This doesn’t really have to do with our readings explicitly, but I was thinking about what I have gotten out of this class over the semester. I really enjoyed all of the readings, even the ones that were so difficult to understand that I wanted to put the book down. But even through all of the difficult readings or stories I didn’t like, what I got out of this course was more of a questioning of my preconceived notions of what “good literature” is and what characteristics constitute a great piece of literature in the eyes of society, basically what characteristics allow a book to be part of the canon and also the Asian American canon.

I have been thinking about this more after the class has wrapped up, but are there certain qualifications in a piece of literature to belong to the Asian American canon? Does the text have to talk about issues surrounding identity politics and the integration of history to the “home country” or what? In a sense, I feel like the Asian American canon contradicts what it really is supposed to be doing because there is a canon that exists. There are certain texts that are considered to be Asian American texts and I feel like in this class we read a lot of work that would not normally fit into the canon. And if people went to the IDAAS Senior Thesis Presentations, Sophia talked about this in her presentation of her thesis. There is a canon of Asian American texts and she questions why there are these limitations on what can be considered an “Asian American text.” Asian American texts don’t just deal with the issues brought up in Joy Luck Club or whatever, but a vast array of issues that could apply to all people color as well, not just Asian Americans.

I feel like in this course we read a lot of books that fit within the Asian American canon and not so much on trying to question the Asian American canon. That would have been interesting to have a mixture within the course to discuss not only the mainstream canon but also the Asian American canon.

But that’s all I had to say, have a wonderful summer everyone. It was fun.