THE ANTI-CANON—CYRANO.

THE ANTI-CANON—CYRANO. There is a lot of discussion about the “Western canon”—the books that are considered to be, as wikipedia says, the”greatest works of artistic merit.” There also seems to be what might be considered an “anti-canon”, books which are supposed to be rejected by people of discrimination. I admire a lot of books which seem to be in the “anti-canon.” I thought of this when I was glancing at an article about Ayn Rand by Thomas Mallon in the November 9 New Yorker. Ayn Rand, of course, is in the anti-canon (I can’t comment because I’ve never read her). Mallon is quoting Rand’s “strident and bizarre” opinions at one point to demonstrate that she was a “poor reader.” He points out with evident scorn that Rand called “Cyrano de Bergerac” “the greatest play in the history of Romantic literature.” I think Cyrano is a great play, and if the class is limited to Romantic plays, it might be the best and the most Romantic.