Being a voracious reader and a book aficionado, I am
often asked why classics? And how do you classify any book as a classic?
For me, a classic is a combination of time past,
influence/importance and readability.
The test of time is important for several reasons.
Some good books are quickly dated or do not age well. A classic books should be
read by generations and still speak to the reader in a significant way, so
requiring that 2 to 3 generations have passed seems reasonable.
Influence/importance can take different forms -
presenting a time or an idea in a unique or particularly compelling/clear way,
beautiful story or writing, influencing other authors or publishing, etc. Some
of this may not be apparent to the average (or even above average!) reader, so
some classics may seem odd choices.
Readability - in terms of still being read and being
of interest to a modern audience. This is tricky because some books will appeal
to some people and not to others. Also, what if a book is no longer
particularly "of interest" - does it stop being a classic? There will
likely always be an ebb and flow, as the older books have to compete for
attention with new books as well as movies, etc.
To me, the term “classic” in the context of
literature refers to any work which speaks directly to the nature of human
existence. No author, I think, decides to sit down and write a classic. Even
Shakespeare wrote as a trade; a means to support himself and I think that all
authors are due that for their effort, but those works were classics the moment
he removed his pen from the parchment after writing the final word. I think we
tend to associate “classic literature” with age because after several decades
or more it’s easy to tell if a book has accomplished this task; if it’s a
hundred years old and were still reading it even though the NY times or Oprah
aren’t telling us to, well that’s because it still has something to say about
who we are. It’s a classic – that’s an easy test. During the period in which a
book is also an instrument of profit, it’s difficult to separate its value as a
work of art from that of its ability to sensationalize, just as it’s difficult for
children to differentiate between that which tastes good and that which is
nutritional. I believe that the truly great works however, do eventually
transcend their use as instruments of profit and become part of a greater
thing. That is to say that any true work of art, knowledge or information; any
truly great representation of our humanity, should be, in fact, be made
available to all of humanity. They nourish us by reminding us who we are.
