What I take the literary canon to mean is the selection of the most relevant literature to a specific time frame. The problem now is that the Western literary canon is highly Eurocentric. As Gugelberger urges, the Western author "must expose to his European audience the naked reality of the relationship between Europe and the Third World. He has to show to his European reader that, to paraphrase Brecht, the water he drinks is often taken from the mouths of the thirsty in the third world and the food he eats is snatched from the mouths of the hungry in Asia, Africa, and South America" (505). The literary canon will remain problematic until it begins to highlight the underrepresented human societies of the Third World, in a sense contributing to the undoing of colonialism.
When he refers to the ideology of decolonization, Gugelberger is calling awareness to authors. He is not necessarily urging his audience to be inclusive of Third World Literature by integrating these texts within our canon of literature. Rather, his purpose is to make Western society more aware of the context, suffering, and events of Third World generations: "The issue then is not to integrate Third World literary works into the canon but to identify with "the wretched of the earth" and to learn from them--to learn from the Third World writer how to look into what is really going on in the world and why it has been going on and thus to learn about our own limitations. And, one hopes, through emphasis on significant cultural otherness, also to try to end colonialism and neocolonialism, political and mental" (506). Our current literary canon only reflects Western texts, books, and publications, and it fails to address third world civilizations that are often overlooked and underrepresented. He is a strong advocate of Third World Literature and firm believer in its legacy, emphasizing that it must be cherished and celebrated in the way that it deserves, but also that on the most basic level, its social issues must be brought to the attention of Western society through literature.
One example of the success of celebrating underrepresented human populations is seen through Junot Diaz' narrative: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Centered on the story of a family living within Dominican society in both the Dominican Republic and the United States, this novel highlights a place, context, and setting of the Third World that Gugelberger points to in his purposeful article. It creatively raises its readers' awareness on the issue of colonialism through illustrating the historical and political context of the reign of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo during his regime. In this sense, Diaz is bringing attention to the story of real Third World people, a perfect example of decolonizing the current Western literary canon. Another such example of successful decolonizing literature is Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources by Robert Strayer. This is a World History textbook, but a modern one. It emphasizes that world history is not Western civilization. It tackles the current problem of Eurocentrism that occurs throughout many history textbooks by celebrating the golden ages of underrepresented civilizations such as China, Islam, and the Mongol Empire. It remembers the importance of women. It clarifies how colonialism has strategically stripped away the inherent dignity of native, indigenous human populations. Strayer's book teaches history from a global perspective and highlights the importance of recognizing the flaws of Eurocentrism through brining underrepresented societies and civilizations to the spotlight that they have long deserved.
When he refers to the ideology of decolonization, Gugelberger is calling awareness to authors. He is not necessarily urging his audience to be inclusive of Third World Literature by integrating these texts within our canon of literature. Rather, his purpose is to make Western society more aware of the context, suffering, and events of Third World generations: "The issue then is not to integrate Third World literary works into the canon but to identify with "the wretched of the earth" and to learn from them--to learn from the Third World writer how to look into what is really going on in the world and why it has been going on and thus to learn about our own limitations. And, one hopes, through emphasis on significant cultural otherness, also to try to end colonialism and neocolonialism, political and mental" (506). Our current literary canon only reflects Western texts, books, and publications, and it fails to address third world civilizations that are often overlooked and underrepresented. He is a strong advocate of Third World Literature and firm believer in its legacy, emphasizing that it must be cherished and celebrated in the way that it deserves, but also that on the most basic level, its social issues must be brought to the attention of Western society through literature.
One example of the success of celebrating underrepresented human populations is seen through Junot Diaz' narrative: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Centered on the story of a family living within Dominican society in both the Dominican Republic and the United States, this novel highlights a place, context, and setting of the Third World that Gugelberger points to in his purposeful article. It creatively raises its readers' awareness on the issue of colonialism through illustrating the historical and political context of the reign of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo during his regime. In this sense, Diaz is bringing attention to the story of real Third World people, a perfect example of decolonizing the current Western literary canon. Another such example of successful decolonizing literature is Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources by Robert Strayer. This is a World History textbook, but a modern one. It emphasizes that world history is not Western civilization. It tackles the current problem of Eurocentrism that occurs throughout many history textbooks by celebrating the golden ages of underrepresented civilizations such as China, Islam, and the Mongol Empire. It remembers the importance of women. It clarifies how colonialism has strategically stripped away the inherent dignity of native, indigenous human populations. Strayer's book teaches history from a global perspective and highlights the importance of recognizing the flaws of Eurocentrism through brining underrepresented societies and civilizations to the spotlight that they have long deserved.
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