Alternative Canons
Popular Culture as Alternative Canon
In his Prison Notebooks, Antonio Gramsci talks about the concept of the
Gramsci’s observation seems to reinforce Raymond Williams’ assertion that
If we accept these to be true, then national literature would be more aptly represented not by the exclusivist texts of the upper classes, but by the humble works consumed by the masses, the assumption being that common tastes are also valid lines or organizing common culture. Such works have traditionally been derided for their populist nature and relegated as inferior to the more highbrow literature of the elite. In the case of the Philippines, these works span a variety of genres and forms, with romance novels and comics being the most popular and accessible. Interestingly, it is these texts that represent the bulk of consumption and readership, with publication numbers being almost ten times more than those of texts considered high literature, as in the case of Martha Cecilia’s romance novels, or Bob Ong’s ABNKKBSNPLAko.
