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Oooh....timely topic for me. Asimov has long been my favorite Sci Fi writer...along with Herbert and OSC.
But, I've been rereading the Foundation Series...and I'm wondering why I ever thought they were so good...let alone...a contender for best ever sci fi series.
So, of COURSE, it matters WHEN a book was written. To Kill A Mockingbird would be a huge hit today just like when it was written. I don't think "The Grapes of Wrath" would be anything special if released today.
But Classics - here comes personal opinion - are about forming a common societal foundation and language. So while I don't think "The Grapes of Wrath" is a particularly well written book, and even it's subject matter has been handled far better by others....it's a classic. Everyone reads it in school...because it's a classic. There is a positive thing to having "some certain body of work" that is identified and acknowledged to be "books everyone should read".
This provides a common language and imagery for a shared society.
And, of course, over time, new books will become "Classics" and be added to the canon of what everyone should read. I don't think Harry Potter ever will meet such a standard. But I do think it will be popular and well love 100 years from now.
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