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History of English literature

P/LI/15. The role of the canon in promoting patriarchal, racist, and imperialist values

WORDS:: 2500
DATE:: 2004
PRICE:: 29.99 GBP

The paper studies social and political implications of canon in literature. Analysing the process of canon formation, the author goes into the history of the canon giving an overview of its role in the formation of literary styles and genres. The paper claims that though the canon was dominated by men up until the 18th century, it did not reinforce patriarchal attitudes to women, but reflected the values of the patriarchal society (the paper shows that a canonical female stereotype was an ideal virtuous woman). The same can be said about the racial prejudices. However, the ideas of cultural hegemony connected with the expansion of England, were indeed reflected in the canon (e.g. the need to change Irish names into English).

KEYWORDS: li, role, canon, promoting, patriarchal, racist, imperialist, values,