The American canon includes works of literature and poetry that represent the American experience, written by American writers. It covers different genres and movements, and is not a single list. Lists usually mention particular works by writers such as Hemingway, Faulkner, Hughes, Dickinson, and Williams. Different lists can be found and compared to get a better understanding of the canon’s diversity.
The American canon refers to works of American literature and poetry that are widely considered by critics and scholars to effectively represent the American experience or perspective within the art. These works can include many different genres and forms of writing, including poetry and prose, and can include many different writers. There are also a number of movements within American writing that can be considered, including realism, writing before and after both World Wars, as well as modern and post-modern writing. The American Canon is not necessarily set up as a single list, but can include various works depending on who composed the list.
A “canon” refers to the body of work typically thought of as indicative of a particular time or place. The American canon, therefore, refers to works, generally written, that represent the American experience and were written by American writers. While the American canon covers a relatively long period of time, it usually does not include works that predate the establishment of colonies in what is now the United States, although Native American works may also be represented within this body of work. Other parts of the American continents are often referred to by other terms, such as Latin American or Canadian canons.
There are many different writers whose works are considered part of the American canon, and lists of this canon usually only mention particular works. While Washington Irving is often considered an important and influential American writer, most canonical lists usually only mention a single work, in this case The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This keeps such lists more manageable, although some writers with superb and influential works numbers may be represented in such lists numerous times. Most American canon lists include numerous works by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and Tennessee Williams.
The American canon is usually written as a list of writers and the works that best demonstrate those writers’ skills and American expertise. There are many different lists that can be found, often assembled by critics or scholars of literature and poetry. This means that it can often be a good idea for anyone interested in the American canon to look at numerous listings and compare which works are in those listings. The progressive nature of American literature and poetry has resulted in a diverse range of works by writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Don DeLillo, Mark Twain, Ralph Ellison, JD Salinger, Zora Neale Hurston, Allen Ginsburg and Toni Morrison.
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