Classics in the Western Canon of Literature

A classic is defined as a reference to a book that is respected because of its literary

value as well as its historical value. Classics help us to understand more about a time period by

demonstrating its societys values as well as the problems they faced. But what does it mean

when we say that it is respected because of its literary value? What is literary value? There is

a list that exists to help discern the qualities of respected literature. These qualities include:

entertaining, lack of conform to expectations, respected by scholars and educators, stood the

test of time, demonstrates thematic depth, innovation with literary tools such as structure or

characterization, social or political impact on its own society or those that follow, non-cliched, a

way for the author to communicate using artistic means, and universal in appeal. A work of

literature, however, does not have to have all of these characteristics in order to be considered a

work of literary merit. Some have only most of these qualities.

Now, what is the western canon of literature and why is it important? It is defined as the

collection of literature that scholars and educators accept as the most influential and important

works of the western world. The works included have shaped our society in the most profound

way: through words and ideas.

However, there are actually two different canons of literature. The first is the actual

canon with the works that have influenced a society, even for a short period of time. The second

is the de facto canon, which is the collection of literature that scholars and educators discuss

in debates and teach in classrooms.

There is no literary canon shelf that holds all of the greatest literature ever created. The

de facto literary canon is always changing, as works are forgotten or are no longer relevant to

the current culture. The canon changes based on preferences and what an entire culture values

or finds important. Because of this, we see novels being included and others being subtracted

all of the time. There is no official declaration of an addition or subtraction, it really just fades in
or out of popularity. Educators start to appreciate a books significance and add it to their

curriculums. Parents start to object to their child(ren) reading certain books or poems because

of their themes or ideas. Scholars start to recognize that a work of literature seems no longer

relevant to the modern culture.