What makes an author canonical, according to Bloom and Kermode?

‘Strangeness, originality, aesthetic strength’ (Bloom 1996:3-29) and the combination of ‘happiness and dismay’ (Kermode 2004:15-41) are essential to canonicity in literature.

Close reading of the following passages:

Elizabeth Bennett’s refusal of the marriage proposal from Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice (Austen 2015:103-106).  

Catherine’s speech to Nelly lamenting her love for Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (Brontë 2003:81-83).

According to Harold Bloom (1996), a text must encompass several qualities to be worthy of canonical status in his definition of the Western Canon. In this critical close reading, I will discuss the qualities that make Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (2015) and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (2003) worthy of canon status. In making this argument, I will critically analyse the texts and focus on two of the principles argued by Bloom as being essential for a text to reach canonical status: the idea of ‘strangeness, a mode of originality’ as well as ‘aesthetic strength, mastery of language,’ (Bloom 1996:3-29). I will also draw upon Kermode’s opinion that a combination of ‘happiness and dismay’ is vital to a readers experience of ‘pleasure’ and is essential in canonical texts (Kermode 2004:15-31). I will argue that both texts exhibit Blooms idea of ‘aesthetic strength’ and ‘mastery of language’ (1996:29), and in this they create a combination of ‘happiness and dismay’ that enables the reader to experience s a pleasurable reading experience (Kermode 2004:30).

In Blooms opinion ‘all strong literary originality becomes canonical’ (Bloom 1996:25). Pride and Prejudice (Austen 2015) contains this ‘originality’ in the characterisation of Elizabeth Bennett. Austen’s depiction of Elizabeth as an independent woman who speaks her mind who is aware of her societal duties as a daughter contrasts the gendered role of women in this period. Specifically, in the passage where Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins’ marriage proposal (Austen 2015:103-106), she boldly shuts him down with little regard for saving face or being considered a ‘proper lady.’ Austen uses wit and humour in this scene to illustrate Elizabeth’s defiance when makes fun of Mr Collins, ‘The idea of Mr. Collins, with all his solemn composure, being run away with by his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing...’ (Austen 2015:103). Further, Elizabeth’s language makes it quite clear that she rejects Mr Collins and everything he stands for, ‘You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.’ (Austen 2015:105). Elizabeth’s unflinching directness gives the reader a glimpse into her ideas on marriage; that she is aware of her role as a woman but is determined to act on her terms, this is a contradiction to women of the Regency period and provides an original idea of a woman challenging the gendered roles of society. Mr Collins presents to the reader as a metaphor for society and gendered roles; by allowing Elizabeth to make fun of and reject Mr Collins, in Pride and Prejudice (2015), Austen provides an original depiction of a different type of woman from the 19th century and is an example of ‘originality’ in line with Bloom’s definition and therefore, must be canonical (Bloom 1996:3).

Bloom states that canonical works must have ‘strangeness, a mode of originality’ (Bloom 1996:3). Wuthering Heights (Brontë 2003) embodies this idea of ‘strangeness’ and ‘originality’ concerning the narrative structure and use of dual unreliable narrators (Bloom 1996:3). The text provides a ‘unique, multi-layered narrative structure’ and the ‘dual narrative’ allows the reader to experience the story from two perspectives, while allowing the story to unravel and shift through time (Bensoussan 2017:2). The text uses narrative techniques such as flashbacks, snippets of diaries, dreams, and letters to create these time shifts. Using a limited point of view from two characters on the outside, looking inwards, creates a separation between the reader and the story of the characters they are watching. Specifically, in the passage where Catherine confesses to Nelly her feelings for Heathcliff (Brontë 2003:81-83), the story is relayed to Lockwood through Nelly’s perspective and memory, making her an unreliable narrator. By Brontë removing her voice as an author and replacing it with these outside characters, she allows the story to speak for itself, and the reader can focus on the story rather than judging the narrators (Bensoussan 2017:6). In the passage, Nelly’s contempt for Catherine is evident in the way she berates Catherine on her motives for marrying Edgar when she says, ‘that’s the worst motive you’ve given yet for being the wife of young Linton,’ (Brontë 2003:82). Further when Catherine talks about her love for Heathcliff, Nelly begins to lose patience with Catherine, ‘She paused, and hid her face in the folds of my gown; but I jerked it forcibly away. I was out of patience with her folly!’ (Brontë 2003:83). Nelly does not stop Catherine when she knows Heathcliff is listening, which is another example of Nelly’s motives and contempt towards Catherine and Heathcliff, which can only be achieved through Nelly’s perspective. In this recollection, the relationship portrayed between her as a servant to her mistress this scene gives the reader an unusual glimpse into Nelly’s thoughts and feelings towards Catherine, which could put doubt in the reader’s mind about the truth of her story. The dual narrative structure and use of unreliable narrators give Wuthering Heights (Brontë 2003) a ‘strangeness, a mode of originality’ in line with Bloom’s definition, making it a canonical text (Bloom 1996:3). 

Bloom further argues that ‘one breaks into the canon only by aesthetic strength’ which is defined by a combination of ‘mastery of figurative language, originality, cognitive power, knowledge, exuberance of diction’ (Bloom 1996:29). On the other hand, Kermode and Alter suggest a texts combination of ‘happiness and dismay’ is critical to the ‘pleasure’ of reading and is an integral part of canonical texts (Kermode 2004:30). Through ‘aesthetic strength’ and a ‘mastery of language’ a reader can experience ‘pleasure’ in reading which links to both Bloom and Kermode’s ideas on canon formation. Austen demonstrates an ‘aesthetic strength’ and ‘mastery of language’ (Bloom 1996:29) through the dialogue of her characters and the use of wit, humour and irony in Pride and Prejudice (2015). In the passage where Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins’ marriage proposal he remarks on Elizabeth possessing the qualities Austen gives her readers through her writing, ‘…and your wit and vivacity I think must be acceptable to her…’ (Austen 2015:104). Austen uses irony in this passage with the language Mr Collins uses and his repeated references to Elizabeth’s wit that shows his own ‘lack of wit, of original thought,’ which leads his intellect to be called into question (Cox 2002:5). Austen’s playfulness of language in the passage with the exchange between Mr Collins monotonous and slow paced speeches and Elizabeth’s inability to get a word in is a further example of the humour and sarcasm used in Austen’s ‘mastery of language’ (Bloom 1996:29). The diction and pace of Mr Collins’ long and tiresome speeches contrast with Elizabeth’s quick-witted sharp rebuts and allows the reader to feel relieved when Elizabeth thinks, ‘It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now,’ (Austen 2015:104).
The word choices Austen has in this scene with Mr Collins’ speech to describe Elizabeth shows how he is used as a tool for irony; he does not understand Elizabeth or see her for who she is; he refers to her ‘loveliness and amiable qualifications’ and as an ‘elegant female’ (Austen 2015:106), this is in contrast to Elizabeth’s reply to him when she says, ‘Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.’ (Austen 2015:106). This word choice of ‘rational creature’ links to the gendered roles of women of this era and contradicts Mr Collins’ view of Elizabeth. Austen’s use of diction and word choices in this passage allow the reader to experience an element of ‘pleasure’ at the comical exchange between Mr Collins and Elizabeth which according to Kermode, is ‘a necessary though not obvious requirement of the canonical, that it should give pleasure’ (Kermode 2004:20). 

In Wuthering Heights (2003), Brontë uses literary devices such as metaphor and imagery to link the moors and nature elements and create powerful images for the reader to convey the intense emotions of her characters. Specifically, this ‘mastery of language’ according to Bloom (1996:29), can be seen in the passage of Catherine’s speech declaring her love for Heathcliff compared to Edgar, for example, ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightening, or frost from fire.’ (Brontë 2003:81). The choice of words such as ‘moonbeam from lightening’ and ‘frost from fire’ allows the reader to understand the vast opposing factors of Catherine’s feelings as she likens them to nature and creates an eloquent explanation of her love. To show the difference between Catherine’s feelings for Edgar and Heathcliff, the use of words such as Linton being like the ‘foliage in the woods’ and Heathcliff being ‘the eternal rocks beneath’ is a powerful juxtaposition between external deep love and a surface love that changes (Brontë 2003:82). When Catherine tells Nelly, ‘I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being,’ (Brontë 2003:82); the use of passionate and evocative language in Catherine’s declaration of being Heathcliff and ‘not as a pleasure’ shows the reader that her love is all consuming and out of her control. In this passage, Heathcliff overhears part of the conversation and subsequently leaves, unbeknownst to Catherine, I argue that this links to the feelings of ‘happiness and dismay’ that the reader would feel from this exchange in knowing that Heathcliff leaves without hearing the rest of Catherine’s declaration and links to Alter’s idea of ‘intertwining of happiness with dismay’ as being a ‘distinctive character’ of  the pleasure experienced from reading a canonical text (Alter 2004:8). Further to this, the repeated highs, and lows of the characters in Wuthering Heights (Brontë 2003) and the extreme emotions and torments they experience, the reader experiences a ‘repeated disappointment and satisfaction’ which according to Kermode is ‘key to canonicity,’ (Kermode 2004:30).

In this critical close reading through analysis of specific passages, I have discussed how Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (2015) and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (2003) embody the qualities of ‘strangeness, mode of originality’ and ‘aesthetic strength’ and ‘mastery of language’ as per Bloom (1996:3-29) and argued how the texts are worthy of canonical status. In doing so, I have also referred to Kermode and Alter (2004:8-31) concerning their opinions of ‘pleasure’ as an essential feature of canon status and argued that through both texts ‘aesthetic strengths,’ they provide an experience of ‘pleasure’ for the reader.

Sarah K. Gill © 2023 

References

Alter R (2004) ‘Introduction’, in Alter R (ed) Pleasure and Change The Aesthetics of Canon, Oxford University Press, New York.  

Austen J (2015) Pride and Prejudice, Penguin Group (Australia), Australia.

Bensoussan N (2017) ‘The Narrative Structure of Wuthering Heights: An Examination of Nelly Dean and Lockwood,’ Ellipsis, 44(24):1-6, doi:https://doi.org/10.46428/ejail.44.24

Bloom H (1996a) ‘Preface and prelude’, in Bloom H (ed) The Western canon; the books and school of the ages, Macmillan, London.

————(1996b) ‘An elegy for the canon’, in Bloom H (ed) The Western canon; the books and school of the ages, Macmillan, London.

Brontë E (2003) Wuthering Heights, Penguin Classics, Great Britain.   

Cox O (2022) ‘& Not the Least Wit’: Jane Austen’s Use of ‘Wit’, Humanities, 11(132):1-21, https://doi.org/10.3390/h11060132

Kermode F (2004) ‘Pleasure’, in Alter R (ed) Pleasure and Change The Aesthetics of Canon, Oxford University Press, New York.