[CASL-L] Classics Criteria?

[Williams, Linda]

There is no hard and fast definition of "classic." I've looked at many lists of "classics" over my years as a librarian, and they are not always the same books. And if you look it up you'll find so many different definitions... it's really not something you can pin down!



In an interview on Talk of the Nation, Sonny Mehta, Knopf editor says:

"Well, there are probably as many definitions about what makes a classic I think as classics. Actually, I think it was Mark Twain who described it as a book, which people praise and don't read.

But the one I feel closest to is Clifton Fadiman's. And he said when you read a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before, you see more in you than there was before.|



Here's a link to that discussion that you can read or listen to:

   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6519562



There's another article at The Guardian:

   https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/20/enduring-love

"So what makes a classic? It can't just be that it's old. A classic must have something else, something that has either caused it to endure or has, in the case of modern classics, inspired the faith that it will do so. And while parts of any book may date, there must be something about a true classic that remains relevant to children and adults alike across the generations..." (read the rest online!)



And there's this article in The Atlantic, Italo Calvino's 14 Definitions of What Makes a Classic by Maria Popova (of Brain Pickings):

   https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/07/italo-calvinos-14-definitions-of-what-makes-a-classic/259529/



There's lots more out there - so good luck settling on something you can hang on to!



Linda



[CT_State_Library_Logo-02.png]

Linda Williams | Children's Services Consultant, Division of Library Development | Linda.Williams at ct.gov<mailto:Linda.Williams at ct.gov> | Office: (860) 704-2207
libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children<http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children> | 786 S. Main St., Middletown, CT 06457 | Phone: (860) 704-2200 | Fax : (860) 704-2228








-----Original Message-----
From: CASL-L [mailto:casl-l-bounces+linda.williams=ct.gov at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Jarrad McGlamery
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 6:58 PM
To: casl-l at mylist.net
Subject: [CASL-L] Classics Criteria?



Hello!



I am currently completing field work in a middle school library in which I am genrefying the fiction collection. I have a general understanding but I am curious if anyone has specific criteria on what makes a Classic? Does anybody know who, specifically, determines which books are considered classics? Also, are Classics only those that are previously labeled by the publisher as such, or do any of you decide a title is a classic on your own? And lastly, do you find that students are ever drawn to reading Classics on their own?



Thank you,

Jarrad

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