When does a book become one of the "classics" ? Also can anyone recommend some "classics" to read ?

Question

I'm reading "The Grapes Of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, 80 pages in and it's wonderful, but it is it a classic ?

I say classic in the sense that Shakespeare and Dickens books are called Classics.

Answer 1

The word 'classic' has lost whatever original meaning it had through being overused, much like the word 'liberal', and now 'socialist'. 'Socialist' today means 'anything I don't like'.



The real meaning of 'classic' is 'ancient'. The Iliad and The Odyssey are classics in the original sense. Steinbeck's works, written less than a century ago, are considered classics today. They are really good, though. But it's just a matter of time before Danielle Steele is seen as 'classic'. 8^O



What to read? Well when I was a kid I read everything I could find by Mark Twain (a lot!) and Charles Dickens. I still think Mark Twain is a hoot, but Dickens, well I think I just had too much time on my hands (but I still think David Copperfield is one of the best novels I ever read--the great characters, the sweep of time and all that). I read Moby Dick when I was eleven and it just lit up my imagination.

Answer 2

God yes it's classic. I love Steinbeck, he's the only author to rival Jane Austen for me :)



This is an ongoing argument about when a book becomes classic, and the main thing seems to be whether or not it can stand the test of time.



Uh! See I never liked Catcher in the Rye. Even Tom Sawyer and Huck didn't sink very deep with me. I love Austen and Steinbeck, Poe, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, even a little Jules Verne.



There are loads of things to recommend, but right now I'm going to say Sir Walter Scott, who I'm blown away with and I don't hear much of any more. Read Lady of the Lake, it's worth it!

Answer 3

Unfortunately the author has to be dead, that's the first rule and the longer they have been dead the better.



True classics are the ones that change your thinking about things, that open your eyes, and makes you look at things in another way.



Any book that you can't put down, real page turners are classics, not important that they are writen well, but they touch something deep inside you, like the words are jumping off the page and you can almost see the characters as if watching a movie.



My favourite classics are anything by the following -



Emily Bronte



Charlotte Bronte



The Brothers Grimm



George Eliot



Jane Austen



Bram Stoker



D.H. Lawrence



Daniel Defoe

Answer 4

Classics is bandied around a lot:



If someone said to you 'I'm studying Classics' or Classic era books, they'd mean things like Ancient Greek books, like the Odyssey.



If someone said to you 'You need to read some classics', or we were talking about Classic literature,or 'the' classics that would be anything before 1900 which is still in print. 'Jane Eyre' is a classic.



Anything after that is considered a modern classic, although people often call them classics. Of Mice and Men is certainly a classic. For 20th century literature most people like to call anything they liked reading a 'classic'.

A sub-genre of modern classics is 'cult literature'. This means anything that has become popular enough to have followers, and often gain popularity after having had a film about them. 'The Beach' is considered 'cult literature'.



You've named a lot of modern American classics in your answer, so may I add?

The Great Gatsby- Scott Fitzgerald

Tender is The Night- Scott Fitzgerald

As I Lay Dying- William Faulkner

The Sun Also Rises- Ernest Hemingway

Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov

Bonfire of The Vanities- Tom Wolfe



1984 is definitely worth a read! And seeing as you liked Catcher in the Rye, perhaps you might like 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess?

Answer 5

yes, all steinbeck books are considered classics.



A classic is a book that will never stop being good, whereas a crappy book will e boring now and even more in a decade.



some others are East of Eden, Johnny Got His Gun, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Catch-22.



(none of which are by shakespeare or *dick*ens)

Answer 6

the term classic could actually mean a number of things. there are different kinds of classics; classics of philosophy, general literary classics, classic childrens books, american classics, french classics, etc, etc, etc. The uncertainty surrounding what exactly makes a classic is apparant in the fact that one can not just sit down and write a classic, because though there are many theories, there are no absolutes about what allows one book to stand the test of time and remain pertinent, while others fall short.

Answer 7

"The Grapes of Wrath" is definitely a classic. If you like John Steinbeck, you should read "Of Mice and Men". It's really short & really good.



My favorite classic book would have to be "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

Answer 8

When I think of "classics" I think of books that stand the test of time. Books that can be thought of as always important.



Kelby mentions some great American classics. I'm a big fan of 1920s-1950s literature. I don't like anything published nowadays.

Answer 9

well , i enjoy H G Wells, Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters,and the books you have quoted, but to me a classic is something that will endure, so i would say a modern classic is anything by Terry Pratchett for instance, some authors have the knack, and some do not.

Answer 10

Yes, that is a classic. Go to your local library and ask them to print a list of all the classics; they should have one. I can recommend:



To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

The Odyssey and the Iliad - Homer

Answer 11

Try the FIRST French novel by Francois Rabelais called "GARGANTUA & PANTAGRUEL". Written in 1532, it describes , in every detail, life in the 16th century. The main characters are giants. Gargantua was the 'father' and Pantagruel was his 'son'. It is also the first book to describe how HEMP and MARIJUANA is used in those days. Of course it wasn't called 'marijuana' back then, in fact 'pantagruel, is an old 'slang' word for cannabis. It's an interesting read. It was intended as a spoof on the Bible,and contains a large amount of 'adult' language and themes. It is VERY humorous and insightful. Make sure you get an uncensored version. The best one is translated by BURTON RAFFEL.

Answer 12

the outsiders

Answer 13

to kill a mockiingbird

Answer 14

RESIDENT EVIL BOOKS !!!