Beloved definitely fits. Others that may or may not 100% fit the “classic” mold: Atonement, Blood Meridian, Kafka on the Shore, Lonesome Dove, The Giver, Never Let me Go
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I have also seen The Bluest Eye mentioned
and maybe due to my age, the criteria feels different -
Does everything written by a Author with multiple Classics become a Classic? Would Ishiguro, McCarthy or McMurty - get to that classification? Does everything by Dickens or Twain?
What keeps a fantastic author like Pat Conroy’s books, being considered classics? Popularity?
What about Stephen King - The Shing - though most people know the movie and not actually the book?
Does having a book commonly read in school elevate it’s status?
I’m about halfway through There Is No Antimemetics Division and enjoying it. It’s sci fi with an interesting premise. It’s the first paper book I’ve read in quite a while. I’m enjoying that, too.
Added to my TBR pile
Classics generally demonstrate that important themes of humanity are universal across time and geography. While our situations are dramatically different than 19th century socialites, slaves, poor Oklahoma farmers, etc., we closely relate to the feelings and actions of the characters.
King is a fantastic storyteller, but his books are more about unique plots than universal themes.
Some books are considered classics due to their cultural significance, like Dracula or the Hobbit. King and even Harry Potter would qualify from that lens. I would think being read in school generally points to this as well.
I kind of think Classics = Literature, ie. almost anything you’d find in a Norton, or could win a Nobel, Pulitzer, or Booker.
Theoretically, students are reading them because they are special, not the other way around. I don’t think I could tell you what exactly makes something “high art”-- but I think popular stuff tends not to qualify because you can sacrifice refinement, depth, and originality when trying to appeal to the masses. But like, obviously, some authors do both at the same time, eg. shakespeare.
And no, I don’t think every book by a great author is an automatic classic. Many great authors write some trash on the side, though it’s all mixed together.
I think time also throws things off. If you go back 300, or 500, or 1000, or 2000 years, the world population was small and illiterate, so standards were low imo.
Reading Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I’m discovering I have a fascination with mid-20th century NYC.
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Watched Blue Moon, which had Hart gifting Of Human Bondage - the book I am currently reading and
then watched A Walk On The Moon, which showed the movie King Rat, the prior book I read
weird double coincidence. A quadincidence? The Law of twice as large numbers?
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Finished Rules of Civility. Both this and Gentleman in Moscow gave me nostalgia for an era I’ve never lived in. Amor Towles’ characters draw you in, even if they’re sometimes a bit too perfect.
I just hit up the used bookstore over the weekend and have a stack of books waiting to be read. Not sure what to start on next…
I usually need to order True Crime from the library, and it showed up quicker than usual.
So putting Of Human Bondage aside, and starting Shot In The Heart - Mikal Gilmore
Just finished Catch-22 for the first time (on audiobook)…I knew little about the book before checking it out, and was surprised at how funny (despite the serious setting) it was…really well written! And apparently there is a sequel I knew nothing about, so I’ll have to go look for that soon.
read that 50 years ago, was my favorite book until I read To Kill A Mockingbird
read a few other Heller’s but didn’t love any of them
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One of my favourite books.
It was popular when I was in university in the 60s but wasn’t sure how it would age.
Did not enjoy any of Heller’s other books.
Just picked this up at the local library. Will start reading very soon.
Prepare to be surprised by the number of countries the CIA interfered in. I was aware of many of their misinformation campaigns but there were a lot more.