Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
It has occurred to me that I don't see a definition of the term "Classic" in the OP. I don't see offhand where we first discussed this issue. Can someone please provide me with a link to the original discussion?
As I recall, there was some debate about whether a book needed to have a certain age on it before it would be considered a classic.
I'll let others consider that. But I would like to add another element.
It seems to me that for a book to be considered a classic, a great many readers must be aware of both 1) its existence, and 2) its good reputation.
Looking at the list of nominations (thus far) in post #2, I see four books I've never heard of before. I am not passing judgment on their merits, but I'm doubtful that English language books I've never heard of can fairly be considered Classics with a capital C.
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the problem is that there are some that would define a classic as an old book. There can be books that are a lot more recently written that are classics. Take
The Colour of Magic. It is a classic in the fantasy genre. Discworld is a classic series.
There are two nominated books that I have never heard of and one I would not call a classic. The rest, I would call classics. But just because I've never heard of two books before does not make them inappropriate.