To me, a classic is something that is never truly forgotten. In order for a book to be a classic, it doesn't always have to be about something that everyone knows about. Sometimes, the books that are considered classics are on topics that very few people knew anything about before the book was read, but other times, the things that are remembered for the longest amount of time are things that people are familiar with.
Right now I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker, which is actually one of the books in the Scholastic Classics collection. This book is a classic because when it was published in 1897, vampires weren't a hugely popular topic. People were curious as to who exactly Count Dracula was, so they read the book. The book was written with journal and diary entries, and letters from multiple different characters, giving the reader the story from more than one perspective. This way of writing isn't the most common style, so it's interesting to read. Future generations of students should read this book because over time, the image of the vampire has changed drastically, into something completely different then what it was originally. Modern vampires are showed as being just like regular people. They can blend in with everybody else. Future generations should read this book to get a sense of what a vampire is meant to be like.
Yes, being memorable adds to the popularity of a story, but it seems that you are referring more to the classic ability of a book here, rather than the popularity. In order to be 'popular' by definition, the story must be looked at in favor by the people. Not necessarily the whole world, but a group of people none the less. I think you are completely correct with stating that when people can relate to the text it is more memorable and has more possibility of being classified as a classic.
ReplyDeleteWith the reading of Dracula, I agree that students should read this book. Although I haven't yet read the story, I think it would be an excellent way to compare and see how the vampire has changed and evolved through the ages. I would love to read Dracula, after reading the originality of how it was written.
~Sarah