Is there really a such thing as a "Classic"?

Question

I've read many books, many of which are defined as classics but it kind of annoys me when people talk about the top five books ever or about classic books. When I read a book I either like it or I don't. Dickens for instance has never appealed to me. I find his writing utter tosh! Oscar Wilde on the other hand, I find witty, funny and thoughful. I have enjoyed Jeffery Deaver more than many classics but nobody would define his work as a classic. It will never be taught in schools or colleges and yet it has just as much value as any other book.

Should the term classic be done away with? In my view yes. I think a lot of people read these "classics" purely to sound impressive or because they have to read them for school or college or university. That to me doesn't make them any better. When we are talking about literature each individual book moves each individual reader in a different way. That is beauty of a book. Do you agree or disagree?

I love to use Dickens as an example. The reason being that Dickens wrote for newspapers and was paid by the word. Thus the more words he used the more he got paid. I think the "classic" nature of Dickens merely comes from the fact that the English Society has forced the concept down our throats for so long that we automatically believe it. If it wasn't for schools teaching these "classics" I think there would be very few of us who would go out and buy Dickens, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Hopkins, and the rest except maybe to impress guests by having it the shelf.

I think classic is more than a simple term defined by the test of time and is rather more a result of an exercise in conditioning.

Answer 1

Yeah I tend to agree with you here ,I have never understood why Dickens is so highly regarded when other writers of his time were writting books the were more than equal .
Joseph Conrad wrote 'The secret Agent' which used caracature like Dickens but the result was better than anything that Dickens wrote ,another writer worth reading is Wilkie Collins,who if I am not mistaken was aquainted with Charles Dickens but I thought was a much better writer.
Of course ones opinion is subjective and if Dickens is your cup of tea then I am sure you will be in the company of many .

Answer 2

There is no accounting for taste. "Classic" is just a loose term for old and well respected. Classics are books that have spanned the years and not lost their appeal or have achieved a level of literature that is admired through the ages.


I love Dickens and also Oscar Wilde. I have not read Jeffrey Deaver but, who knows, his works might be classics in another ten or twenty years.

A newly written book is not a classic because it takes years to know if the book has a tried and true appeal and stands the test of age like: Brave New World, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Look Homeward Angel, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, etc.

Answer 3

I think books become classics because they endure time and continue to appeal to the masses for whatever reason. However, I do agree with you that books move people in different ways. And, with many book listed as classics, I gritted my teeth and trudged through because I wanted to see why they were considered so great.

Answer 4

A "classic" is any book that perpetually stays in print. Most books stay in print for a time, and then go out of print. Classics never go out of print. A "classic" is not necessarily better than any other book, but it is one that people keep buying decade after decade and even hundreds of years. Time does not make the content of the book valueless.

Answer 5

it can be, but usually that is a form of saying its a very good book.... Or a television show from a long time ago.... Like I Love Lucy.. or Dr. Frankenstein or some other movies that have no color in them... its all black and white because they didn't have any such thing as colored things yet.... Well, That's from my point of view... That's all i can say to you as a 13 year old..

Sincerely,
Willow

Answer 6

Dickens was great ! im not even sure was tosh means but i stopped reading after that