Why Do Some Books Make It Into the Literary Canon?

gouf78 · June 12, 2012, 5:12pm

I would consider Oryx and Crake to add to the list.

garland · June 12, 2012, 5:14pm

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Berlin Stories
The Big Sleep
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart
Deliverance
Dog Soldiers

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Power and the Glory
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
Snow Crash
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net
Watchmen

saintfan · June 12, 2012, 5:25pm

(As a total layman) I would have thought that Ceremony would be on the list

sylvan8798 · June 12, 2012, 6:18pm

Taking Deliverance off for gouf78

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Berlin Stories
The Big Sleep
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart
Dog Soldiers

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Power and the Glory
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
Snow Crash
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net
Watchmen

mythmom - you survived Naked Lunch? really? I couldn’t get past 50 pages or so…

NJTheatreMOM · June 12, 2012, 6:22pm

Interesting…I read Dog Soldiers.

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Berlin Stories
The Big Sleep
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart
Dog Soldiers

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Power and the Glory
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
Snow Crash
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net
Watchmen

mathmom · June 12, 2012, 6:31pm

Ooh I can help, I’ve read Snow Crash and Watchmen! First is definitely seminal sci fi and second seminal graphic novel. I always meant to read Berlin Stories since Cabaret is on my top ten list of favorite movies.

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Berlin Stories
The Big Sleep
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart
Dog Soldiers

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Power and the Glory
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net

ignatius · June 12, 2012, 6:50pm

Taking Dog Soldiers off for NJTM.

I’m surprised to see Red Harvest still on the list. My son had to read it sophomore year of high school, loved it and slid into the films The Last Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns, and Last Man Standing. His English teacher decided to follow Bartleby the Scrivener with the Dashiel Hammett book, much to my son’s joy. I unfortunately did not read it myself (though I meant to pick it up) so on the list it stays.

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Berlin Stories
The Big Sleep
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Power and the Glory
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net

lololu · June 12, 2012, 7:53pm

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D
The Death of the Heart

F - G

H - I
A House for Mr. Biswas

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R

The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
The Sportswriter

U - W
Under the Net

Vot123 · June 12, 2012, 8:00pm

So many questions. I’ll choose to answer the first one and maybe try for another later.

“Why do some books make it into the literary canon, and why does the canon seem exclusive to modern books (ie–there aren’t many canonical texts from 1960s on forth)?”

It seems to me that the books that “make it” tend to be those that explore universal themes in the human condition, such as stories that present a choice between good and evil, what is important in life, personal conflict against the conventional wisdom of the day, human suffering due to natural causes or the machinations of man, etc. The stories remain relevant to future generations despite the mores and conventions of the time being very different from ours. yet we can still identify with the characters. The story has to be compelling, either to the people of that time, or to the modern reader to the extent that bits of it may actually resonate so much that elements of the story or specific pithy quotations cross over and leak into the popular culture and remain there for generations. Finally, the writing has to be accomplished enough such that the language of the book created an indelible image in the reader’s mind, so it becomes “art” rather than just a good yarn.

Based on my (rather inexpert) observations, I’d venture that the Harry Potter series, targeting children and young adults, has all the elements that will place it in the literary cannon despite some critics who have issues with the general quality of the writing. A book like “Airport”? Probably not.

Booklady · June 12, 2012, 8:40pm

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
The Blind Assassin
Blood Meridian

C - D

F - G

H - I

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R

The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
The Sportswriter

U - W

mythmom · June 12, 2012, 8:43pm

I think we should all volunteer to read a book still left on the list and take this baby home.

Something makes me think that JHS read Blood Meridian. I hope he comes back to say so.

We can retire the entire list in a week. What do you say?

Booklady · June 12, 2012, 8:46pm

I’ll be happy to read The Blind Assassin - I like a lot of Atwood’s books, but somehow never got around to that one.

I would also add that Under the Net is far from Iris Murdoch’s best, which IMO is The Sea, The Sea.

mythmom · June 12, 2012, 9:02pm

Booklady: I read so many Iris Murdoch that I can’t remember which is the best. I don’t remember The Sea, The Sea, but I know I read it. I remember best A Severed Head, and early comic novel, and The Word Child, which was kind of chilling. Are you taking Under the Net off the list? Or did you already?

Remind me what The Sea, The Sea is about. I read about ten of her books in one summer.

mathmom · June 12, 2012, 9:03pm

I’d read Red Harvest. I actually have two Dashiell Hammett’s out from the library right now. Just not that one!

romanigypsyeyes · June 12, 2012, 9:03pm

I’ve read The Blind Assassin. I read it after really liking The Penelopiad. I really like Atwood.

sylvan8798 · June 12, 2012, 9:07pm

Removing The Blind Assassin for romanigypsyeyes:

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds
Blood Meridian

C - D
F - G
H - I

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
The Recognitions
Red Harvest

S - T
The Sportswriter

U - W

lololu · June 12, 2012, 9:10pm

Ohh, ohh, I’ll read At Swim Two Birds. S2 read it and says it is a really good book – as is a more modern Irish book, At Swim Two Boys ( a pun on At Swim Two Birds) by Jamie O’Neill which he made me read this spring. Pretty graphic and rough, but a really good book.

JHS · June 12, 2012, 9:16pm

Removing mine and mathmom’s:

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds

C - D
F - G
H - I

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
S - T
U - W

I didn’t actually like Blood Meridian or The Sportswriter much. And I read The Recognitions long, long ago, when I was younger and into super-long crazy epics. A taste I lost well before Infinite Jest came out. (Although I did read 2666.)

NJTheatreMOM · June 12, 2012, 9:20pm

I’ll read “Loving.” Great idea!

ignatius · June 12, 2012, 9:21pm

JHS: You can’t remove mathmom’s Red Harvest: she hasn’t read it yet.

A - B
At Swim-Two-Birds

C - D
F - G
H - I

L - N
Loving
Money

O - R
Red Harvest

S - T
U - W

Why Do Some Books Make It Into the Literary Canon?

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