A Classic, By Any Other Name...

Today in another segment of 'all that comprises society is made up and everything you know is only what you make of it,' I want you to pick a book. Any book. Is it Pride & Prejudice? Is it Clifford the Big Red Dog? Doesn't matter what you picked, because it's a classic now. Well, only if you think it is, really. 

The concept of classic media, popularly The Classics, goes as far back as ancient plays and stories from cultures lost to the passing of time. This is art that survived on word of mouth, changed and translated with each new telling until the written word was sustainable. Makes you wonder what plays weren't good enough to keep remembering. There are novels regaled as literature for their beautiful prose and accolades. They're commonly read in school, because you've gotta read the classics! Freshly printed books that have found success can be seen with critics' reviews on the backs or in the dust covers, raving about how they're modern classics. 

This is a label with various criteria. For a story to be hailed a classic, it can be really old. Or it can be placed on a list of great written works. Or a community of people from around the world can come together and agree that a certain piece should be regarded as a classic, on par with those that are more regularly known that way. Or... Or it can be one person, sitting down with their favorite story that made a deep personal impact on them. They can hold the book in their hands, thinking on what the story did for them. That story has resonated with an aspect of their life. To them, it's a classic. One for the ages.

Despite how arbitrary such a label is, I don't think it lessens the impact of it. In fact, when someone might refer to a story not widely known to be classic, as one, it gives the concept more weight. Like I said, everything we know is only what we make of it. A story connected with its reader. That doesn't inherently make it a classic, but them viewing it as a classic does. Value is put on the story. That's the most any writer could hope for.