Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Roald Dahl Should Be Added to the Literary Canon
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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page paper argues that Roald Dahl should be added to the literary canon. It includes a discussion of what the canon is, and some of Dahl’s works. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVadddhl.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the first thing to do is define what is meant by the "literary canon," and thats somewhat difficult. It seems to be a term that everyone understands but no one
can truly define. The word "canon" itself, according to Websters, means "a law or body of laws of a church"; its second meaning is "any law or decree," though that
is a rare usage. The third definition seems to be the one applicable here: "an established or basic rule or principle," such as the "canons of good taste." What this
implies is there are certain rules by which works of literature are judged to be canonical or not; that is, they meet some sort of criteria that makes them worthy
to be accounted "great" or "important" books. They comprise "an authoritative list, as of the works of an author" (Stockton). A roundtable of teachers discussed the importance of the
literary canon, and also the problems with it. They noted that many of the works considered canon are those of white European men such as Shakespeare and Milton, and that
there seems to be a sort of "elitist" feeling that only such works are worth being considered canon; furthermore, those people who have read and understood these books also feel
somewhat superior to those who have not (Bridges, et al.). In addition, several of the teachers suggested that some teachers are reluctant to try and teach the more difficult works:
"They prefer teaching books with fairly simplistic moral dilemmas that allow easy class discussion about personal behavior. We need teachers who are up to the challenge of teaching complex books"
(Bridges, et al. 50). The elitism of readers who feel superior to those who dont understand these works, plus the reluctance of some teachers to tackle challenging writing, helps to
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