Practice question · True or false
The canon is a fixed list, so a work that has entered it does not leave.
Hints
- Think of writers whose standing has changed dramatically.
- Donne was minor for two centuries; Longfellow was world-famous and is now little read.
Show the answer
False
Why
False. The canon churns constantly. Donne was a minor curiosity until the 1920s and is now central; Longfellow was among the most famous poets alive and is now rarely taught. A canon is a slow current, not a list.
Practise The Canon, Tradition and the Idea of a Classic
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More questions on The Canon, Tradition and the Idea of a Classic
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