Most overhyped classic masterpiece?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by astra

People have different tastes.
I accept a fact that there are many people out there who do not read/like fantasy. Some of them do not accept that Fantasy exists as genre in the first place. Some they say it is not a serious literature but trush.
To each its own, I say.

Absolutely. I began and continue as a Fantasy and Science Fiction reader (in addition to many other genres). I think the term Classics can actually transcend genre boundaries though. I believe there are Classic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mainstream, etc. And would suggest that Lord of the Rings is a Classic from the Fantasy genre. Now it may or may not be over-hyped but if it is not then does not that fly in the face of your initial reaction "All Classics are over-hyped?"

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by astra

No generalisation. Just my taste. Don't like the genre. Cannot read it nowdays. I used to like some when I was 18-23...before I started to read fantasy

I don't think you can define "Classic", as discussed in this thread anyway, as a genre; it's more of a collective qualitative judgement. As has been already noted, there are classics in all genres.

I dislike the whole genre idea anyway. I love a good book. Whether it's about magic and dragons, a criminal investigation, the search for a gold mine, a girl seduced and abandoned, the problems of a catholic couple who is trying to enjoy their sexual life without ending up with dozens of children, or the lives of people in an appartment building - it doesn't matter as long as it's a good book.

Of course we all have different tastes as to what makes a good book, but I think it's really a shame to limit oneself just because of a prejudice about subject matter. True, it's your choice, but you are missing on a lot.

[astra]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Absolutely. I began and continue as a Fantasy and Science Fiction reader (in addition to many other genres). I think the term Classics can actually transcend genre boundaries though. I believe there are Classic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mainstream, etc. And would suggest that Lord of the Rings is a Classic from the Fantasy genre. Now it may or may not be over-hyped but if it is not then does not that fly in the face of your initial reaction "All Classics are over-hyped?"

OK. Then I misundertood the original name of this thread? Maybe we should ask the owner of the thread, what did he mean by "classic". For me Classic books are books written probably before 1950s?...old, boring staff. Dry language, themes that are not interesting to me etc. On the other hand, I don't think I read any contemporary books that cover the same topics. Maybe if Black Company was written 200 years ago, it would be considered classics and I would read it and would be qualified as reader os classic literature.

FlorenceArt

Of course we all have different tastes as to what makes a good book, but I think it's really a shame to limit oneself just because of a prejudice about subject matter. True, it's your choice, but you are missing on a lot.

It would be true, if I run out of interesting books of the genre I like and would stop reading because there are no more good books in this genre. However, if you check my TRL on Goodreads, you would notice that I have a very long, 6-7 years, list of reading in front of me.... and it grows. So, by choosing not to read classics as I understand this term I miss as much as anybody else who is reading a Book A, while they could read Books B or C, or D etc. Any book that was not read is a missed read, if you see what I mean.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by astra

For me Classic books are books written probably before 1950s?...old, boring staff. Dry language, themes that are not interesting to me etc. On the other hand, I don't think I read any contemporary books that cover the same topics. Maybe if Black Company was written 200 years ago, it would be considered classics and I would read it and would be qualified as reader os classic literature.

The Iliad and the Odyssey have swordfights, gods, magic and enchantments, travels and adventures. Yawn... boring stuff

By the way, a few years ago I would have included the Iliad in my list of "overhyped classics". But a couple of years ago I read it again, and it was a completely different book for me. Sure, it's still a bunch of guys killing each other, but each single one of these guys has a history, a father (sometimes even a mother, lol), an ordinary or extraordinary life that is sketched in a few words - and then the guy dies. This second time around, I found it much more moving than the Odyssey. Just goes to show, what you get from a book can change so much over the years.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

... Sure, it's still a bunch of guys killing each other, but each single one of these guys has a history, a father (sometimes even a mother, lol), ...

What? I'm shocked, I tell you Shocked! You mean these guys didn't all spring from the forehead of Zeus?

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by kennyc

What? I'm shocked, I tell you Shocked! You mean these guys didn't all spring from the forehead of Zeus?

Well, actually, quite a few of them are the result of Zeus or another god raping a girl and I'm sure some of them popped out of various body parts But yeah, most of them are just ordinary guys who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, it's a war story.

[astra]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Just goes to show, what you get from a book can change so much over the years.

Agree.
I used to love Theodore Dreiser and Victor Hugo 15 years ago, but cannot bring myself to read their sad, real life books when there are so many unrealistic, escapist books out there I also adored A. Dumas even before Dreiser and Hugo but barely managed to re-read The Count of Monte Cristo 1 year ago. We change, time changes...

Sparrow

yes ... but what's your most overhyped classic?

Perseverance pays huge dividends

I don't have one book that is the MOST. I definitely have one cetegory: any, absolutely any Russian Classics. I read all I had to read in school and hated every single one of them. Could not like even one book.

[Mare of Earth]

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Out of all of Shakespeare's works, I just really dislike this one. It has spawned generations of copy-cats. Teenage copycats. Ugh!

Should be college level material - don't teach it in school until the dramattas are old enough to not try and copy it.

[Patricia]

I think that some people may have been put off the classics that were forced on them in youth by having to read unattractive books with small print and nasty layout. I turned down the chance of inheriting a leather-bound set of Dickens that was my father's, simply because it was absolutely unreadable. (Font size about Times new Roman 10; age-darkened paper and faded print.) Filial piety can only stretch so far.

However, give me a nice clean edition of Bleak House and I'll read it with pleasure. So HarryT has made me very happy.

Another issue may be that some older translations are very stilted and wooden.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I agree about the opinion, but disagree about the "not bringing anything useful" as it clearly indicates my astonishment that anyone could hold that opinion. By all means let's continue the discussion.

Clearly "Classics" by their very definition indicate that a significant majority of people believe they are important and worthy of reading. So when someone designates the entire category as over-hyped there's something rotten in Denmark.

I guess the follow-on questions is along the vein of "Lord of the Rings" and why it would or would not be considered a classic and if of if not it is over-hyped.

Just as a reminder the thread subject is "Most Over-Hyped Classic Masterpiece"

Umm.. I am not sure I would agree that a Classic is defined by a significant majority of people are important and worthy of reading. I think it is more along the lines that the literary and/or academic elite have defined them as such. After all, most people will never read the majority of the classics and never feel like they should even try. Shoot, I am willing to wager that the vast majority of regular readers never feel like they should read the "classics".

--
Bill

[ahi]

People here sure don't like other people who have opinions on subjects they spent anywhere between years to a lifetime studying and researching.

- Ahi

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Umm.. I am not sure I would agree that a Classic is defined by a significant majority of people are important and worthy of reading. I think it is more along the lines that the literary and/or academic elite have defined them as such. After all, most people will never read the majority of the classics and never feel like they should even try. Shoot, I am willing to wager that the vast majority of regular readers never feel like they should read the "classics".

--
Bill

Okay, maybe I should have said the "Reading Public"

You are probably right though.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ahi

People here sure don't like other people who have opinions on subjects they spent anywhere between years to a lifetime studying and researching.

- Ahi

[LDBoblo]

Sure, let's ask the original poster what he defines as "classic" just for the sake of convenience in this thread (not absolute, just for the thread):

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I think that it's impossible to absolutely define classics, but what I meant for my post was works that are deemed by a society, whether by its masses or by its literati, to have significant literary value, either through quality or influence. I chose to restrict books after 1960 not because the year has any innate significance, but rather to encourage discussion on relatively well-established works of our collective civilizations instead of modern fiction (naturally some of which will be seen as classic in the future).

Genre is, as a principle, irrelevant. However, I admit that some fields have developed significantly since 1960 and some definitive works have been made since then, so there may be a little unfairness in the exclusion.

OK, so that's what he said. I can't say I completely agree with his definition, but it works for this thread I guess.

[grimo1re]

Originally Posted by ahi

Shakespeare.

- Ahi

Totally agreed. Probably a language issue. I was forced, in highschool, to read it in ye olde English. Sheees, English is a second langauge as it is, don't make it any harder. Have tried again since but...ick!

Paradise Lost is another one. I tried, honest, I did. But man....