Paidion Coalition

Although Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier is a story about infidelity and betrayal, it is also about the mind frame of Dowell, the narrator. This is evident in the narrative style Ford uses. Dowell’s disorganized tale shows that he has lost his sense of reason and order, and is quite confused. His confusion can be attributed to the realization of his wife adultery and the circumstances of his discovery. Therefore, the story is about two set of crisis: the characters’ lives and Dowell’s psychological state. And to understand the crisis in the characters’ life, you have to understand the confusion in Dowell’s mentality.

      To be or not to be is always the basis of contention in all humans. In the case of Flush , the debate seems to be whether it, meaning Flush , fits into the literary canon- the modernist canon to be exact. The literary canon, according to Kershner, is “the accepted academic list of writers to be studied” (39). Therefore, if what is accepted in the literary canon is determined by a group of people, acclaimed critics of that era, then what is actually the criteria for such distinguished badge of canonical status? Is it the relationship between the work and the historical, or the artistic and social context of the era the work was published? Or is it being relevant to the changes, experiences and context of the writer, public and the supposed law on canonical issues?