What is a Literary Canon? A Canon is a body of books, music, and art that scholars generally accept as the most important and influential in shaping culture. That includes works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama generally perceived as being of major artistic merit and representing the high culture. Belonging to the canon means a work has status, social, political, economic and aesthetic value. It is a guarantee of quality. The authors and poets represented here in Cari's Canon are a unique representation of the Current Critical Cannon. These Essays and Journal Entries span from 1991 to 2002-essentially covering High School through Graduate School. While the collection includes Shakespeare and other standard classics, it also encompasses Modern and Postmodern authors as well. However, Feminism and Women's Studies takes center stage toward the end. It is a wonderful snapshot of the diverse scholarship during the 1990s and early 2000s.