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Old 08-31-2020, 09:28 PM   #77
Thasaidon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leebase View Post
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.
I think you have made a very pertinent point. I still like and enjoy the original Foundation Trilogy which was based on some short stories written circa 1941. These were collected into the Trilogy in 1951-1953.
They had a big impact at the time time because there was nothing like them, so they gained a huge reputation. If they had been written today they would probably be seen as fairly standard and run of the mill.

Their original impact is why they became part of "some certain body of work" that is identified and acknowledged to be "books everyone should read" and call classics. This is confirmed by the fact they are still in print and read todsy.
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