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The Necessary Classics


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#1 redlion

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 08:37 PM

I'm talking books, but you could equally apply the term to music or cinema. What do you consider to be classics? What criteria do you apply (if any) when you call something classic?

For me, a classic needs to have been published at least 50 years ago, to have stood the test of time, and to still be relevant in some way.

Which classic books that you have read would you consider necessary or unmissable? I hate to use the bold, but I'd like personal recommendations, not something copied from a list.

As a bonus topic, I know the term classic comes up a lot in videogame discussion as well. Part of my reason in starting this topic is because of my above quasi-definition for classic and the obvious clash with the lifetime of videogames. Not many videogames would apply with a 50 year shelf-life, no? Maybe Pong. Or almost Oregon Trail. But not much else.

Do you think any videogames can be called 'classics?'

#2 Swar

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 08:51 PM

I'm just gonna focus on your last question because I have no classics in mind at the moment.

 

Yeah, I think some videogames could be called 'classics', mostly because the videogames are "renewed" all the time. They change so much so quickly, even if you compare a recent game with a game from let's say, 2000. 15 years is way too far from your 50 years minimal, but they are so much different. I'm not sure exactly which games I consider 'classics', but in my opinion there can be plenty of them.

 

That makes sense in my head, but it could be also because I consider some books and movies 'classics' even if they're not that old :p



#3 redlion

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 08:55 PM

I'm just gonna focus on your last question because I have no classics in mind at the moment.
 
Yeah, I think some videogames could be called 'classics', mostly because the videogames are "renewed" all the time. They change so much so quickly, even if you compare a recent game with a game from let's say, 2000. 15 years is way too far from your 50 years minimal, but they are so much different. I'm not sure exactly which games I consider 'classics', but in my opinion there can be plenty of them.
 
That makes sense in my head, but it could be also because I consider some books and movies 'classics' even if they're not that old :p

That's why I also asked what criteria you use to call something a classic :p

#4 Swar

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 08:58 PM

That's why I also asked what criteria you use to call something a classic :p

 

Oh I didn't even see that lol I just saw the bold words and started reading from there xD

 

Hmmmm, I'm not sure... I think I just call it a classic when I see someone else saying it's a classic. Sometimes it's just random. It doesn't make sense most of the time. Sorry for not contributing to your search hahahah



#5 Alexiel

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Posted 22 May 2015 - 08:58 PM

"Great Expectations", "A Tale of Two Cities", "Oliver Twist" by Dicken

"1984" by Orwell

"I Robot", "Foundation" by Asimov

"The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, & "The Silmarillion" by Tolkien

"The Time Machine", "The Island of Doctor Moreau", and "The War of the Worlds" by Wells

"Call of Cthulhu", "Shadow Over Innsmouth" by Lovecraft

"Frankenstein" by Shelley

"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac

"Starship Troopers" by Heinlein 

 

Know there's quite a few more, but that's all the specifics off the top of my head atm. 

 

I suppose some comic books would qualify though.
Naturally I'll go with Amazing Fantasy #15 - the first appearance of Spider-Man.

From the early days we've got Peter Parker just an every day kinda guy at heart. We watch his trial and tribulations, struggle with great power and great loss, plus the every day stress and responsibilities from a teenager in high school to a freelance photographer that barely makes ends meet (in fact Mary Jane & Peter were even once evicted from their apartment.)

 

Of course then there's Detective Comics #27 (first Batman) and Action Comics #1 (first Superman).

 

 

Video Games do have the potential to be considered a classic imo, but they're subject to a different scale and measurement due to their general newness in comparison. Especially with Atari and Famicon/NES. For example "Super Mario Bros."/Duck Hunt, Mega Man, and The Legend of Zelda has spawned a huge franchise that spans several generations with no signs of stopping. We're essentially witnessing the birth of a "classic" on the digital scale. :)


Edited by Alexiel, 22 May 2015 - 09:20 PM.


#6 NapisaurusRex

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Posted 25 May 2015 - 09:48 AM

I loved 1984 and The Count of Monte Cristo. In 10-20 years, I'd stick Pablo Neruda on that list. Love is always relevant, right?



#7 Keil

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Posted 25 May 2015 - 10:49 AM

"Don Quijote"
"The Bible"
"The Divine Comedy"
 
I read all three (in one form of translation or another) in the past five years and in short, they have most of the literary archetypes down pat that any modern literature tries to establish as unique thoughts unique to this generation. I think all three books should be read by people who capable as a basic stepping stone towards literary maturity and not as a rite of passage or conversation starters for Ivy League wine and assorted cheese socials. My only concern about these three books is that people are too stuck up their own ass in morals to see the books as anything else but literature. Religion plays a huge in all three, but once readers stop their nihilistic bias from fully drowning them and put down their tumblr SJW glasses down to read the books purely from an academic standpoint, they can see epitome of human struggle in ways still pertinent to our lifetime. If you're not interested in structuralism or any of that sort, I believe Don Quijote did a better job of parodying their concurrent issues than Family Guy, The Simpsons, The Daily Show and Modern Family does with ours.
 
I hate defining what classics are because to me, classics are whatever some other guy with an outstanding and credible academic record or even the general academia deem as such. It's for more practical reasons because if order to get someone's attention or favor (in terms of an essay grade), you have to basically not undermine their opinion and study. That's not to say I disagree with them and have opinions of my own, but I never quite found the motivation or internal conflict to spend time to really go out of my way to challenge the normative consensus if both roads leads to the same A.
 
If it were up to me, a classic would be "avant garde in the past, cliché in the present". The literary work must done something to stirred the jaded and ignorant enough to permeate the conscious mind for a long time into absurdity, self-parody, and reformation. 


#8 Chestnut

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Posted 25 May 2015 - 11:25 AM

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Poisonwood Bible

 

I know the latter may not be considered a "classic" but both taught me some quality values and were also generally enjoyable reads. Neither feels outdated compared to some classics.



#9 Wombat

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 08:20 AM

The Divine Comedy was what immediately came to mind as well. I always had a desire to read it in the original form, though never mastered Italian enough to do so. 



#10 Kat

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 01:05 PM

Didn't see it here, but "Dune" is a necessary classic (as far as sci-fi reading goes).

"Catch-22" as well, even though I haven't ever been able to trudge through that book. 



#11 Kraehe

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 07:31 AM

To Kill a Mockingbird. It had a compelling plot. The story is told through the eyes of the child who is witnessing both the beauty and harshness of the world. 



#12 everlander

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Posted 04 June 2015 - 02:56 PM

I could never define "a Classic" by its age, it's too fun to read and see new content and predict how it will go down in history. Sometimes, we get collective feeling that art is told so truthfully that it will affect people even in future. If the art is really honest, coming from human, more human respond to it. 

 

I like "classic" movies best, and for book I recommend Gulliver's Travels! That story is already in "Classics" part when you go to bookstore though. ^^

 

Even art that looks a bit dumb can be a classic. I believe classic is born whenever artist and artists are sincere.

 

> EDIT I like to add that since art is produced and shared faster, with technology so fast, it is ok to make "classic" a video game, because it has such a young genre. No need for 50 years. n_n


Edited by everlander, 04 June 2015 - 02:58 PM.



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