Felling the Canon: Classical Roots and Anti-Genealogies in Monica Youn's Blackacre

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of classical references in Monica Youn's collection Blackacre. Inspired by rhizomatic models of classical reception studies, my reading focuses on the relationship between classical references in the body of the poems, on the one hand, and classical references in the paratexts on the other hand. I argue that Youn's oblique engagement with classical material exposes the limitations of an arborescent or genealogical model of reception and, on a related note, the constraints imposed by the construct of the canon as Youn leverages the heterogeneity of Asian American literature to resist the idea of a simple, hierarchical, one-way classical canon.