Is vintage an important factor in a books literary worth?

Question

"The all-time greats are mostly older books that have had time to 'mature', and were written during a 'golden literary age'.

What many consider to be great contemporary books, such as the Harry Potter series, and work by Tom Clancy and Stephen King (to name a few) are certainly well written but are not fit to be seen in the shadow of Tolstoy, Bronte, Dickens or even Tolkien.

The 'greats' of today will, for the most part, be the door-stops of tomorrow,"

The above statement was issued by a lecturer I had once during a heated debate at College. I agree to a certain extent in that a sentimental perspective does lend more established works a classical status, and that there is no denying the written word of the pre-World War era is significantly superior to contemporary equivalents although NOT WITHOUT EXEPTION.

This is my viewpoint although I am new to serious writing and study and am in no way an expert- I just want to learn.

How far would you agree with the lecturer?

(sp) *exception*.

Please feel free to browse my 360 page, I am desperate for constructive feedback on the limited amount of my work I have posted thus far. Comments and emails more than welcome!

Thanks!

Answer 1

No, not at all, but we must say that passing the test of times gives a clout of distinction to any literary work. By the way, I'd hardly shortlist Stephen King. Other than box office success he has nothing else to contribute. You may want to take into account that another important contribution a literary work is expected to give -other than insight into the mystery of humankind and life- is found at an aesthetic level. Does King enhance English as a language? Hardly.

Answer 2

I agree with your lecturer, although I have reservations There is a certain amount of fashion in books as everything else. People who were bestsellers in their day have subsided into near or complete complete obscurity., There is definitely some merit in the idea that only the best will survive. Unfortunately some excellent writers suffer this same fate - take Barbara Pym for example, who nearly suffered this fate until she was 'rediscovered'.

My reservation is that we do tend to undervalue present writers while sentimentalising the past. Look at the remarks made about
J G Ballard's novels for instance. Yes, it is difficult to imagine which contemporary books, but my money is on those who reflect contemporary life, however obliquely. We tend also to value those books we loved when young

I'd stake Tom Clancy over Rowling because his novels reflect the paranoia of the Cold War, whereas the Harry Potter franchise will remain firmly in the children's classic fantasy domain, along with E Nesbit.

Answer 3

I was never a big fan of college-level English lit, at least in part because of opinions like that of your professor.

I think some of the old books are revered due to a consensus over the years, much like that of legal precedents; no one wants to overrule or argue against solidified opinion.

I haven't read all the '100 Best Books' of all time, but have read quite a few of them. I think some are good and some not so good, but I suppose I'm applying my own 'rules' for what makes a good book.

Maybe they were great books at a certain time and certain audience. I don't think some of them are that great. I read very well, voraciously, and almost never put a book down without finishing it, but there are some of these classics that I've really had to slog through or finally gave up on out of boredom.

I admire good writing and a well-crafted sentence. I think there are fewer good writers now; that there are not as many masters of writing as there once were.

Turning to modern bestsellers, I certainly think some of the works published in the 20th and early 21st century will stand the test of time as great books. Yes, most of them, even ones wildly popular in their time will or have slid into a deserved oblivion. I hope some of the revered ones also fade away.

Neither sales figures nor professional opinions are guarantees of greatness, but they should both be treated with some qualified respect.

I offer no opinions of my own as to what books might belong in each category.

Answer 4

Vintage doesn't mean anything when it comes to books. There are some unbearable novels out there that are considered literature and a must read just because they somehow stayed in print forever. For example, I don't know ANYONE who's ever read Don Quixote. I tried. I really did. And it's just a painful, painful experience.

Basically, a good story will stay popular for a long time and people will read it. I think your lecturer is totally wrong. 50/100 years from now, the great novels of today will still be great stories.

It's the story that counts. Not the number of sentences that you have to read two/three/four times to understand what the heck the writer was trying to say.

Answer 5

The thing is, the books we consider classics nowadays are the ones that have stood the test of time. I'm sure there are plenty of books that were written in the "golden age of literature" that are lost in the recesses of time because they lacked the quality, or perhaps just the popularity to endure.

As publishing is much more prolific these days, there will be, amongst the books of today, plenty of future classics. However there will also be many more books that will disappear.

Answer 6

I do not agree that vintage has anything to do with literary worth. I would disagree that any of the modern authors you name have much or nay literary merit, good stories though they may produce. They are best-selling authors which is not the same thing - consider these modern authors for literary merit - Gore Vidal, Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing, Kingsley Amis, Iain Banks, just to pluck a few names at random.

Answer 7

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