Canon Literature

[Mr. Rogers]

So, how about it? What do you think is the Canon of English literature? What books and authors must a person be familiar with in order to be competent in American and British literature?

As a bonus, what about contemporary English literature? How about essays and non fiction?

[Nate]

I'm pretty sure English literature was retconned somewhere around the turn of the century. ENJOY YOUR FANON.

[Atria35]

A ton more than I can write right now. I'll post a list later, probably in two parts >.>"

[LadyRushia]

This would be better suited in the Books section, so I'm gonna move it there.

As a general answer, I would say anything that represents the time period from which it comes by exploring societal issues or anything that experiments with new styles. As an English major, I've had to read a fair number of books that are so highly regarded that I thought were awful or unreadable (i.e. Pride and Prejudice. I can't get past page 90 of that book ever, and don't even get me started on James Joyce. I read him in high school and I have no desire to try that again). The most I can do is appreciate what they're going for after discussing them in class.

I guess a basic definition for what I would consider literature is any work that has multiple layers and does enough with its style, diction, story, and characterization for me to analyze critically and possibly write an essay on it for kicks. That goes for older works and contemporary works.

[Htom Sirveaux]

Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. If you read any English literature at all, classic or modern, make it that.