Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

how old is a classic?

User avatar
Vanessa
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4378
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
Favourite HF book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!
Preferred HF: Any
Location: North Yorkshire, UK

Post by Vanessa » Wed June 16th, 2010, 8:40 am

I suppose a good definition of a modern classic would be a book which stands the test of time.
currently reading: My Books on Goodreads

Books are mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you ~ The Shadow of the Wind

User avatar
Prof.Hirata
Scribbler
Posts: 15
Joined: October 2013

Post by Prof.Hirata » Thu January 30th, 2014, 9:29 pm

[quote=""Kveto from Prague""]People might consider a Steven King novel a modern classic but I doubt King will be more than a footnote 50 years from now. The same with the Harry Potter books. Any other ideas?[/quote]
My idea, in contrast to yours, Kveto, is that both S.King and J.K.Rowling will remain classics, but... in their genres! Take Conan Doyle, who is definitely a classic, but he can't be compared to, say, Galsworthy, they are from different domains. "The Chronicles of Narnia" - a classical fairy/fantasy, has nothing to do with Richard Aldington or E.Hemingway. And here the good principle of "impact" within the genre goes in force, in my opinion.
Last edited by Prof.Hirata on Fri January 31st, 2014, 9:38 am, edited 2 times in total.

Post Reply

Return to “Classics”