[CASL-L] Classics Criteria?

[Debbie Abilock]

Or you might consider these: Italo Calvino's 14 Definitions of What Makes a
Classic

https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/07/06/italo-calvinos-14-definitions-of-a-classic/




On Sun, Feb 19, 2017 at 11:24 AM Donna Norige <donna.norige at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Sorry to disagree but I believe there is a definition of Classic.
> This from Carson-Newman University.
>
> *What does it mean to call something "classic"? At once, the term implies
> age or antiquity, but the word also implies the material is somehow
> valuable. It somehow shapes what comes in later time periods. When
> traditional literary scholars refer to classical literature, they usually
> mean that this literature is widely acknowledged as having outstanding or
> enduring qualities. Often, Shakespeare's King Lear is considered a classic
> of English literature and The Scarlet Letter in American literature.*
>
> On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 4:18 PM, Debbie Abilock <dabilock at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Hi Jarrad,
>
>
>
> As a summer reading assignment my school asked kids to identify and read a
> classic (no further information about how to define or find one).  It was
> by far the best summer reading we did – got everything from adult books now
> read by young adults to really old Newbury books.  The discussions were
> fabulous.  That said, Linda’s right – in fact, one definitions kids came up
> with was that a classic was just an older book that was still in print.
> Another, by a more jaded student, was that a classic is anything boring.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Debbie Abilock
>
> NoodleTools/NoodleTeach
>
>
>
> “When I start exploring some subject, I hardly know what I think…very
> messy…and very uncomfortable.  I don’t like all this confusion… While I am
> not an artist, I do feel bound to try, as far as I’m able, to produce a
> work of art as well as a piece of truth.” -- From *Eyes on the Street:
> The Life of Jane Jacobs* by Robert Kanigel; Knopf, 2016, p. 326.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* CASL-L [mailto:casl-l-bounces at mylist.net] *On Behalf Of *Williams,
> Linda
> *Sent:* Wednesday, February 15, 2017 5:41 AM
> *To:* 'Jarrad McGlamery' <jarradmcglamery at gmail.com>; casl-l at mylist.net
> *Subject:* Re: [CASL-L] Classics Criteria?
>
>
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
> [image: CT_State_Library_Logo-02.png]
>
>
>
> Linda Williams | Children's Services Consultant, Division of Library
> Development | Linda.Williams at ct.gov | *Office*: (860) 704-2207
>
> 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
> <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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