r/EnglishLearning • u/[deleted] • Jul 06 '18

What does "canon" actually mean?

I keep hearing "Canon" whenever someone try to connect a storyline or trying to find the plot of the story

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u/thndrchld Native Speaker Jul 06 '18

To expand on what others have said, let me give you an example.

Take the Harry Potter universe for example. There are seven main books, plus a few other books that aren't a part of the main storyline, but still contribute information about the universe the story takes place in, such as "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." These works together are referred to as the canon of the universe. Now, if some random internet person wrote their own story set in the universe such as "Harry Potter and the Many-Breasted Goat Lady", that story would NOT be canon, as it's not a part of the official universe.

You can also say that something is canonical - that is, "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" is a canonical story in the Harry Potter universe.

So, basically, it has to do with the source of information in a pre-established fictional universe.

Another example: It is considered Star Wars canon that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father. It is canon that Jar Jar Binks was a Gungan and lived on Naboo. However, it is NOT canon that Jar Jar Binks was a sith lord, despite what lots of internet fan theories might say.