Typically referred to as the “Canon of American Classics,” but I personally resent the western centrism of that. I think one of the primary issues with the heightened status and inflated importance of the canon of classics taught in schools today is the extreme colonial bias. Even though plenty of the books on that list I do truely love and think are genuine master pieces, I think I developed my appreciation for them inspite of the fart-sniffing academic worship of “the great American novel,” certainly not because of it. Opening the catagory up to novels outside the narrative of the holy-than-thou western cultural touchstone could at least break up the pageantry of it a little. Give students room again to develop a personal relationship with the narratives by expanding it to a more global outlook. Rising tides raise all ships, you know.
My vote would be for No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai being included. It has a lot of extreme subject matter for sure, but its not that much more violent or depressing than, like, Lord of the Flies or Of Mice and Men.
As a side note I’m surprised Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy hasn’t become kind of officially included in the “Great American Novel” Canon yet. Too dusturbing for highschoolers, I know, but that it hasn’t started to make it’s way onto those sorts of reading lists.
Both novels and plenty more deserve to be counted as such way more than anything Ayn Rand ever wrote. Boils my blood still I was forced to read that bullshit in highschool. More disturbing than anything else was that I was expected to pretend I wasn’t reading blatant right-wing philosophical self-insert Gary-Stue dubcon fanfic half-heartedly pretending to be a narrative. Only time I’ve been expected to act stupider than I was as a stupid teenager.
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Blood Meridian IS considered one of the great american novels. It’s included in Time’s list of 100 best english language novels, and Harold Bloom, who famously defended the idea of “The Western Canon” regarded it as the greatest novel of the 20th century.
Lawrence Buell has a book about the concept of the Great American Novel that heavily incorporates both Blood Meridian and Beloved. BM is definitely already a part of the modern canon.
I’m on record as saying Grapes of Wrath should be replaced by East of Eden. It’s so much better.
Grapes of Wrath is shorter and more topically polemic to social, economic and environmental issues to America during the Depression years. East of Eden is a gorgeous, biblical, Shakesperean tragedy of human nature. I feel that theyre both perfect books, but there’s a reason why one is spoken of more often in terms of Great American literature.
I confess that I was bemused by the phrase “Canon of American Classics” – rendered as if this were a thing. And if it indeed were a thing, how could it not be western-centric? Of course it is western-centric, but the tent of American literature includes all kinds of voices (maybe not enough, but it’s a diverse bunch because America is a diverse country).
More seriously, on what planet would a Japanese novelist, writing in the Japanese language, be considered to be part of the so-called canon of American classics? (Or, for that matter, Lord of the Flies [English]?)
Perhaps the OP misspoke and meant the Western canon. The “canon” – such that it is – is challenged all the time and in myriad ways, by readers and by academics. Classics don’t become classics because of “fart-sniffing academic worship” (a truly hideous phrase), but because they speak to readers, including academics, and continue to do so for decades and centuries. (Have writers been excluded from the canon for various reasons? Of course! Are there writers who don’t deserve to be the canon? Almost certainly.)
It is shocking that you read Ayn Rand in any kind of academic setting, particularly high school ( there is zero room in any kind of canon that includes her, though clearly Rand has her fans). But the blame for that miscarriage of literary justice is on your teacher, not the “canon.”
I thought I made it clear enough I don’t consider it as literal of “a thing” as my post is leading you some to believe, but if it wasn’t clear let me phrase it another way:
The vague list of smart big brain books academics circle around as the books to read if you are indeed a smart big brained boy that’s remained unchallenged in it’s insistence on being entirely western, exept when it’s not. But western culture has appropriated certain elements of hellantistic and European culture as it’s lineage regardless of the merits of that. That group of books.
Also generally referred to as “The classics” or “the American Classics” (even when they’re not American) or “The literary canon” or, for simplicity “The canon of American classic literature.”
I suggest spellcheck as a general good principle. And words matter: if you say “canon of American classics,” most people are going to think it is populated by American lit classics. (Put another way, if you capitalize your ridiculous phrase and put it quotes, you’re treating as a literal thing.)
Again, it’s inconceivable that a Japanese novelist would be considered part of any sort of western canon.
And note well: the western canon IS based on Hellenistic (i.e., Ancient Greece) and European (i.e., Europe) cultural tropes and norms.
Perhaps just consider, if you can, that “smart big brain books” are worth reading.
Did you just skim through my OP?
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Well told, captivating story.