I'm Irene Banks and I'm happy that you've found your way to my blog. I'm an avid reader and for the past couple of years, I've shared book reviews on my Facebook page. A good friend enjoyed my reviews and suggested that I create a blog - so here we are! You might be wondering about the name "Banks Western Canyon". The intent of this inaugural post is to explain its origin.
In 2015, I took part in a development forum for which I had to read thirty business management books. The course was offered annually and each year, my employer nominated leaders to take part. I had heard about the list of thirty books from friends in earlier cohorts. More like I was forewarned. On that list, there was one book most feared by all – How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren (he of Quiz Show fame). The forum’s facilitators told us that we must read all thirty, however it was acceptable to read only a summary of How to Read a Book. Concerned about dumbing down, I chose to read the book, not the summary. I’m grateful that I did. It was in that excellent book that I first encountered a recommended reading list based on great works of literature. Perhaps it wasn't the first time. I took my under-graduate degree in English and am sure I encountered recommended reading lists during my studies. Those lists didn’t capture my imagination mainly because reading during that time of my life had a solely practical purpose – to read what I had to read to pass a course and get a degree.
As appreciative as I was of How to Read a Book and its list of recommended books, I didn’t try to read any of them in a planful way. Instead, I went on with life and read what I wanted to read. However, I had a nagging feeling that something was missing. It wasn't until 2020 when I read a chronology of world intellectual events in The Passion of the Western Mind by Richard Tarnas that I set a reading plan in motion. The Passion of the Western Mind is a tour de force and it inspired me to start reading the books that I always thought I should someday read. But where to begin? Through acquired knowledge, I recalled something called “Bloom’s Western Canon” and determined to start with it, even though I didn't quite know what it was.
What drew me to focus on a ‘should read’ list? It started with admiration. I've always admired people who were well-read and who could name things accurately. Those things may be books, they may be styles of architecture, they may be parts of speech. My admiration extends beyond the ability to name things because the most well-read people I know are also the most open-minded. Because they have been exposed to much diversity of thought, they understand the validity of the many sides of an argument.
My curiosity about the canon was also peaked by my personality. I'm both analytical and creative. I like to follow a path yet occasionally take a detour off that path, especially if the detour helps me understand the path better. The concept of a literary canon - a recommended set of books that a person should read, appealed to me. Canons are popular in pop culture. We hear about what is or is not canonical in the Star Wars galaxy or the world of the Lord of the Rings. At a younger age, I got caught up in what was or was not canonical in the X-Files television series. There is nothing wrong with a pop culture canon, however it dismays me that I took it so seriously and didn't expend the same amount of energy to read the books that are the foundation for understanding our culture. I have decided to push myself to do better.
Becoming middle aged and having limited time is another impetus for wanting to read books from the literary canon. There is only so much time left in my life and there are so many books to read. If I'm going to devote time to reading, I owe it to myself to read the best. I know I will not enjoy every book; for example, I cannot say that I enjoyed reading the Bible. But I certainly feel like a better person for having done so. By better, I don't mean more pious or smarter than the next person. I mean that I better understand the Bible’s context and why it has been so important for so many people for so long. That importance is not only religious but also historical. The Bible, along with the foundational works of ancient literature, is our link between written history and the prehistoric past. Reading these works takes us to the precipice of time when oral storytelling was predominant, and writing was an emerging technology. Learning more about that time was enjoyable.
Enjoyment is sometimes a happy result of reading, however canonical books, which can be entertaining, aren't entertainment. Harold Bloom, an eminent literary critic and author of The Western Canon: the Books and School of the Ages, discusses the challenges inherent in reading canonical works - starting with the need to read them more than once. A daunting task indeed! It is Bloom's recommended reading list, colloquially known as Bloom's Western Canon, from which I was inspired to name this blog. And it is his book that will be the subject of my first review.
I look forward to the journey and hope you join me for the ride.
Beautifully and eloquently written. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.