U
Un
ni
it
t
1
1C
CO
ON
NT
TE
EX
XT
TS
S
A
AN
ND
D
D
DE
EF
FI
IN
NI
IT
TI
IO
ON
NS
S
W
Wh
ha
at
t
i
is
s
E
En
ng
gl
li
is
sh
h
L
Li
it
te
er
ra
at
tu
ur
re
e?
?
THE CANON
“literary value”
The English Tradition
Why still important?
dominant values
cultural beliefs
ways of life
Anticanonical texts
W
Wh
hy
y
t
th
he
e
c
ca
an
no
on
n?
?
C
Cu
ul
lt
tu
ur
ra
al
l
l
li
it
te
er
ra
ac
cy
y
Harold Bloom, The Western Canon (1994)
Tradition national identity
Hegemonic interests
Self-perpetuation
“anxiety of influence”
Opening the canon to “difference”
U
UN
ND
DE
ER
RS
ST
TA
AN
ND
DI
IN
NG
G
A
A
T
TE
EX
XT
T
Making Sense
Context of Interpretation
THE READER:
T
Tr
ra
ad
di
it
ti
io
on
na
al
l
C
Cr
ri
it
ti
ic
ci
is
sm
m
AUTHORIAL INTENTION
Intentional Fallacy
(Winsatt & Beardsley 1946)
Barthes, Death of the Author
Resisting Readers
R
RE
EA
AD
DE
ER
R-
-R
RE
ES
SP
PO
ON
NS
SE
E
C
CR
RI
IT
TI
IC
CI
IS
SM
M
Affective Fallacy: CAUTION!!
Communities of Readers
IDEOLOGY (Althusser)
How do we give meaning to this text TODAY from our vision of the world?
Hoes the text perpetuate or criticize the dominant ideology of its time?
