Morris writes, “On its face, canon-making is a fairly human impulse: I love this. Everyone else should, too! … .That enthusiasm hardened, through curriculums, book clubs and great-works lists, into...

Morris writes, “On its face, canon-making is a fairly human impulse: I love this. Everyone else should, too! … .That enthusiasm hardened, through curriculums, book clubs and great-works lists, into something more authoritarian, so that canon became taste hammered into stone tablets” (par. 5).

Why does Morris assume that canon-making or canon formation is the result of specifically human impulses? Can you find moments in the text that help you understand which impulses he is referring to? Explain your answer.

Do your own experiences or friends’ experiences with can on making align with what Morris describes? Do the impulses he says drive this activity align with these experiences? Why or why not?