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Greats is a term applied to individuals, works, institutions, or events widely regarded as exemplary or seminal within particular domains. Across eras and regions such entities are invoked as benchmarks in discussions involving Plato, Napoleon, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Marie Curie and comparable figures. The label often appears in historiography, canon formation, institutional honors, and popular memory, shaping how later generations prioritize Renaissance, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, and modern achievements.
"Greats" denotes a category of eminence tied to perceived influence, innovation, and endurance. Definitions vary among commentators in Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, and other centers of scholarship, with competing lists produced by institutions such as the Royal Society, the British Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution. Scope may range from artistic canons invoking Mona Lisa, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Hamlet to political leadership exemplified by Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Catherine the Great, and Nelson Mandela. The term intersects with honors like the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and national decorations awarded by states including France, Japan, and United Kingdom.
Recognition of "great" figures or works emerged in antiquity with lists and canons produced in Athens, Rome, and Alexandria, where authors such as Homer and Aristotle were canonized. Medieval and early modern processes in centers like Florence, Paris, and Venice extended canonization to artists and patrons including Dante, Michelangelo, and Lorenzo de' Medici. The rise of print culture and institutions in London, Berlin, and New York City formalized reputational systems through libraries, academies, and museums. In the 19th and 20th centuries, professionalization in Princeton, Sorbonne, and Columbia University led to historiographies and textbooks that curated lists featuring Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein.
Examples span politics, arts, sciences, and institutions. Political leaders frequently cited include Julius Caesar, Queen Elizabeth I, Peter the Great, George Washington, and Mahatma Gandhi. In literature and the arts, figures like Virgil, Geoffrey Chaucer, Miguel de Cervantes, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Pablo Picasso appear across canons. Scientific exemplars often listed are Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Rosalind Franklin, Louis Pasteur, and Ada Lovelace. Institutions and works that attain "great" status include The Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bayreuth Festival, Gutenberg Bible, and Beethoven's symphonies.
Designating "greats" shapes national narratives and cultural memory in places like Russia, India, United States, and China. Museums such as the Vatican Museums and archives like the National Archives (United States) curate collections that reinforce reputations. Educational curricula at Yale University, University of Bologna, and University of Tokyo codify canons through syllabi featuring canonical texts and figures, while media outlets in London, New York City, and Tokyo popularize rankings and retrospectives. Commemorative practices—statues in Rome, national holidays in South Africa and France, and naming of institutions like the Smithsonian—extend influence into civic rituals.
Evaluative criteria combine measurable innovations, documented influence, reception history, and longevity. Committees at bodies such as the Royal Society of London, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Académie française apply peer review, citation metrics, awards history, and archival evidence. Comparative frameworks draw on case studies from Florence, Prussia, Ottoman Empire, and Meiji Japan to assess contextual significance. Quantitative proxies include publication counts, citation indices, exhibition histories at venues like the Tate Modern and MOMA, and honors such as the Fields Medal or Nobel Prize in Physics.
Lists and labels provoke debate. Critics from movements associated with Postcolonialism, Feminist theory, Critical race theory, and scholars in decolonization studies argue that traditional canons marginalize women, colonial subjects, and non-Western contributions, citing omissions of figures from Africa, Southeast Asia, and Indigenous peoples. Controversies arise over revisionism in institutions such as the British Museum and calls for restitution related to Benin Bronzes. Debates over authenticity and attribution have embroiled works connected to Caravaggio and Rembrandt, while reassessments have altered the standing of personalities like Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus.
The "greats" paradigm influenced successor fields including cultural studies, heritage management, and comparative historiography practiced at Princeton University, University of Oxford, and University of Cape Town. Museum studies programs at Columbia University and University College London engage with canon formation, while digital humanities projects at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology use computational methods to map influence networks among canonical figures. Contemporary curricula and public history initiatives continue to negotiate continuity and change, balancing reverence for established exemplars with inclusion of previously marginalized actors from regions such as Latin America, Central Asia, and Pacific Islands.
Category:Canons