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Is a book a classic because it sold a lot of copies?

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1 Is a book a classic because it sold a lot of copies?
The Literary Classics Mark Twain defined a classic as, "Something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." Is a book a classic because it sold a lot of copies? Is it the number of languages it’s translated in? Is it called a classic because a famous critic said so?

2 What characterizes a classic work of fiction?
A classic is timely. It either expresses the times, or it influences the times in which it was written. Uncle Tom's Cabin opened the eyes of America to the dark side of slavery. Oliver Twist revealed the difficult lives of the homeless children in England. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, though not fiction, revealed the realities of the Holocaust.

3 Classics and Your Blind Spots
Classics reveal your blind spots. As critic David McCullough puts it, “Because you were born into this particular era doesn’t mean it has to be the limit of your experience. Move about in time, go places. Why restrict your circle of acquaintances to only those who occupy the same stage we call the present?”

4 Classics will make you think about life’s biggest questions:
Classic Questions Classics will make you think about life’s biggest questions: What is justice? How do we know if a thing is beautiful? Can a nation act for its own best interest without regard to neighboring states? What is God? What is the purpose for human existence?

5 The Qualities of Classics
Real classics present truth. A classic will still be around years after it first appears. It may or may not get good reviews at first, but a classic work is recognized for its literary value long after it is first published.

6 The Connection Between Authors and history
A classic connects authors and times. You can study a classic and discover influences from other writers and other great works of literature. At once a classic both expresses the period, style, and struggles of the time and, yet, uniquely stands on its own.

7 Classics go Far Beyond their Plots!
A classic isn’t about the plot but, rather, what readers can learn about themselves and the world by the way the characters react to their situation.

8 Lord of the Flies is a Classic
Lord of the Flies is a classic novel that encompasses all of the following: Religious symbolism Themes about religion, war, and humanity Freud’s conception of id, ego, and super ego A clear analogy between the microcosm and the macrocosm A plot set during WWII, which dovetails with an era in social studies

9 The Classics Teach Us Wisdom
B.F. Skinner said, "Education is what remains after you have forgotten everything you've been taught." Perhaps, after you have forgotten everything you've been taught, what remains is wisdom.


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