The conflicting relation and interplay between a canon fixed in wording and interpretation on the one hand, and the volatility and ambiguity of the "quotable quote" (Garber: Quotation Marks, 2003) on the other hand is the main objective of this work. Without quotation the canon cannot and will not survive. But how does quotation affect the authority of the canon? I argue that quotation 'classics' are not made, they are quoted: It is the quoter and not the author of a text who wields the (democratic) power of choosing the quotable. I investigate how the canon prescribed by the Chinese...
The conflicting relation and interplay between a canon fixed in wording and interpretation on the one hand, and the volatility and ambiguity of the "q...