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I tried to define the term...but...you know...people.
Classic cars are not how I was using Classic books. Harry Potter would certainly be a Classic car.
Think of "Classical Education" as what folks in the 1700's would be been given. There was a set of works, nearly all ancient Greek, that an educated man would be expected to know. And would benefit society as a common bond of knowledge, myth and culture.
I'm not surprised at the "classic books are boring" arguments. Irrelevant to what I was talking about. But yes, there's a great chasm between "getting an education" and "being entertained". Classic books are for the former, not the latter. "Teaching kids to love reading" should use plenty of books outside classic literature, that are fun to read.
What I'm surprised hasn't happened is the objection to "defining what a culture should know". Should we still read Mark Twain...or should we substitute <insert current progressive book here> because...you know...if we keep reading "classic books" we keep perpetuation <insert pejorative description of western or American culture>.
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