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Encyclopedia > Western canon

The Western canon is a canon of books and art (and specifically one with very loose boundaries) that has allegedly been highly influential in shaping Western culture. The selection of a canon is important to the theory of educational perennialism. A canon refers to a list or collection of books and scriptures accepted by an ecclesiastic communion as authoritative or divinely inspired. ... Look up book on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Resources ArtLex. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Perennialists believe that one should teach the things of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. ...


Examples of canonical lists include:

University reading lists are also good indicators of what is considered to be in the Western canon: The Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliots Five Foot Shelf, was a fifty-volume anthology of works selected by Charles W. Eliot. ... The Great Books The Great Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952 by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. ...

Contents

St. ...


Origins

The process of listmaking—defining the boundaries of the canon—is endless. One of the notable attempts in the English-speaking world was the Great Books of the Western World program. This program, developed in the middle third of the 20th century, grew out of the curriculum at the University of Chicago. University president Robert Hutchins and his collaborator Mortimer Adler developed a program that offered reading lists, books, and organizational strategies for reading clubs to the general public. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Great Books The Great Books of the Western World is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952 by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The University of Chicago is a private co-educational university located in Chicago, Illinois. ... Robert Maynard Hutchins (January 17, 1899, Brooklyn, New York - May 17, 1977, Santa Barbara, California) was an educational philosopher. ... Mortimer Jerome Adler (December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher and author. ...


An earlier attempt, the Harvard Classics (1909) was promulgated by Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot, whose thesis was the same as Carlyle's: The Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliots Five Foot Shelf, was a fifty-volume anthology of works selected by Charles W. Eliot. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Prof. ...

... The greatest university of all is a collection of books. --Thomas Carlyle

The most familiar view of Carlyle is as the bearded sage with a penetrating gaze. ...

Debate

There has been an ongoing, intensely political debate over the nature and status of the canon since at least the 1960s. In the USA, in particular, it has been attacked as a compendium of books written mainly by "dead white European males", that thus do not represent the viewpoints of many others in contemporary societies around the world. Others, notably Allan Bloom in his 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind, have fought back vigorously. Authors such as Yale Professor of Humanities Harold Bloom (no relation) have also spoken strongly in favor of the canon, and in general the canon remains as a represented idea in most institutions, though its implications continue to be debated heavily. The 1960s, or The Sexy Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... Allan Bloom, in his middle age. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Yale (disambiguation). ... Harold Bloom (born July 11, 1930) is an American professor and literary critic. ...


Defenders maintain that those who undermine the canon do so out of primarily political interests, and that the measure of quality represented by the works of the canon is of an aesthetic rather than political nature. Thus, any political objections aimed at the canon are ultimately irrelevant.


One of the main objections to a canon of literature is the question of authority—who should enjoy the power to determine what works are worth reading and teaching? In politics, authority generally refers to the ability to make laws, independent of the power to enforce them, or the ability to permit something. ...


Works

Works which are commonly included in the canon include works of fiction such as epic poems, poetry, music, drama, novels, and other assorted forms of literature from the many, diverse Western (and more recently non-Western) cultures. Many non-fiction works are also listed, primarily from the areas of religion, science, philosophy, economics, politics, and history. The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... In mathematics, see epic morphism. ... Bust of Homer, one of the earliest European poets, in the British Museum Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music Wikicities has a wiki about Music: Music MusicNovatory: the science of music encyclopedia Science of Music... Drama is a term generally used to refer to a literary form involving parts written for actors to perform. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Open Directory Project: Literature World Literature Electronic Text Archives Magazines and E-zines Online Writing Writers Resources Libraries, Digital Cataloguing, Metadata Distance Learning What is Literature? Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Classicism in Literature The Universal Library, by Carnegie Mellon University Project Gutenberg Online Library Abacci - Project Gutenberg texts... Look up Culture on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikinews has news related to this article: Culture and entertainment Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cultural Development in Antiquity Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Culture and Civilization in Modern Times Classificatory system for cultures and civilizations, by Dr. Sam Vaknin... // What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ... Philosophy is a discipline or field of study involving the investigation, analysis, and development of ideas at a general, abstract, or fundamental level. ... U.S. Economic Calendar Economics at the Open Directory Project Economics textbooks on Wikibooks The Economists Economics A-Z Institutions and organizations Bureau of Labor Statistics - from the American Labor Department Center for Economic and Policy Research (USA) National Bureau of Economic Research (USA) - Economics material from the organization... Look up Politics on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Politics (disambiguation) Democracy History of democracy List of democracy and elections-related topics List of years in politics List of politics by country articles Political corruption Political economy Political movement Political parties of the world Political party Political psychology Political sociology Political... ...


Works which directly address the canon (both for and against):

  • The History of Western Literature by Otto Maria Carpeaux
  • Shakespeare by Harold Bloom
  • The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages by Harold Bloom
  • The Dead Father by Donald Barthelme

Donald Barthelme Donald Barthelme (April 7, 1931 - July 23, 1989) was an American author of short fiction and novels. ...

See also

... Open Directory Project: Literature World Literature Electronic Text Archives Magazines and E-zines Online Writing Writers Resources Libraries, Digital Cataloguing, Metadata Distance Learning What is Literature? Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Classicism in Literature The Universal Library, by Carnegie Mellon University Project Gutenberg Online Library Abacci - Project Gutenberg texts... A professor giving a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... A seminal work [semen = seed (from the Latin seminalis)] is a work from which other works come--it is an engendering work which is so important in its ideas or technique that other people take these up and create new works too. ... Relativism is the view that the meaning and value of human beliefs and behaviors have no absolute reference. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... Mortimer Jerome Adler (December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher and author. ... Stringfellow Barr is a historian, an author, and a former president of St. ... Allan Bloom, in his middle age. ... Harold Bloom (born July 11, 1930) is an American professor and literary critic. ... Scott Buchanan (Scott Milross Buchanan), March 17, 1895-March 25, 1968. ... Robert Maynard Hutchins (January 17, 1899, Brooklyn, New York - May 17, 1977, Santa Barbara, California) was an educational philosopher. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Canon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (179 words)
Canon law, all legislation adopted by an ecumenical council of the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches
Canon (music), a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations
Canon (fiction), the body of works that are considered to be "genuine" or "official" within a certain fictional universe
Western canon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (485 words)
The Western canon is a canon of books and art (and specifically one with very loose boundaries) that has allegedly been highly influential in shaping Western culture.
The selection of a canon is important to the theory of educational perennialism.
Works which are commonly included in the canon include works of fiction such as epic poems, poetry, music, drama, novels, and other assorted forms of literature from the many, diverse Western (and more recently non-Western) cultures.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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