A literary canon is formed with classic works.
To understand what the literary canon is, it is best to analyze the two terms that make up the expression. A canon can be a list or a catalog that, in general, brings together what is considered a model to follow. Literary , on the other hand, is what is linked to literature (the artistic discipline that is developed through verbal expression).
In this way, the set of classic works that are part of high culture is known as the literary canon . These works, whether due to their formal characteristics, their originality or their quality, have managed to transcend eras and borders, becoming universal and always current.
How to define a literary canon
Although specialists in the field assure that the criterion for choosing works from the literary canon should be aesthetic excellence, this is a subjective aspect that two people can appreciate in different ways. On the other hand, those who limit themselves to consuming the books on this list lose the opportunity to learn about countless works that they might like more, and even contribute more to them on an intellectual and emotional level.
It is generally said that both Homer 's poems and the Bible are two of the pillars of the Western literary canon, although this opinion is debatable. From these works a tradition was forged that was followed by Aristotle , Plato , Dante Alighieri , Giovanni Boccaccio , Nicolás Machiavelli , René Descartes , Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra , Luis de Góngora , William Shakespeare , Voltaire , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other authors.
An open set that depends on culture
It is important to mention that the literary canon is not closed. As history advances, new writers can be considered classics and their books included in the canon.
It must also be taken into account that there is no single literary canon, but rather these notions are associated with specific cultures. The literary canon of the Western world is different from the Arabic or Islamic literary canon , for example, where works such as “The Arabian Nights” or the Quran appear.
There is no single literary canon since its definition depends on the culture.
The literary canon and women writers
One of the most worrying issues within this context is the role of women in literature , which is still not represented fairly and equitably, especially when we take a look at the literary canon. While it is true that the difficult social situations that women had to go through throughout history prevented them from acting with the same degree of freedom as men, whether studying or training at an academic level, it is absurd to continue denying their work. that they did manage to tear down the walls of machismo and left an invaluable legacy.
The problem with most educational centers is that they do not update their sources with the data that many people dedicated to literary research have provided in recent years, thanks to which we have discovered many women writers whose works have not received recognition. that they deserved. The interests that even today try to relegate women to the role of mother and housewife are precarious but they are strong enough to continue silencing millions of valuable people.
What does a girl with a vocation as a writer think when she is taught the literary canon for the first time at school and discovers that it is dominated by men? Well, fortunately this has not managed to stop the thousands of artists of the word who today fight to share the shelves of bookstores with men, or to occupy the chairs of the Royal Spanish Academy; However, there is still a lot of work to be done until the idea that the female sex is synonymous with weakness or domestic tasks is erased from the collective unconscious.