How do you define a classic?

[Katherine Powell-Polkey]

That's an excellent question. I agree with some of the other replies that there can be an instant classic.

[Elendu Clement Ekechukwu]

A book despite the time of release could be read over and over again without getting bored or tired.

[Philosopher2022]

I agree with you. To me, a classic never gets old.

[Chandelier Eden]

Interesting Topic... In my opinion, a classic is a book genre, that hit society so hard, made a maximum impact, and spans through a period, untouched.

[Ma Leonarda Castañares]

When I hear the word “classic”, it makes me think of the word “old”, “etymology”, and bunch of words I could not seem to comprehend. Moreover, when people say classic, I would think that it is something that could re-arrange my brain chemistry XD

[Ben Madeley]

Fascinating question, I think it possibly needs to be more than 50 years old and I think it perhaps needs to have gone out of popular culture for a little while.

[Willow Dunn]

For me, a classic is a timeless book. A book that, no matter when you read it, you can identify human behavior or social patterns in it.

[Deborah Campion]

I have been pondering just that question for a long time. My favorite local book store, Bookman's, avoids the question by grouping 'fiction and classics' together. When I browse in that large section, I am equally likely to pick up something I missed in Jr. High as a New Yorks Times' bestseller. I kind of like that openness, as there are great works in both categories.

[Laura Ismajli]

I feel like a classic can be contemporary, in a way. When a few decades pass, it is easy to see the impact that a book had on a generation. It is a lot harder to see that happening right in front of you. Simply put, I think a classic is something that receives immense popularity or defines a generation. That, or something that hasn't been done before and sets the trend. It isn't always great literature.

[Mary Horney]

The simplest definition of a 'classic' is a book that an immense amount of people read and enjoyed (for any number of reasons) and perhaps even read more than once over time.

[chongjasmine]

I think classics are books that stood the test of time.

[kathryn_coombs]

In my opinion I feel like a classic is a book that when someone says the title of everyone knows what if is and what if is about.

[vaaniundersky]

this is way overdue, but this post got me thinking. while I agree that a lot of the definition of classic has to do with a book's timelessness, I wonder if some of it is merely because it belongs to the past. archaic art and literature fascinates us because it reveals a world we haven't lived in. so its archaicness becomes a factor for its appreciation.

but I guess while this said, at all times there are multiple definitions of what a classic is. it's a fluid term with several explanations just like how the term 'literature' is.

[Nimra Kiran]

Classic novels are literary works that have stood the test of time, maintaining their relevance and popularity across different eras.
Something that has achieved a timeless and enduring quality. It holds cultural or historical themes reflecting the lives of audiences across generations and a true classic work contains universal themes or emotions.
We are actually attracted to any classical work at an emotional level!

[Okewunmi Pelumi]

Classic is simply a things that is significantly approved at the top; beyond normal or usual, it portray excellent.