Bye Bye Moby, See Ya Huck

By the time the next generation of students reaches college age, revered works of literature such as Huckleberry Finn and Moby Dick may no longer be foremost in the American literary canon, according to four Harvard professors who spoke yesterday at the symposium, "Reexamining Masterpieces: Changes in the American Literary Canon."

The panel, which examined the changing parameters that determine what works of American literature will be considered classics, was moderated by Werner Sollors, professor of American literature and language and of Afro-American Studies. Barbara Johnson, professor of French and comparative literature, Nathan Huggins, DuBois Professor of History and Afro-American Studies and Sacvan Bercovitch, Carswell Professor of English and American Literature and Language also participated in the forum.

"It is necessary to justify within a text what it is that makes it worthy of study and not merely accept it as tradition," Huggins told the standing room only audience of more than 150. He said that the cultural changes in America during the past generation have prompted a reexamination in literature.

Johnson said that there now exists a series of questions about what works should comprise the canon of American literature, and that a series of givens no longer exists.

Sollors concurred, saying that compared to 20 years ago, there is now "no common framework of assumptions" that would allow the wide variety of new literature to converge with works traditionally considered classics.

At the beginning of the symposium, Sollors gave Harvard--and all members of the audience--an unprecedented gift, the first written collection of the experiences of Afro-American students at Harvard. Sollors and two colleagues compiled "Varieties of Black Experience at Harvard, An Anthology." The work includes 37 personal experiences written by numerous Harvard graduates and affiliates.

"We don't want to dwell on sins of the past, but put them in perspective and move forward," Sollors commented. "This book takes stock of the past in an honest way."