“Chip, chip, chip away”: Revisiting the Norton Anthology’s Canon Essays in the MeToo Era

Through a postcolonial feminist lens, this paper examines the literary canon: its evolution, pedagogic purposes, and the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion subtending it. Scrutinising canon formation via excerpts from the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, we expose the blind spots of the canon and their consequences. The article critiques Global North paradigms of knowledge and the epistemic violence inherent in excluding minoritised voices and forms of knowledge. We argue that literary study can be a form of subjugation because of the narratives it prioritises and marginalises. Drawing on key texts from Matthew Arnold, Terry Eagleton, Gauri Viswanathan, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Franco Moretti, and Sara Ahmed, our analysis situates the discussion within the broader context of coloniality and its lingering impact on knowledge production and representation. In showing alternative forms of knowledge – from Gandhi and Al-Ghazali’s critiques of Western reason to intersectional feminist analyses – we highlight the need to interrogate capitalist and colonial ideologies, and advocate for inclusive modes of epistemic representation. By interrogating the power dynamics that underpin the canon, our paper calls for a reevaluation of the literary canon to better reflect diverse voices and experiences, particularly those from the Global South.