There are varying definitons and opinions about what defines a classic but they all have 3 things in common:
1. It stands the test of time
2. It has universal appeal
3. It has artistic quality
I have to add my own to these three and that is that it moves you to feel something - whether it be love, hate, anger, sadness or joy, a classic work of literture should have the power to move. This has led me to reflect upon my first real experience with being moved by a book. I read a lot as a child and teenager but largely to impress my mother who was a librarian. My reading experience didn't extend beyond Stephen King and the Baby Sitter's Club books. Then my junior year in high school, my English teacher assigned, "A Separate Peace." by John Knowles, a typical high school reading list book. I approached it like I did every school assigment - with diligence but little to no enthusiasm. Three quarters of the book was pretty forgettable. Then I reached the part where Finny dies on the hospital room table. Somthing very unexpected happened to me then: tears. I inexplicably started crying real tears! I honestly never thought a book could do that. The Monday after the weekend I finsished the book, our teacher asked for our opinions and I vehemently offered mine. "I hated it!" I said with a passion she had never heard from me before. "Why is that?" She asked I'm sure expecting the typical teenage response of, "It was boring." Instead I said, "Because Finny died!" and then I saw her smile because she knew I had just fallen in love - head over heels, dizzy with giddiness, tripping into a relationship that would last a lifetime.Words, characters, unforgettable stories took my hand that day and never let go.
1. It stands the test of time
2. It has universal appeal
3. It has artistic quality
I have to add my own to these three and that is that it moves you to feel something - whether it be love, hate, anger, sadness or joy, a classic work of literture should have the power to move. This has led me to reflect upon my first real experience with being moved by a book. I read a lot as a child and teenager but largely to impress my mother who was a librarian. My reading experience didn't extend beyond Stephen King and the Baby Sitter's Club books. Then my junior year in high school, my English teacher assigned, "A Separate Peace." by John Knowles, a typical high school reading list book. I approached it like I did every school assigment - with diligence but little to no enthusiasm. Three quarters of the book was pretty forgettable. Then I reached the part where Finny dies on the hospital room table. Somthing very unexpected happened to me then: tears. I inexplicably started crying real tears! I honestly never thought a book could do that. The Monday after the weekend I finsished the book, our teacher asked for our opinions and I vehemently offered mine. "I hated it!" I said with a passion she had never heard from me before. "Why is that?" She asked I'm sure expecting the typical teenage response of, "It was boring." Instead I said, "Because Finny died!" and then I saw her smile because she knew I had just fallen in love - head over heels, dizzy with giddiness, tripping into a relationship that would last a lifetime.Words, characters, unforgettable stories took my hand that day and never let go.
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