What is Canon?

DEFINITION:

“In a figurative sense, a standard of judgement; a criticism/ The term is often extended to mean the accepted list of books of any author, such as Shakespeare” (Haron & Hugh).

“Kanon, meaning a reed or rod used as an instrument of measure. The sense of the word important to literary critics first appeared in the fourth century A.D., when ‘canon’ used to signify a list of texts or authors, specifically the books of the Bible and of the early theologians of Christianity. “Canon suggested some authors or texts were deemed worthier of preservation than others” (Lentricchian & McLaughlin 233).

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME?

Traditional publishers very often choose books to publish more today on who they are. Can this author make them a lot of money based on who the author is instead of whether their story is good?

**Times are changing due to the Internet leveling the playing field. Small publishers and self-published authors can and do rise in popularity based on their story, not on who they are.