The Best CLASSIC novel of ALL TIME!

Williamlk · 10-03-2010, 11:36 PM

I thought this might be fun!

I am talking about CLASSIC novels only.

Which is the best of ALL TIME? In your opinion.

I am going to say my all-time favorite in terms of story, writing quality and substance is Dune

I just think Frank Herbert was an absolute genius.

sabredog · 10-03-2010, 11:47 PM

Classic novel?

Any of the three Lord of the Rings trilogy books.

GA Russell · 10-03-2010, 11:50 PM

I need to read Catch-22 again.

crich70 · 10-04-2010, 12:06 AM

The Hound of the Baskerville's is a good one. I think it was one of the 1st I read as a kid. I got it through one of those book order forms they handed out in grade school.

jeffcobb · 10-04-2010, 12:09 AM

I particularly liked The Count of Monte Cristo, available as a free ebook from Project Gutenburg...

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184

lene1949 · 10-04-2010, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffcobb

I particularly liked The Count of Monte Cristo, available as a free ebook from Project Gutenburg...

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184

My choice as well.

Sweetpea · 10-04-2010, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lene1949

My choice as well.

And mine...

pdurrant · 10-04-2010, 03:23 AM

I'm amused to find that people count Dune, The Lord of the Rings and Catch-22 as "Classic" novels.

I think that for any novel to be judged as the best of "all time", it would have to demonstrate that it had appeal to several generations of readers. And the only way to do that is for the novel to be in print and being read for many, many years. At least 50, and more likely 100.

Which is why, if asked for the best "Classic" novel, I'd tend to only consider pre-WWII novels, or perhaps even only pre-20th Century novels.

But which to choose? My choice rather depends on which one I've read most receently

So if I had to choose just one, at the moment I'd go for Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.

sabredog · 10-04-2010, 03:40 AM

It is a shame you find other members choice of what they consider a "classic" amusing. Surely a purely subjective choice to be made by those respondents? I may not necessarily agree but I never find such choices amusing as that would be disrespectful to those respondents choices.

It is interesting to see what respondents consider a "classic".

I consider "Mr Midshipman easy" by Captain Marryat (1836) as an important book too, but it is less of a classic to me than, say, Fellowship of the Ring".

pdurrant · 10-04-2010, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

It is a shame you find other members choice of what they consider a "classic" amusing.

Re-reading my post, I can see that my first sentence, in isolation, is badly worded. I did not mean that other people's book selections were amusing because I thought that the particular book they'd chosen was a bad book. The three books I mention are all good books, and it's quite reasonable for people to select them as the best book they've read.

It was their selection as "classics" that amused me. Perhaps this is a US/UK difference in meaning. When referring to literature, I consider classic to have the meaning "of lasting significance or worth; enduring".

While it's possible that the best book of all time was written last year, history shows us that it's almost impossible to judge the "lasting significance or worth" of books near the publication date. What is a wildly popular book now can fade into obscurity as quickly as it rose. Will Dan Bown's "The DaVinci Code" remain popular? Will Steig Larsson's "The Girl Who..." books remain popular? No one knows.

Which is why I found the three selections rather surprising for "classic" books.

But I guess I'm showing my age a bit. Having checked the publication dates (1954, 1961 and 1965), I can see how people born after (say) 1980 might well consider them classics.

pdurrant · 10-04-2010, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

But I guess I'm showing my age a bit. Having checked the publication dates (1954, 1961 and 1965), I can see how people born after (say) 1980 might well consider them classics.

And (sorry to comment on my own post), perhaps everyone thinks of "classics" as "something published a decade or more before I was born".

Over · 10-04-2010, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Re-reading my post, I can see that my first sentence, in isolation, is badly worded. I did not mean that other people's book selections were amusing because I thought that the particular book they'd chosen was a bad book. The three books I mention are all good books, and it's quite reasonable for people to select them as the best book they've read.

It was their selection as "classics" that amused me. Perhaps this is a US/UK difference in meaning. When referring to literature, I consider classic to have the meaning "of lasting significance or worth; enduring".

While it's possible that the best book of all time was written last year, history shows us that it's almost impossible to judge the "lasting significance or worth" of books near the publication date. What is a wildly popular book now can fade into obscurity as quickly as it rose. Will Dan Bown's "The DaVinci Code" remain popular? Will Steig Larsson's "The Girl Who..." books remain popular? No one knows.

Which is why I found the three selections rather surprising for "classic" books.

But I guess I'm showing my age a bit. Having checked the publication dates (1954, 1961 and 1965), I can see how people born after (say) 1980 might well consider them classics.

The Tolkien example already mentioned inthis thread is a good example of a classic. It's still in print and selling well. It inspired countless authors and had a heavy influence in a genre we call 'fantasy'. Multi-million dollar movies were made based on his works. It's still adored by grandpas, fathers, sons and greatsons...

If this is an amusing classic, I wonder what's a real classic. Remember that probably 20 or more years passed since you've learned what a classic is.

botrerta · 10-04-2010, 04:31 AM

I'm a George Orwell fan myself, and fortunately, most of his works (including essays) are available at Gutenburg.

Sweetpea · 10-04-2010, 04:46 AM

In my views, a classic is a book that has stand the test of time. A book that was published last year, or even the last 5 years simply didn't have the time yet. But...

Dune and Tolkien's books, I'd say have stand the test of time and thus, in my eyes, can be called a classic.

astra · 10-04-2010, 04:47 AM

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

10-03-2010, 11:36 PM	#1
Williamlk Guru Posts: 624 Karma: 700001 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New York Device: kindle	The Best CLASSIC novel of ALL TIME! I thought this might be fun! I am talking about CLASSIC novels only. Which is the best of ALL TIME? In your opinion. I am going to say my all-time favorite in terms of story, writing quality and substance is Dune I just think Frank Herbert was an absolute genius.

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10-03-2010, 11:47 PM	#2
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,630 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Classic novel? Any of the three Lord of the Rings trilogy books.

10-03-2010, 11:50 PM	#3
GA Russell Als, Lions host Semis Posts: 7,716 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I need to read Catch-22 again.

10-04-2010, 12:06 AM	#4
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	The Hound of the Baskerville's is a good one. I think it was one of the 1st I read as a kid. I got it through one of those book order forms they handed out in grade school.

10-04-2010, 12:09 AM	#5
jeffcobb Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 700 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Las Vegas Device: Nook, CoolER	I particularly liked The Count of Monte Cristo, available as a free ebook from Project Gutenburg... http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184

10-04-2010, 03:23 AM	#8
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,433 Karma: 318076944 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	I'm amused to find that people count Dune, The Lord of the Rings and Catch-22 as "Classic" novels. I think that for any novel to be judged as the best of "all time", it would have to demonstrate that it had appeal to several generations of readers. And the only way to do that is for the novel to be in print and being read for many, many years. At least 50, and more likely 100. Which is why, if asked for the best "Classic" novel, I'd tend to only consider pre-WWII novels, or perhaps even only pre-20th Century novels. But which to choose? My choice rather depends on which one I've read most receently So if I had to choose just one, at the moment I'd go for Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.

10-04-2010, 03:40 AM	#9
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,630 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	It is a shame you find other members choice of what they consider a "classic" amusing. Surely a purely subjective choice to be made by those respondents? I may not necessarily agree but I never find such choices amusing as that would be disrespectful to those respondents choices. It is interesting to see what respondents consider a "classic". I consider "Mr Midshipman easy" by Captain Marryat (1836) as an important book too, but it is less of a classic to me than, say, Fellowship of the Ring".

10-04-2010, 04:31 AM	#13
botrerta Member Posts: 14 Karma: 14 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Sony PRS-650	I'm a George Orwell fan myself, and fortunately, most of his works (including essays) are available at Gutenburg.

10-04-2010, 04:46 AM	#14
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	In my views, a classic is a book that has stand the test of time. A book that was published last year, or even the last 5 years simply didn't have the time yet. But... Dune and Tolkien's books, I'd say have stand the test of time and thus, in my eyes, can be called a classic.

10-04-2010, 04:47 AM	#15
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	We by Yevgeny Zamyatin