Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Classics is a very generic term. I think you may want to narrow that done a bit.
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How about “moldy old”?
. My point was that it’s a turnoff for some, or else people twist the word into meaning absolutely anything, i.e., nothing at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
What defines a classic when we remove age as a factor?
I do consider Harry Potter to be a classic series. Some of the Victorians that are usually considered to be classics, I consider to be rubbish. Take Pride and Prejudice. If it was written today, it would never make classic status. It would just be considered your average romance novel.
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You can’t remove age as a factor; it’s implicit in the word. “Instant classic” is an oxymoron.
Harry Potter’s not even 25 years old. Way too soon for classic status. The time-tested aspect is crucial. I’ll add that there are objective issues with the quality of the books that might keep them from going classic ever.
It’s important to differentiate between between “not to my taste” and “rubbish.” It’s good to be able to identify books that are quality of their kind, even if not to your particular taste. Credibility takes a huge hit when you can’t do that. I don’t like SF, for example, but I can say that Asimov is good, a classic even, but that
Star Trek is rubbish. There’s a difference. I’d read Asimov if that’s all that was available, but I’d read a cereal box before I read
Star Trek. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying rubbish, though; show me a person who never likes junk and I’ll show you a liar.
As for
P&P, it’s not the plot, it’s the literary style that makes it classic. Modern day romance novelists are no Austens, nor Heyer who wrote the same kind of book, over and over.
Emma and
Persuasion are even better. Oh, and Austen’s not a Victorian novelist, to be pedantic.
I’m taking the mickey on you a little.
But really, there’s a general sense of what classic means and it’s not necessary to overthink or overdefine it, and you can’t only extrapolate from your own preferences to the general.