This tag, all about classic literature, comes from R's Loft. The classics are not everyone's cup of tea, especially if school beat the joy of reading out of you, but they are worth reading. Let's discuss!
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What is one classic that hasn’t been made into a movie yet, but really needs to?
This is really hard. I don't think I have an answer. I was going to say the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki but I looked it up to see if there was a movie based on them, and there is! It's called The Three Treasures and came out in 1959.
My next guess was going to be The Dream of the Rood...that wasn't made into a movie, but a stage play. Does this count?
What draws you to classics?
They're a snapshot in time and you can learn a lot about the culture and society in which the books were written. Also, I find classics to be bold, emotional, and sweeping.
What is an underrated classic?
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This is very famous because of the "et tu, Bruté" but I don't think anyone talks about it outside of having to study it in high school. This is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays.
What is one classic that you didn’t expect to love, but ended up loving anyway?
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I thought it was going to be a slog but I ended up loving the characters (Sydney Carton, hello!), loving the danger and history of the French Revolution, and the many classic quotes: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." There's also the famous opening, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times [...]" It's a challenge to read at times, but totally worth it.
What is your most favorite and least favorite classics?
My favorite classic is Jane Eyre and my least favorite are the dystopian novels, 1984 and Brave New World. That's just not a genre for me.
What is your favorite character from a classic? Or if that is too hard, one is your favorite classic character trope (e.g. strong and silent, quiet sidekick, etc.)
It's a toss up between Jane Eyre and Sydney Carton.
What’s a popular classic that you felt wasn’t actually that great?
Who is your favorite classic author?
This is going to surprise me, but based on the number of stories of his I like, I'm going to say Charles Dickens. I initially though Charlotte Brontë because I love Jane Eyre so much, but I love a few works by Dickens (though I haven't read them all--some of these I've watched as a film): Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities.
In your opinion, what makes a classic a classic?
It's endured through the years, been accepted as part of the canon, and is taught in schools and colleges.
Relating to newer books, what attributes does a book need to have in order to be worthy of the title “classic”?
I think it has to be a little disruptive, in that it shakes publishing to its core. It's also got to invent new tropes or revise new tropes, or perhaps more accurately, create new trends. It has to speak to society and the zeitgeist and of course, draw emotions from the reader, particularly empathy.
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