Untitled - Sexey's School Moodle

that person “is driven over the glorious earth by the evil of
poverty”. Nor will we connive at them claiming that “Zeus is the
dispenser of both good and evil.” (52)
Hence, with regard to what he considered to be the transgressive elements of Homer’s
The Iliad, Plato promoted the idea of altering the texts to downplay their subversive
element. To many, this perspective may seem rather conservative, if not extremely
narrow-minded, yet it certainly sets the stage for the processes of canon-formation in the
ensuing ages, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, from determining which
texts would be included in the Bible and establishing monastic dogma, to the still on-
going revision of the academic canon in order to accommodate a wider variety of texts
that reflect the ideals of a pluralistic and representative society.
As a forefather of the western tradition, it would not seem surprising that Plato’s
method of selection has had a significant influence on the processes of canonization.
Although chronologically far removed from contemporary discourses regarding academic
canons, his process outlines a number of pertinent characteristics of canon-formation as it
has unfolded historically. First, there seems to be an implied awareness on the part of
various canonizers that because of their potential depth of meaning, beauty of language,
and cultural pertinence, literary texts can serve educational purposes by the influences
they exert on their readers. From the outset, it seems that canon-formation practices were
intimately related to pedagogy and the role of educational institutions in creating an
ethical citizenry. Second, it suggests that canon-making is a process of selection, i.e., of
hand-picking a select group of texts from the vast array of available writings. Third; in
order to downplay the subversive element contained in prominent texts, canonizers feel
the need to take a specific course of action that will ultimately neutralize the potential
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