Literature is elitist.
Elitism is a standard of discernment that seeks to exclude everything (or everyone) perceived to fall short of that standard, while Literature is traditionally defined as written works of superior or lasting artistic merit. Its definition alone is undoubtedly elitist, a concept further executed by critics and scholars which sparked a debate interspersing across centuries.
The most obvious form of elitism arises due to an author’s background. The literary canon mainly consists of works by the “stale, pale, male” – the predominantly white, older male authors, while coloured writers are considered subordinates. This is reflected in England’s GCSE and A level curriculum that “drives up standards by privileging Victorian novels” (Peter Thomas, NATE Issue 24). Texts from these authors like Shakespeare, Hardy or Dickens remain within the syllabus no matter how frequently it alters - with about only 5% of texts from authors of coloured and minority backgrounds in some courses. Although it is argued that with increasing awareness of racism and equality, works presented by people of colour and different identification are also valued, ironically, from how the BBC Radio 4 Programme only remembered Margaret Atwood and forgot Bernardine Evaristo as The Booker Prize 2019 joint-winners, it is evident that the issue of racism is somewhat too deeply rooted in society to expect change any sooner.
Surprisingly, the language may also be a decisive factor to determine whether a text is “of quality”. Chinese literary works have shifted from using Classical Chinese to Modern Chinese – yet these are the only two presentations considered appropriate for education. In Hong Kong, works written in Cantonese will never appear in the Chinese curriculum because the dialect is used in daily life, deemed colloquial by the education field, and lack the “artsy” elements. The Western scene also mirrors this phenomenon: The Booker Prize 1994 was taken by James Kelman’s How Late It Was, How Late and was attacked as the prize’s “literary vandalism” because it “transcribe[d] the rambling thoughts of a blind Glaswegian drunk”. It is evident that without proficiency or with the usage of colloquial language, such works are not to be considered of literary value. Conversely, it is suggested that literary works may be written in an overly refined manner that encourages elitism, allowing only readers reaching a certain literacy level to understand these works. This issue arose when author Eleanor Catton received a complaint from a reader on her use of “crepuscular” in her Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries. Catton, who suggested that her novel merely did not meet the consumerist needs of that reader, conveyed an important message: How we define, classify, and interpret literature is solely based on our biased preconceptions, resulting in the literary elitism we see today.
Perhaps the emergence of the International Baccalaureate serves as a solution to prevent literary elitism by gearing towards diversity of texts. The significant increase of authors of different representations winning literary awards also acts as proof of reducing prejudices in literature. Unfortunately, that is only the first step to eliminating this problem. It exists in our society’s opinion on literature, and still will in the future – it is up to us modern readers to stop appreciating literature through the lenses of our rose-tinted glasses.
Sources:
Booker club: How Late it Was, How Late by James Kelman. The Guardian. September 14, 2011 [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/14/booker-club-james-kelman-how-late]
Campaigners aren't happy with the GCSE and A-level English curriculum. The Independent. March 04, 2016 [https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/gcse-and-level-english-curriculumdominated-white-deceased-male-writers-say-campaigners-a6909441.html]
Is the literary world elitist? Salon. February 07, 2014 [https://www.salon.com/2014/02/07/is_the_literary_world_elitist/]
Issues on the Ether: The Literary Elitism Question. Publishing Perspectives. February 11, 2014 [https://publishingperspectives.com/2014/02/issues-on-the-ether-the-literary-elitism-question/]
Pete Thomas. “English, Education and Culture Wars” Teaching English, Issue 24 (National Association for the Teaching of English): 11-1
