The Canon and the Curriculum: Perspectives for Teaching Literature

Although debate about the literary canon intensified in the late 1980s, literature teachers continue to discuss and often disagree about the “great books” students should read. Early usages of the phrase the canon are explored, and it is suggested that its application to literature differs fundamentally from its application to religion. Rather than simply focus on what literary works students should read, the discussion should also consider why and how they are to be read. The various types of literacy—academic, cultural, and critical—required to study literary texts are next examined, and the distinction between the canon versus the curriculum is analyzed. Disagreements over which literary works should be assigned are often due to the curriculum—not the canon. Finally, recommendations are made about approaching both the canon and the curriculum in the Moroccan context