James Bantugan

Mrs. Bradley

AP English 12

25 January 2017

Classic Literature
What is a classic in the western canon of literature? What are the rules for inclusion? Can a novel
be removed? Under what circumstance? If not, why?

Over the course of human history, western civilization has written millions of books

ranging from informational records to religious texts to even the different kinds of novels. Of

those millions of books published, only a small selection of literary works are considered

classics. By definition, a classic is defined as a work of literature containing certain

characteristics that achieve literary merit. The most distinct feature of a classic is its age and

ability to stand the test of time. These great works represent the style and general mood of the

era/period they were written in. For example, in the context of British literature, medieval works

typically reflected religious devotion and the glory of monarchs, wars and chivalry. As time

progressed with the appearance of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, literature became

more emotional and secular. The second characteristic of a classic is its incorporation of

universal themes and ideas, that werent necessary common within the time it was written, which

readers can still relate to today. Some of the most basic themes that can be identified in classics

include love, war, greed, fear, freedom, faith and prejudice. The third aspect of a classic is its

intentional open-ended interpretation of the work. Many classics usually dont contain one

specific perception due to the complexity of the writing and instead leave its analysis to the

personal interpretation of the reader. Theres a chance that when you read a classic, your

understanding and perspective on a certain theme or topic within the literature may be different
from someone else or when you reread the work again. In general, if a good book contains

multiple themes, ambiguous explanations and wasnt written recently, then it has the potential of

becoming a classic in the western canon of literature.

As previously stated, certain books are honored as classics because they will forever be

recognized as the greatest masterpieces of literature. Although classics arent supposed to lose its

literary merit and classic status, there have been a few works that have been challenged,

banned or even burned in some states and countries. A few examples such as The Catcher in the

Rye, The Grapes of Wrath and even To Kill a Mockingbird have experienced some kind

opposition from a few readers that were offended or discontent with the content of the literature.

Even though these few classics were temporarily or permanently rejected by a small group of

dissatisfied readers, they can never revoke the honorary classic status of the books unless the

entire literary community agrees with their views. The fact that classics appeal to universal

themes and can stand the test of time clearly demonstrate that they can never be removed. Only

when an entire society acknowledges that the work has completely lost its cultural significance

will its status be renounced.

 Works Cited

"Banned And/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the
20th
Century." Banned & Challenged Books. American Library Association, 23 May 2013.
Web.
26 Jan. 2017. <http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics/reasons>.

Lombardi, Ester. "What Makes Classic Literature Classic?" About.com Education. N.p., 21 May
2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.
<http://classiclit.about.com/od/forbeginners/a/aa_whatisclass.htm>.

Sanders, Arnie. "The "Canon" of English Literature." The "Canon" of English Literature. N.p.,
31 Aug. 2007. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.
<http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/canon_of_english_literature.htm>.