts, you should feel free to post anything that seems relevant to our class–a video you watched, something you took a picture of, an article you read, etc. I’m looking forward to getting started!
If you’re interested, here are a few more readings on the canon, the debate surrounding it, and how we define literature, to follow up on our discussion today:
“Revisiting the Canon Wars”
“The Use and Abuse of Literature” (excerpt)
What’s your take?
Comment here to let me know you’ve successfully joined the blog: re-introduce yourself to the group, add an idea about today’s discussion, or share a thought about your expectations for the class.
I am happy that there is even this debate over canonization. For the longest time in school before college, I was just fed books that are known as “Great Works” and that has defined many of our perceptions of these book. Just from the responses of others today, not a single person name a book that was a translation or from another country. While I agree that the opening the canon has created numerous concentrations, it is still better than everyone mindlessly following what has been deemed as great. More works can be explored rather than regurgitate the same books over and over again.
Hey bros, this is Gaby! I’d like to to say that I’m really glad our ENG 2850 anthology has been broadened to a world-wide scale because now I can read translated classics without the hassle and anxiety over what books to buy. See y’all next week!
Hey! I thought the part of the Times reading that traced the etymology of the actual definition of “literature” was very cool and reminded me of the age old debate between what is actually considered “art” and what is not. Looking forward to next week!
Hi everyone, The debate over canonization we had on Thursday was quite interesting. now i think about it, it is weird that how i never even thought about that topic, the works people judge to be good often to reflect their social class and their beliefs. how can we decide what is great in the matter of judgement? this class should be fun and i’m looking forward to it! have a good weekend everyone!
It was great meeting everyone Thursday! I enjoyed our debate over canonization, as I’ve never given much thought over what makes a piece of literature a “great work.” However, I do believe we will be coming back to this debate throughout the semester, as we are introduced to a variety of literary pieces from around the world. I’m looking forward to all the wonderful opinions I’ll be hearing!
Hey everyone! Great meeting you all and excited for the semester ahead. I have never in any English/Literature class dicussed over the topic of canonization, so questioning and debating over what exactly is considered a “great work” is an interesting viewpoint. Looking forward to next week.
Hi everyone! Thursday’s discussion was very thought-provoking and it was the first time I heard about canonization. I enjoyed listening to everyone’s perspective on whether the canon should only consist of classics or have the canon open and expand to other genres as well. Looking forward to next week!
Hi All,
It was a pleasure meeting all of you on Thursday. The article about cannon definitely triggered my argumentative self. I understand why canonizing items, in this case, literature, can be seen as negative, but at the same time, I understand why it might have been necessary to pick and choose. Our society today encourages everyone to be the best person they can and utilizes positive reinforcement to the max, as a result, creating a self-absorbed individuals. I have seen this first hand with the freshman seminar classes. Bottom line, I think canonization motivates people to be phenomenal in what they do.
Hope to see you all this coming Tuesday.
-Shanima
Hey everyone, it was great meet you Thursday and I’m looking forward to a great semester! The Canon article made me think how much influence a certain group can have over a society and that other groups might not have as much of an influence. I think that all groups in society can offer something that can make society better as a whole.
See you all on Tuesday!
Hey guys primarily I want to say that it was nice to meet everyone and that I’m happy that we are in such a small group because everyone can get to express their thoughts fully without worrying about a lack of time. To be honest the topic of canonization that we discussed on Thursday left me both confused and a little bit frustrated. The author began with discussing a compelling argument as for why canons are more of a subjective view from the social elite rather than a objective view from society as a whole. He goes so in depth with this that you think it is a fact rather than a argument. Although as he goes into his conclusion he makes the revelation that by valuing other works as just as good as canons the argument basically contradicts its main assumption that the value of works cannot be valued because they are all subjective. Which means that we are left in the same place as we were before we read the article wondering, what really is the point of a canon categorization?
Hello Everyone,
My name is Brian. It was quite embarrassing that I’m now known as the guy who “hates” English and “hates” reading books, but it was nice meeting you all. I don’t actually dislike English that much to use the word “hate,” but it is one of my weaker subjects. The discussion regarding the canonization of books was actually interesting because it reminds me that certain books are more “approved” and/or “glorified” in general. When I first thought about canonization, I only thought about the authors of books that received a Nobel Prize. Coming to think of it after the discussion, there is more to it. I also think that all of us have canonized books (on a smaller scale) because as individuals, we’ve all have had moments when we ranked a genre, a particular book, or books by certain authors over others. That being said, it’s not that I “hate” reading books, but rather I am very picky about what I read and which books I enjoy reading.
Hello everyone! Im also Brian, it was great meeting you all and getting to know a few things about one another. Although I had not previously heard about the debate on canonization until the first day of this course I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Perhaps its because throughout my education I have only read works of literature that have been assigned to me. I do very little reading apart from what is instructed to me in a class and thats why it is hard for me to choose the best way to solve the issues with the canon. Though if I had to choose whether or not to expand it, I would select on keeping it as is. Regardless of one’s personal opinion about the works of literature that are in the canon I believe they offer a realistic notion of how it is to live within a society. That notion relates to issues that the entire world encounters such as racism and political dominance, and so throughout time other writers have followed in the foot steps of the literature within the canon. Does anybody follow where I am going with this?
Hi everyone!
Sorry I’m a little late in commenting, but I think everyone’s pretty much summed it up by saying Thursday’s discussion on canonization was interesting and thought provoking. I think as much as we’re focusing on what the purpose is of an established canon, we should also look at the effects a canon or multiple society specific canons would have on the community. A hierarchy has been established in history in regards to different societies. That hierarchy presents very concrete ideals ingrained in the beliefs of each society. That said, society specific canons may, or may not create more of an issue within different groups in the communities. In light of that, if we establish that a canon is necessary, how do we come up with a full proof and fair way to determine which books should be called “Great Works,” without playing into or feeding any bias or prejudices?
I used to enjoy in depth conversations, moreover, debates in my high school Lit class and I’m excited to be able to do it again! I haven’t had the opportunity to really speak like we did in a while so I’m definitely looking forward to this semester with you all!
Hello, once again, my name is Daniel, and it was good meeting everyone on Thursday. The reading on canonization was very interesting, not just because of the content, but because of the fact that it is also mentioned in the outset of this specific class. As a result of this, I hope that the readings we do will come from a diverse host of people that come from different backgrounds, so as to be fresh. In terms of the reading, the canon that the author described seemed to be an accurate representation because of the differing circumstances in ages past. However, with the changes in contemporary times, the author seems to build the definition of canon, then destroy it by saying that every individual has their own definition of canon. In that sense, maybe everything is canon, or perhaps nothing is canon.
Hi Everyone,
My name is Narima. It was nice meeting all of you last week. In response to the article about canonization, I have actually learned a few things with our group. I thought canonization was only related to Catholicism. That being said, I am not completely certain about my opinion over this subject. On one side, I believe that the process of canonization is not quiet fair based on what we read on the article. We know that a lot of good literature could be excluded because of social class, race, etc. How could we agree with what was imposed by the society back in time, knowing the culture criticism existent? The society have changed along the years, and what could be considered “Great Work” years ago can be considered not that great right now. Therefore, it really depends on the society, age and culture to determine what is “great” or not. On the other hand, I do believe that we need to have some standards to filter the wide range of good work out there.
Hello everyone,
Sorry for the late comment – its been a busy week. My name is Newton and it was great to meet everyone last week. The discussion on canonization is very interesting and I have actually never thought about the canon before coming to class on Thursday. Of course the canon contains great works of literature that many should people know about but we shouldn’t be limited to the Greek and Roman classics that are often mentioned in the canon. There are many other great works of literature that often go unheard of. I do however, believe that a students curriculum should be evenly balanced with the canon and their personal interest. I look forward to the discussion in the next class!
Hey everyone! My name is Mariam and I’m excited to share in all the ideas and knowledge presented in this class throughout the semester. Sorry for the late arrival on the ideas floating here, but this is my stance on the issue of canonization:
Though I understand the concern over the bias, subjectivity, prejudice, and hierarchy that a canon creates, I believe that it is nonetheless a positive practice. There are numerous canons in literature that are culture specific, region specific, gender specific, etc. There is a category of “great works” for Spanish literature and there is one for women’s studies. Rather than focusing on the limitations of a comprehensive list, we should embrace that there is a list of books deemed as “great works” that can give us a glimpse into that subject. It, to me, serves as merely a list of distinguishable books that are the stepping-stone into a broader world of knowledge. Without a canon, there is no organization; there is no structure. There should exist some type of standard, no matter how flawed, to encourage writers to be innovative and for readers to have a smoother introduction into a specific subject. Once one “great work” is read, it could influence the reader to seek out non-canon works. A canon should not define what we read, just as a movie review should not dictate what we choose to see. We can observe it, consider it, and perhaps agree with it, but ultimately, we decide what we choose. A canon simply serves as the foundation to a far vaster world of knowledge.
Hi Everyone!
My name is Brian from Westchester, NY. It is actually pretty gut-reaching to think literature that has been assigned to us our entire lives that are labeled “great works” have not been labeled in such a way based on popular opinion. I have never once thought when reading something “why is this considered important? Or so important to history.” I’m very glad this was brought to my attention, and I can’t wait to see what else is to come in this class to spark another thought provoking issue.
Hi everybody!
My name is Undral. I just got my invitation to the blog, so sorry about commenting late on this post. English class is one of my weakest area, but I will try my best to contribute to the class. I’m looking forward to learn from all of you guys.
I never knew how literature works were classified. This article was eye opening. I’m glad that I now know underlying reason. Even though the way “great works” are classified is discriminative, it is essential to have some works that we can reference or reflect on. Now we have all these works so called “great works”, future scholars or writers can grow from or even can debate and argue with. Either ways canonization pushes literature forward.
Hi everyone, my name is Robert Amparo. I am a finance major but ironically I don’t like numbers and I love to read. This is my first English class since freshman year so I am excited to start the semester. I enjoyed our discussion about what are considered “great works” since it is a term we don’t seem to think about often. The author of the reading made some great points that are worth considering. There will always be a bias and it seems impossible to correct these flaws so I don’t think discussing what is considered a great work is worth discussing at all. Anyway, I enjoyed everyone else’s take on the matter. See you all tomorrow!
Hi, everyone. My name is WeiChi Chen. This is my first English class in Baruch since I transferred from the College of Staten Island. Honestly I am not the person who loves reading but I do like the way we discussing the literature that we read. I hope we will have a wonderful semester together.
Regarding canonization, I think we shouldn’t focus on what the canon is, or it is right or wrong. Of course there is no such literature that could fits everyone, but we should focus on what we can learn from it. Therefore, I do think canon is necessary to our society, even though I don’t like reading it.
Hi everyone!
My name is Anita Criollo and I’m a transfer student from Westchester Community College. I’m excited to read works from authors of different backgrounds and cultures.
I love to read so I’m looking forward to the readings this semester.
Hello everyone,
My name is Jannile Williams and my major is entrepreneurship. This is an interesting class and I hope that it will build my writing skills. I am a poet and I often have a one-sided view on things but I hope to have a different perspective on things at the end of the semester.